Sometimes it seems that no matter what precautions you take, how hard you work to keep your horses' living space as safe as possible or the efforts you make to keep them as healthy and happy as possible, something is bound to go wrong.
That's why it's a common theory that even wrapping our equine friends up in bubble wrap and keeping them in a padded stall wouldn't make a difference. They'd still manage to find a way to injure or sicken themselves. I'm pretty sure most of them are subconsciously suicidal.
Gabe colicked last weekend.
Colic is a horse owner's worst nightmare, in my opinion. I've lost two wonderful horses to colic and it's not something I ever take lightly. You never know whether your colicking horse simply has a little painful gas or something far worse, like a twisted gut or perforated intestine.
You just never know. And often you just never know what causes it. For such powerful, beautiful, wonderful animals, horses sure are delicate creatures.
I knew instantly when I saw him Saturday morning that things were not right in Gabe's world. One more advantage to having them at home: I know them, I know how they typically behave and I know something is wrong where someone else might not immediately recognize subtle signs and changes.
Gabe had all the classic colic symptoms: He was biting at his side, anxious, throwing himself to the ground, laying out flat then getting up to throw himself down again, walking in circles, pawing, sweating, breathing hard and obviously in pain.
He had almost no gut sounds on one side and very weak gut sounds on the other. He passed a few very hard, dry poop balls and it took him some effort to do even that.
There was no question in my mind that he was colicking and also no question that the vet would be called.
But I always wonder whether or not I should dose a colicking horse with Banamine before I call the vet. Will the Banamine mask symptoms? Am I doing additional harm to a horse who may already be dehydrated?
My mom is a vet, but unfortunately lives all the way on the other side of the country, so having her come out to treat my horses is kind of out of the question.
But I can call for advice and call I did. I guess it was about 5 a.m. her time and I woke her up, but thankfully, hearing her voice on the other end calmed me down and helped me think more clearly.
No Banamine, she advised, unless my vet gave the okay.
Thankfully my vet is only 15 minutes away from my farm, so he was there pretty quickly. By that time Gabe was feeling a bit better, but still, I don't mess around with colic and I take no chances.
Poor guy was subjected to the indignity of a rectal exam and a tube up his nose for a good dose of oil. He got a sedative and a pain reliever and was pretty out of it but started to really feel better a couple of hours later.
The vet found no distended intestine indicating gas, nor could he find any twisted gut. So, who knows what caused Gabe so much pain.
But what if he HAD had a twisted gut and needed surgery to fix it? Would I put him through a major surgery?
This is something all horse owners should ask themselves before it happens and really think about what it logically and honestly before faced with it emotionally.
My answer is no, I wouldn't. For all of my horses. The answer to colic surgery will always be no in my book. And it's not because I don't love my horses and not because I wouldn't be heartbroken to have to make that decision, but considering it now, before I have to make that kind of decision, I know it would be the wisest and best one to make.
Not only do I not have the facilities to keep a horse on stall rest for months, but I also know any one of mine would be absolutely miserable locked up for months and the possibility of developing other post-surgical complications is likely.
Colic surgery is not only incredibly expensive, it is also incredibly risky and there is no guarantee that the horse won't colic again and no guarantee that he will survive the surgery and healing process either.
I hope I never, ever have to make that decision, but at least I know what that decision would be if it came down to it.
What would you do if faced with that decision?
So glad Gabe is OK! There isn't anything scarier as a horse owner than colic.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to (rarely) blogging on Regarding Horses, I also help to manage an awareness campaign called Crusade Against Equine Colic. We are always looking for stories to share - and it's always nice to share the good outcomes and ask some of these important questions. Could I repost this article on the coliccrusade.com website and link back to you?
Jackie, yes, please repost! The more people who think about it before it happens, the better! Thank you.
DeleteHope he continues to feel OK - colic is very scary. I've never (yet) been faced with the colic surgery question, and although there are horses who make a full recovery, the recovery is long and hard and many horses don't do well.
ReplyDeleteIt's terrifying and I'm always, always on the lookout for any signs of it in any of my horses. I haven't yet been faced with the question, either, and I hope I never am.
DeleteI did have to make that decision. And though I, like you, thought I would never do colic surgery, when my son's beloved, perfectly sound twenty year old horse colicked and the vets said he needed surgery to be saved and was in good shape and would probably pull through, I agreed to the surgery. They removed a very large stone from Henry's gut, along with a bucket of smaller stones. And yes it was expensive and I had to build a stall from panels (I don't have stalls, either) and the rehab was a lot of work and it was six months before he was in full use again, and yes, there were complications (incisional infection and hernia). But four years later Henry is doing great and we have had hundreds and hundreds of happy rides in those four years. If I had it do over I would make the same choice--under those circumstances. But I would think long and hard before choosing this for another horse as I now KNOW exactly what it entails.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear Henry made it through the surgery and continues to do well! He's a lucky guy! I've worked at barns that had horses on stall rest after colic surgery...some did okay with it, others suffered from complications and with just being absolutely miserable being stalled for that long. It really does depend on the horse on how they go through post-surgery care. I really don't think ANY of mine would come through it well at all.
DeletePhew....I was holding my breath until I read that Gabe was OK. What a scare.
ReplyDeleteKnock on wood, neither of my horses have ever had colic, at least under my watch.
Like you, I probably would not have surgery performed. And you are right, it makes it easier if you have thought things out ahead of time when you aren't under a lot of stress. That was the case with one of our dogs. He had terrible seizures that were only barely controlled with medications. Hubby and I had decided that if there was ever a life-threatening illness or situation requiring surgery or hugely expensive, limiting (to the dog) care, we would not go forward. The dog lived through enough hell as it was. That day came. For some reason our dog began bleeding internally. The vet wanted to do exploratory surgery. As hard as it was to say no, euthanize the dog, that's what we did. It was easier having already made that decision years before.
Consider yourself very, very lucky! It's very scary because you know you could just up and lose them in a heartbeat.
DeleteIt is an easier decision to make if you've already talked about it and considered it, like with your dog. When your faced with it, it's very, very emotional and tough to make such a huge decision like that on the fly.
I am glad that Gabe pulled through. I've lost 3 horses to colic, and it's an ugly way to go. I know that I can't afford the surgery, so I would have to make the hard choice- and have done it. I pray that I am never faced with that situation again- it's heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteIt's horrible to lose them that way, awful, awful, awful.
DeleteCost is definitely a big consideration for me, too. I most likely couldn't afford it, either, but, when I made the decision about not to have colic surgery done if the question ever came up, I tried not to let the expense of it be the only thing that made the decision. I would still make the same decision even if I had an endless bank account and could afford 500 colic surgeries!
Oh Jenn, that's so scary. Hugs! Like you, I thought for years that I'd never put one of my horses through major surgery, but at this point I think I might, possibly, if she was a good candidate, etc. I'm starting to hear some positive outcomes, instead of "$12,000 and the horse still died." Also our finances aren't quite so dire as they were four years ago. I think that's the hardest part, admitting that you just cannot afford to spend the money to possibly save the animal... but that's life sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThe surgery is still risky, certainly, but it's post-surgery that I'd be most concerned about. If I lost one on the table, I could live with that, but if I lost one AFTER a successful surgery due to other complications (infection, recurrence, laminitis, other injuries from being stalled for so long), I would beat myself up over it.
DeleteSO glad to hear Gabe is feeling better. Sounds like you handled it well but I imagine you were scared. Colic is one of my worst fears...
ReplyDeleteThe nearest equine vet to my farm is 3 1/2 hours away, so there's another wrinkle to an already complicated decision. If I could stabilize Val, if I could load him and if I could keep him going til we get to medical facilities... I'd probably opt for surgery if the outcome looked reasonably positive.
Been looking into insurance for just this kind of situation.
I'm lucky to have a very good equine vet (actually, three of them!) just 15 minutes away.
DeleteYou know, they say one of the best "cures" for colic is to load a horse on the trailer and start heading to the vet. Something about the movement or the stress of the trailering has been known to get things moving again. :)
LOL, I fixed a "oh god I think his leg is broken!" with a trailer ride. He had to put weight on it to ride and the abscess blew on the way to the vet's.
DeleteWhat a scary time for you and your family! I'm so very glad Gabe made it through, so very glad. His escapades are straight up my mare's alley - and I love reading about how you are training him. Frankly, I don't think I would do surgery. I would have the facilities to take care of her but you hit the nail on the head with post-op health. I love my mare dearly but for me, and probably for her, the best option would be to put her down. There are many more healthy horses out there who I can love on.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sarah! He's a fun horse and has been an absolute blast to have. He's certainly teaching ME just as much as I'm teaching him and I love every step of it.
DeleteYou are absolutely right. I love Gabe dearly, and because of that, I would never, ever put him through all that a colic surgery entails. It would be kinder to put him down than to ask him to go through all that post-op care requires.
You're very right that not all horses could handle the post op thing. I didn't actually think about this when I chose to have surgery done on Henry, but as it happened, he was a rock star of a patient--and I could have predicted this if I had thought about it. I would not choose to do this surgery on a horse that would be a poor patient, for whatever reason. Colic rehab does involve at least three handwalks a day and hand grazing two or three times a day, so the horse is not just left in a stall. For a quiet, solid horse like Henry, it wasn't too bad (he loved all the hand grazing). It was a LOT of work for me, though.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear Gabe is ok. I've never been faced with the colic surgery question, but like you I feel I should have my mind made up before I'm in a crisis. The expense is a factor, of course, but more than that it is my belief that my horse wouldn't handle it well. I can definitely see why some people do it and I am happy to read a few post-surgery success stories here. But I feel it's a lot of suffering to put an animal through when recovery isn't guaranteed. At this point my decision is not to operate.
ReplyDeleteVery scary! Glad Gabe was able to get through it. And no I wouldn't do the surgery, much as I might want to have it done.
ReplyDeleteI am SO glad Gabe is Ok. Our Ebony died of a middle-of-the-night colic last October. She was not a candidate for surgery.
ReplyDeleteI would probably read up on the surgery and go with your answer. And yes, that's something you want to read up on in advance and make your decision now. Very wise!
Blessings~ take no day, no minute for granted. :-)
Glad to hear that Gabe is doing okay after his colic. Colic to me is one of the scariest things a horse has to deal with.
ReplyDeleteIn answer to your question, I probably would have the surgery. My horse Erik coliced very badly a few years ago. I was away on a trip and when my daughter came home from work he was lying in the field. She got him up, called the vet and trailered him to the clinic. We decided to do the surgery because I felt I wanted to give him every chance to live. He had the surgery but unfortunately he was too far gone and I had to tell them to euthanize him on the table. I would have done anything to keep this horse alive and well because he was that one horse you sometimes find that you have a special bond with. It was heartbreaking and I don't know if I would ever do it again. I think it would have to make the decision based on each horses age, condition and chance for survival.