Filly Colicing

[Donnybrook]

I would like to see what all of you have for advise.... bought a 1.5 yr AQHA filly at a sale 2 weeks ago & she has fit in great, been eatting small amount of Alf with mostly grass hay. Day before yesterday she starting colicing, not majorly, not sweating but having bouts of laying down trying to roll so of course I walked her & when it did not get better I shot her up with Banamine. She was better until evening then back to the same.... she is drinking, eatting very little & pooping, poop is a little loose but not bad & about 1/2 of the amount she should drop. Again I shot her with banamine & she was fine until early morning but seemed to be some better as she would just lay down & look at her sides instead of rolling? Evening she was attempting to roll some so again with the banamine & she was better again this morning. I pulled her feed completely the first day & night but have given her very little grass hay twice since but she only picks at it. This morning I gave her a dose of Dynamite & mineral oil & she has had no Banamine all day but still laying & biting at sides. After I gave her the oil etc this morning I noticed a fresh pile so I was checking it out & found a 1/2" chunk of broken glass in it "Not Good" but I see no blood or anything abnormal in her piles?? She seems to get worse or have an attack after she atempts to eat for awhile?? Anybody got any feedback?? Thanks

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Not good. I'm not one for calling the vet at every sign of trouble but a piece of glass in a stool and ongoing symptoms? Call.

 

[milkmaid]

Call the vet. Horses are pretty sensitive to stress/shock... you wouldn't want to lose her after only having had her 2 weeks.

 

[chippie]

Ditto CALL YOUR VET!!!

I have to say something about horses acting colicky and the owners automatically giving them Banamine.

Get your vet to check your horse first. Banamine will mask the pain and you won't know if your horse is really getting better or worse.

Case in point. A friend's horse was acting a little off. Her husband gave the horse Banamine. The horse seemed better. The following day while she was feeding he collapsed, had a seizure and died. They had the horse posted and the vet found that his cecum had ruptured. The poor old guy was so stoic and because of the banamine, he never rolled, sweated or showed signs of his pain and distress. They never noticed that had hadn't been drinking enough water. Her husband was too cheap to call the vet and he killed the horse because of his ignorance. Because the horse never rolled, they didn't think that he was colicing.

Another thought, if she passed the glass, that may have been why she was at the sale. She may have been doped up to mask the pain.

Get her checked ASAP and Good Luck.

 

[jersey lilly]

Take in the piece of glass when you take ;her to the vet. Also if possible, get the vet to do an ultra sound, I don't know for sure if glass would show up, but I'd think it would. I'm thinkin if this has been an ongoin thing exploritory surgery might be an issue to see if any of her intestines have been cut open by the glass passin thru.

Good luck and keep us posted.

(Had one with a stone last year, that the base was a mess of feed sack string, then calcium deposited all around it...made it like concrete. 5 year old, that we'd just bought. We had the surgery done, because he was our daughters main barrel horse. He done fine)

 

[Donnybrook]

Thanks so much for all your advice! The little girl is all fine now. Slowly started feeling better & went back on her feed & is healthy & kicking up her heels now! Thanks Again

 

[Hippie Rancher]

I would be concerned there might be more glass inside. At the very least check your hay real good. I would also still call and ask a vet what they think - might not need to have an exam, but they might have some advise for if she tried to pass another piece. Glad she is feeling better.