Posted 2006-06-05 6:17 AM (#42628) Subject: Long mean Sunday
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
Started giving vacines and wormer Saturday.One of our Tobi Walking horse mares(19) seemed down.I thought looked a little distended in the gut/flanks.But was fat.She had over the last two years had a few minor bouts of lite colic.Would find her laying down and in minor distress.Would get over it in a hour or two and be ok.Vet thought gas etc.I gave her some banimian(spelling)? Saturday after noon late.She rejoined the other mares and seemed ok.Sunday morning was still out of sorts and really looked distended.I put a hand in her and no manure.Thought oh heck.Was still bright eyed etc.but down some.Took her to vet(about 1 mile away)and heart rate was 80 per minute(resting should be 40) indicating extreme pain.Most Walkers are real stowic and tolerate lots of pain.He lubed up and put a hand in her.I saw his eyes widen and I said OH HECk.He asked if she was bred.NO.He felt around some more and said the part of the intestine that curves up felt HUGE.Long and short we brought her home,He followed and we put her down behind the barn near the pond.Then we opended her up.The large intestine was as big around as large water melon and just as hard.Small intestine torwards rectum was empty.Found a area about 9 inches long that was dark brown/blackish.Took it apart and found blockage(grass) and the 9 inches of intestine had no viable blood vessels in it.It was in a area that if I had decided on surgery that would have been non repairable.No grain in a year or so just pasture and no parisites etc.Post mortem took about 45 minutes with minor assitance from wife and I.Mare had been a show horse,trail horse and produced some good looking youngsters for us including one of our studs.Would love to post a photo of her but don't know how.
Posted 2006-06-11 3:57 AM (#42854 - in reply to #42628) Subject: RE: Long mean Sunday
Elite Veteran
Posts: 954 Location: Hagerstown, MD
hounddog, I'm truly sorry to hear about your loss and it strikes home with me to read your story on "Long mean Sunday." I read about the postmordom, but do you have any clues as to why the blockage occured? Did the bloodloss cause the blockage, or did the blockage cause the bloodloss? I have a 3 year old mare that I constantly worry about because she does everything too fast, including eating her food. I watch her like a hawk to make sure she is o.k. since I've had several bouts of colic with her. My condolances.
Posted 2006-06-11 8:21 AM (#42857 - in reply to #42628) Subject: RE: Long mean Sunday
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
Over the last two years or so once in a while I'd find her down and in very mild colic.Checked for sand,worms etc.would last a couple of hours and she'd be fine.Had vet out once cause it was like "darn thats like 3 times in 6 months" all on grass.No hay or grain.He said I bet its gas! Moved her a while back to another pasture about 10 miles away with some other mares.Been there 6 months or so with no obvisous issues.Wife went drug store and checked on mares while out.Found her in the woods down.Not rolling etc.Just by herself and down.Got her up,mare seemed ok.Nothing obvisous(I bet heart rate was up.Learned something new.Its a sign of pain) Any way we went back few hours later she was still off and down.Gave her some banimian.She rejoined others in about 10 minutes.ext day same deal but looked larger in flanks,stomach(she was FAT to start with) Loaded her and on way home called vet and stopped.I already had eased my hand in her and no manure! NO manure in trailer to vets.I knew then it was serious.Back to QUESTION.WE(vet mainly)thinks there was a issue with that section of intestine for a while.Said if on hay and grain might have done all of the above months earlier.He first thought a TWIST.HE wanted to know what caused it as did we.Could have taken her to UGA and for $50.00 they will put them down and do a post mortem(when they get to it)and dispose of.WE wanted to know and see,so I called a back hoe service($100.00)who showed up in 15 minutes on a Sunday.The intestine works like a snake even after death for a while.Looks alive.Wiggles and moves like a snake eating a mouse.That part near the rectum was totaly empty.ABOVE the wine/dark colored section was totatly full.REAL FULL.Nothing but grass,a small bit of a leaf or so etc.Normal stuff.Had about 8 or 9 inches of intestine that was dark colored and turned inside out looked like a banana that needed to be tossed in trash.Been told the same thing happens to humans etc.Just not as often as equines.Its a age old killer of horses.She had a 1.5 to 3 inch layer of fat all over the areas we opened.Would have died in a few days(or sooner) after a rupture and extreme pain.Oiling her would have made it WORSE.By chance if she HAD passed it would have reoccured(she still would not have felt ok of course) again in hours etc.If younger and had opted for colic surgery it was in a UN operable area and outcome would have been the same(just a MUCH lighter wallet) I just read a 1940's horse journal that discusses the SAME thing including location as a killer of horses. LEARN to USE a STETHESCOPE is the best advise I can give.She was STOIC.Vet KNEW serious issue by heart rate.40 per minute normal at rest(Condtion endurance horses may be 30) and 80 per minute is SERIOUS pain even not acting like it.
Posted 2006-06-12 10:03 AM (#42893 - in reply to #42628) Subject: RE: Long mean Sunday
Member
Posts: 45 Location: Florida
I'm very sorry for your loss. Along with your stethescope you ought to purchase some Mylanta, yes Human Mylanta, to keep on hand. I have been very succesful giving 60cc of mylanta at the first signs of pain. If it is a minor gas colic will take care of it within 45 minutes. If the pain continues it is a lot more serious (impaction, twist, etc) and I make a phone call to my vet ASAP.
Posted 2006-06-12 11:52 AM (#42899 - in reply to #42628) Subject: RE: Long mean Sunday
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
I keep Banimean(spelling)actually a similair drug that does not require it to be kept cold.Can give I.M. or I.V. 1cc per 100 lbs of body weight. I had given her 10cc I.M. 5 cc neck and 5cc hip. But even then she was dying.Gorgous mare.Sweet,great gait,color,pretty headed etc.Have two fillies and one stud from her here and sold two others from her a year or two back.Was fixing to get her ready to A.I. on some frozen semen I have.The putting her down tore me up.Held her head and talked to her.The cutting her open once down was no biggy.Wanted to see and know what was wrong.
Posted 2006-06-13 5:48 AM (#42938 - in reply to #42899) Subject: RE: Long mean Sunday
Elite Veteran
Posts: 954 Location: Hagerstown, MD
The putting her down tore me up.Held her head and talked to her.The cutting her open once down was no biggy.Wanted to see and know what was wrong.
hounddog, there are many definitions of "horseman" and in my opinion, you definitely fall into that catagory. I hope the mare you lost is on a happy trail...............
Posted 2006-06-18 9:28 PM (#43214 - in reply to #42628) Subject: RE: Long mean Sunday
Regular
Posts: 93 Location: ark/ok border
Im so sorry for your loss! As I sit here and cry I think about a mare I have that is 32 and I have had her since she was 2! She isnt doing so well with weight gain this summer, I know I probably wont have her much longer since my vet says she is starting to go down hill (as we all have to do) and to make her as comfortable as possible. Its still hard! I have her SPOT pickout in the pasture where she will be buried but still hope that it will be several yrs. I keep her teeth up, give her senior feed, give her metamucel twice a yr( to get rid of sand in stomach)and make the vet come to her, and let her graze with the other 5 we have. My vet who is wonderful says he wish all horse owners where as devoted as I am to her, my thoughts are I will never have another horse I love more than her. I have a 5 yrs old I ride now and she is nice and good but just not the same. Again my thoughts and prayers are with you. At least you have some of her colts as I do not.
Posted 2006-06-18 9:47 PM (#43218 - in reply to #42628) Subject: RE: Long mean Sunday
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
I have a 26 year old that this last year looks poor(has had 13 foals)Her and the one we put down were buds and had been for 10 years or so.The OLD gal is a thread I had on SENIOR feed.Ate it FINE for a long period and just all of a sudden 6 months ago turned her nose up at it.I tried her again on it a while back and still won't touch it.She's on a normal hard grain mix.Any way EVERY morning I look to see if she's UP.I keep her with weanies who now are yearlings next to the house.Use to be a HEAD mare and two years ago dropped to the bottom of the pack.So I seperated her from them.Now she's IN CHARGE without much fan fair.
Posted 2006-06-18 10:10 PM (#43223 - in reply to #42628) Subject: RE: Long mean Sunday
Regular
Posts: 93 Location: ark/ok border
Yea I done that also with my mare for a few yrs then those colts grew up also. Now she is at the bottom but vet says that is better for her than trying to seperate her from them all together. Even though we have domesticated them they still have the herd instinct. I also check for her each morning and even my neighbors ( none others have horses) check for her. This past winter she looked kind of bad and several called to check on her if it was cold and I kept her up in a stall that day( great neighbors). She also has a pasture mate(20yr old) here that we worry about her reaction when she is gone. I had a friend that lost 2 in one yr and vet said second on just grieved its self to death. Good luck and happy trails!
Long mean Sunday
