Posted 2008-05-26 11:47 AM (#84667 - in reply to #83223) Subject: RE: colic
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Posts: 1
Location: Jakarta,ID and Logan,KS
Ugh, I had a tricky colic case today :( A Falabella's foal suffered from a gas colic...I was so stressed out because my smallest tube still too big for her... I wish they produce a tiny stomach tube for mini Falabella....
Posted 2008-05-28 12:30 PM (#84812 - in reply to #83223) Subject: RE: colic
Expert
Posts: 2828 Location: Southern New Mexico
They had that problem with my filly. She is 2 but has a very small head, they had to use a foal tube on her.
An update: My filly is recovering well. She was running a fever on and off for about a week after the surgury but a cut on her leg had become infected so they think that it was causing the fever. They put her back on anitbiotics for a week to clear the infection in the leg and the fever stopped. She has had a bit of drainage from the inscision but it has almost stopped and it was just a clear liquid, no puss, no heat and no swelling. She has a great appitiet and is getting fidigity in the stall. She wants to get out and run.
Posted 2008-05-28 7:39 PM (#84838 - in reply to #83223) Subject: RE: colic
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Posts: 192 Location: Hutto, TX
I'm here in central Texas and I've heard a couple of times that straight coastal is pretty fine stemmed and can get impacted. I try to feed some alfalfa, turn out on grass, add soaked shredded beet pulp, and I have bought the coarser coastal. For awhile we had a guy that was coming down from up north to visit his sister and he would bring a semi of timothy/alfalfa mix and I would buy all he had. I also feed electrolytes, especially in the winter and really humid days. I have a friend that puts mineral oil on some of her horse's feed too. Any other feeding suggestions? Daily wormer, what else?
Posted 2008-05-28 9:45 PM (#84849 - in reply to #83223) Subject: RE: colic
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Posts: 2828 Location: Southern New Mexico
I grew up in S.Tx and have never fed anything but coastal hay so I was very surprised to have this happen. The other two that coliced are doing great and aren't having any problems either.
Posted 2008-05-29 9:05 AM (#84854 - in reply to #83223) Subject: RE: colic
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Posts: 294 Location: Fort Worth, Tx
I have lived in Ohio, where we fed timothy, and here in Texas for 11 years, where we use coastal. Although I much prefer timothy in terms of nutritional value and taste, I haven't seen any more colics feeding coastal as opposed to any other type of hay. As long as you are getting good, mold free hay you should be alright. Sounds like you are taking good care of your horses. As far as daily dewormer, that depends on your particular situation-are you horses at very high risk of being re-infested every day (ie on a small turnout with lots of other horses)? If they are not then I would not do daily myself.
Posted 2008-05-30 2:40 PM (#84913 - in reply to #84854) Subject: RE: colic
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Posts: 2828 Location: Southern New Mexico
How do you know which tastes better? Are they a regular part of your diet or did you find a way to speak and understand horse language? (In case you can't tell I'm just being a smart burro!)
Posted 2008-05-30 8:36 PM (#84923 - in reply to #83223) Subject: RE: colic
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Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
The vet I deal with hates Bermuda grasses.He's not the first to have a dislike for it.He puts up enough winter rye grass to hold him from spring to spring.I have done the same several times.I will pass on Bermuda grass hay for Fesque ,mixed grass and clover if possible.I have a neighbor who has sprayed large areas of his place with Roundup and sprigged in Bermuda.I asked why.Said he wanted to grow and sell hay to us horse folks.I explained my stance on Bermudas.He already HAD good grass hay.He said he was told Bermudas was horse hay.I said it always seems NON HORSE folks are the ones growing it for us to feed but are never there when one colics or dies from impaction from it.I bought 44 round bales of Annual Winter Rye Grass several weeks ago for this winter.Its in a old chicken house being stored for me as I need it.I am a bit paranoid about drought and did not want round bales of Bermuda.
Posted 2008-05-31 8:01 PM (#84951 - in reply to #84925) Subject: RE: colic
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Posts: 2828 Location: Southern New Mexico
Mine would have held out for the alfalfa. That is what they are on now. That is the only other thing available here. And contrary to everything I've been told about feeding horses alfalfa, the vet told me to feed the really leafy stuff, he (and she) said that all the moisture is in the leaves.
Posted 2008-05-31 10:26 PM (#84953 - in reply to #83223) Subject: RE: colic
Veteran
Posts: 250 Location: AL
I have always fed coastal or a similar type of bermuda and have never had a problem with colic. In fact , plan to buy my first 200 bales next week(start storing up for the winter).
Posted 2008-05-31 11:08 PM (#84955 - in reply to #83223) Subject: RE: colic
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
Even a well known magazine did a article on Bermuda impaction. It was conducted by the university of North Carolina.They showed that it really does occur at a alarming rate.Vets have always told me that most impactions is that fine Bermuda that is wadded up in there stopping up the pluming.
Posted 2008-06-01 10:58 AM (#84976 - in reply to #84953) Subject: RE: colic
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Posts: 2828 Location: Southern New Mexico
Originally written by stablemom on 2008-05-31 10:26 AM
I have always fed coastal or a similar type of bermuda and have never had a problem with colic. In fact , plan to buy my first 200 bales next week(start storing up for the winter).
That is the what I grew up feeding and then we had 3 colic with in 10 days of each other, one horse coliced twice and one ended up in sugury. That $100 round bale of coastal cost me $9 grand.
Posted 2008-06-01 11:25 AM (#84978 - in reply to #83223) Subject: RE: colic
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 544 Location: Claxton, Ga.
That is exactly why I don't feed round bales. First time I ever feed a round bale I had a colic. Never again. Just have to work my tail off with those small squares.
Posted 2008-06-01 2:14 PM (#84986 - in reply to #83223) Subject: RE: colic
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Posts: 192 Location: Hutto, TX
had a vet tell me that the round bales change consistency and to only use the best ones and then only if there are enough horses to eat the bales quickly. Now, when I do put them out, I let the cows into the pasture after about a week, or after a rain and go back to squares for the horses until the cows eat up the leftover round bale. Then I can start over. I've been very lucky about no bad colics over the years. I did have to put down my old QH with an enterolth (the magnesium/calcium/whatever growth/stone in the the intestine). No telling what he got into ages ago that started that.
Posted 2008-06-03 11:53 AM (#85137 - in reply to #84976) Subject: RE: colic
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Posts: 250 Location: AL
Originally written by Terri on 2008-06-01 10:58 AM
Originally written by stablemom on 2008-05-31 10:26 AM
I have always fed coastal or a similar type of bermuda and have never had a problem with colic. In fact , plan to buy my first 200 bales next week(start storing up for the winter).
I have always used square bales where I can regulate how much my horses consume. NO round bales for mine. I don't let mine have free access to it.
That is the what I grew up feeding and then we had 3 colic with in 10 days of each other, one horse coliced twice and one ended up in sugury. That $100 round bale of coastal cost me $9 grand.
Posted 2008-06-03 5:30 PM (#85154 - in reply to #84986) Subject: RE: colic
Expert
Posts: 2828 Location: Southern New Mexico
Originally written by KeepsakeFarm on 2008-06-01 2:14 AM
Now, when I do put them out, I let the cows into the pasture after about a week, or after a rain and go back to squares for the horses until the cows eat up the leftover round bale.
My horses were on the round bale for 3 days when the first one coliced, 5 days when the second one (the one that ended up in sugury) coliced and 8 days when the first (again) and third coliced. It wasn't old or moldy. The vet couldn't come up with a definite reason for it.
Posted 2008-06-03 5:43 PM (#85155 - in reply to #83223) Subject: RE: colic
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
I don't like feeding round bales to horses and have avoided it.Mainly because its always Bermuda.But last year I fed some rounds of Annual winter Rye grass.I bought 42 bales of the stuff a few weeks ago for this winter.Hope I'm not running scared but no rain for a week plus and none in the forecast.Only a small amount of folks doing first cuttings as most did the last few weeks.
Posted 2008-06-03 10:48 PM (#85172 - in reply to #83223) Subject: RE: colic
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Posts: 1205 Location: Danielsville Georgia
A big factor with round bales is having the grass good and dry before bailing - even more so than square bales. I have also read of botulism poisoning from round bales that were improperly cured.
Posted 2008-06-03 11:04 PM (#85173 - in reply to #83223) Subject: RE: colic
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 544 Location: Claxton, Ga.
Most folk around me that bail round have cows and sell the excess when they have it. I finally found a local hay farmer that is good and keeps me in full supply of squares. He does a few horse quality round bails. I still stay away from them and he has some very good quality rounds. No rain for us either, maybe 3/16 in. You done the right thing buying what you did. It's gonna be another tough year for hay. UGA was predicting that last year, said we were in a laninia last year and would also have one this year due to past weather trends. Hang on to your hat, it's gonna be another dry summer.
Posted 2008-06-04 5:39 PM (#85218 - in reply to #83223) Subject: RE: colic
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Posts: 2828 Location: Southern New Mexico
What is ya'lls idea of a small paddock? Tomorrow is 30 day mark after the sugury and on my instructions it says.... Stall confinement for 30 days with hand walking for 5-10 minutes twice daily. We've been doing that... But now it says follow by turn out into a small paddock for 30 days then pasture turnout for anothe 30 days before training. The surgeon is out of town on a family emergency and my vet said a paddock was a 12x12 area. Her stall is 10x11 and at the surgeons she was in a 20x20.
Sooooo. What would ya'll consider a small paddock?
Posted 2008-06-04 6:02 PM (#85221 - in reply to #83223) Subject: RE: colic
Veteran
Posts: 192 Location: Hutto, TX
I just did that and my vet considers a small paddock something that keeps the horse from getting up a full head of steam. So they don't try to gallop around, just jog trot. I moved my yearling into a 25x25 for a few days and then, with an older quiet horse into something a bit larger. I just used panels to keep making the area bigger until I got the OK to turn him out. And then he hurt himself the first day. . .
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