Good Thoughts Please --

Miniature Horse Talk Forums

Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Boss Mare

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Messages
1,228
Reaction score
64
Location
Mechanicsville, MD
My precious little filly, Sky isn't doing so well. I left yesterday morning at 10:00 and everyone was fine, nothing out of place. I had some personal things to take care of and didn't arrive home till 7:00.

Sky was down, I got her up, walked her and the whole nine yards, sure enough it's colic. Waited a couple hours and didn't like what I was seeing or how she was (not) responding. Had a vet out whom of which I don't care for, tubed her and really did nothing more than that....

This AM she was still the same. Call the vet, get another one out first thing, this time a vet I like. Tubed her again, this time he actually took his time and suctioned off a lot of reflux matter from her stomach. Gave sedatives and left me with several doses. Gave more Banamine.

She has very little gut sounds. He said all he hears is static, like he's listening to a balloon. Her abdomen is very distended, the worse *I have* seen. He recommended taking her to Leesburg for possible exploratory surgery. Her gum color is good, no temp., etc., so he doesn't think it's a twist (yet).

I still have to discuss everything with my parents again as to if Leesburg is an option or not.... I'm of legal age, so I can sign on the dotted line, but I can't afford it.

My vet said if Leesburg wasn't an option and if by tomorrow there is no progress as a last resort he can put a needle into her abdomen to try to relieve anything he can, but he doesn't want to do that unless as a last option because the risk of infection is very high, which can easy kill a horse.

I'm going to put a call into Leesburg to see if they'll be willing to work out any terms, I doubt it, but I have to try...

Any good thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thank you all for your time and thank you to all of my forum friends for 'being there'. I've been so stressed lately and now I'm afraid I'm going to lose my beauitiful baby. I can only block out my emotions for so long before they all come flowing at once.
no.gif
 
my thoughts are with you and sky! hope she gets this cleared up! jennifer
 
[SIZE=14pt]Certainly sending good thoughts and prayers from here. A lot of reflux isnt a very good sign in my experience. Last year when feather had a twist, there was 4 gallons of reflux, it was very stinky greenish.... gave her really bad breath. By the second day she was dripping back up out her nose and mouth.... hoping for a better outcome for you. Surgery wasnt an option for us either so we helped her over the rainbow bridge. getting really distended with reflux is probably very painful for her. Has she passed any oil or manure???[/SIZE]

Lyn
 
Oh Michelle- I am so sorry that you're going through this -- I know how stressful this is, and I know how much you love your babies...

Keeping you in my thoughts & prayers -- take a deep breath -- it'll be okay.

Hugs,

Liz R.
 
Oh no, not Sky! I just love that little girl!

All good good thoughts coming your way for a complete recovery.

Please keep us up to date!!!!!!!!!
 
Definitely sending you many good thoughts for your little girl!

I hope that the good color to her gums continues, as that is a good sign. I'm with Lyn and wanting to know if she has passed any oil or poop???

Blessings,

Maryann
 
lyn_j said:
[SIZE=14pt]Certainly sending good thoughts and prayers from here. A lot of reflux isnt a very good sign in my experience. Last year when feather had a twist, there was 4 gallons of reflux, it was very stinky greenish.... gave her really bad breath. By the second day she was dripping back up out her nose and mouth.... hoping for a better outcome for you. Surgery wasnt an option for us either so we helped her over the rainbow bridge. getting really distended with reflux is probably very painful for her. Has she passed any oil or manure???[/SIZE]Lyn

479372[/snapback]


Lyn,

I called Leesburg to get an estimate and they said anywhere from $5,000.00 $8,000.00 and maybe more. I spoke to them about working out some kind of terms and the only terms they'd consider working out with me was half down and the balance due within 3 months. I can't do it, but I'm still searching for a way to make it happen, but I don't see it possible and it's hurting me to know that money has such a high value even compared to life.

Between the sedatives and Banamine she's resting at least decently comfortably. My vet said it was really odd, because she wasn't doing any rolling and little pawing (when he arrived) and that her vitals are good, except the fact she looks so bad. She's a very petite 28.50" filly who looks like she's going to foal within the month. The reflux looked like your normal stomach fluid with a rust color matter, I mentioned dried leaves and he feels I am correct.

===========================

Lyn & Maryann,

Sky has passed nothing whosoever since last night around 9:00, which was just solid mucus. No manure or oil contents whatsoever.

===========================

Thank you all for the good thoughts and prayers. I'll keep you posted.
 
Am hoping that Sky is experiencing more of a gas colic and not a blockage!

By keeping her comfortable she may relax enough to pass some "stuff" for you.

Yes, please keep us posted!

Blessings,

MA
 
[SIZE=14pt]That is the options we were given with Feather too and couldnt do it. She had one mucus covered poop and then nothing, no oil , no manure, After she got rid of that mucusy pile no more came thru.When the oil didnt find its way thru we knew. That with the bloating sealed her fate. She had not rolled at all, nor pawed even in the beginning. Just looked off and wanted to lie down alot. Stood over her water but didnt want to drink. When she did drink it all backed up and came out her nose and mouth. 24 hours we fought it. PRaying for you and your heart and your little Sky.[/SIZE]

What does her breath smell like?

Lyn
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oh Michelle! My prayers are being sent too for your little Sky! {{{Hugs}}}
 
lyn_j said:
[SIZE=14pt][/SIZE]What does her breath smell like?

Lyn

479437[/snapback]

Lyn,

When I first found her yesterday night her breath smelled normal, that was one of the first things I checked for. A couple hours later then it became gut wrenching and I knew it was an emergency then and had the vet out. Vet was out within 20 minutes. The foul breath lasted a couple hours then went away. Even now her breath smells normal. ?!?!
unsure.gif


Thank you all so much..... Sky has passed some gas, but not much. I'm getting ready to load her up and take her for a trailer ride since I have nothing to lose.
 
Michelle --

Did the trailer ride help?

For what it is worth, if surgery is going to be an option, I think the longer you wait, the chances of it being a success go way, way down.

Also, for what it is worth, when Khaki had her surgery which was for impaction colic, they did surgery twice because the first time they did not empty one part of her colon or intestine (I can't remember) which they'd normally do in a big horse but not usually in a mini. In Khaki's case, though, they should have. IF I remember right, her sugeries and recovery came to under $6,000 and they charged, of course, for both surgeries. I had her taken to Blue Ridge Equine Hospital and Dr. Stephens did the surgery. The hospital is on the DC side of Charlottesville not far off of Rt. 29.

For Khaki, it's been 26 months since the surgery.

Jill
 
Adding you to my prayers...

I lost a yearling to colic not to long ago and almost lost a 6 year old gelding. Surgery was not an option. But what saved my gelding was that the vet immediately did aggressive treatment at his clinic. His treatment was tubing with epson salts, and being overhydrated with an IV in the hopes to move the blockage. My gelding wasn't passing any manure either even after a trailer ride. The yearling we didn't know what was wrong with until the necropsy was done. It was also an impaction.

Please chat with your vet about what other treatments you may have options with. I am not a vet to be able to tell you, but you may want to ask your vet about what they did with my gelding and see if it is applicable in your case. But I do know that time is going to be a big factor and the quicker you can act, the better the likelyhood of the outcome.

Prayers and hugs to you.
 
[SIZE=14pt]Oh Michelle, its been a while now... just keep her as comfortable as you can....thats all you can do now. hugs to you and her. You will do the right thing.[/SIZE]

Lyn
 
Will be sending even MORE good thoughts your way! Hang in there, I just know there will be improvement soon!
 
Maybe this my own ignornace...but why a trailer ride? I always thought trailering a horse and hauling them was a slightly stressful event, even for a short ride? They have to balance, stand, and shift their weight.....how can they relax? Even if they are laying down, they're still bouncing around.

I'm sure there's a good reason behind this that I don't know about, but it has me very curious????
unsure.gif
 
Years back I had a lovely foal that was found having been rolling one morning. She was distended, hurting and obviously colicy.
new_shocked.gif
Vet summoned and told to hurry......he did. Within 15 minutes he told me that he felt we would need to take her to our nearest vet college, which was about 4 hrs away. BUT, he was not optimistic that she'd make it. I asked him if he couldn't puncture the intestine to relieve gases, etc. (we had goats and this was a common cure for bloat) and of course the two animals are built differently. My theory was this -- If you say she probably won't make the trip, and you can't do anything else,
wacko.gif
what have I got to lose???!

Let's face it, I was just told my options were to put her down or race to the vet college....with no promise of resolve. I pushed for more info. We finally stood that little girl up with my arms around her and he punctured her cecum. The gas that came out took a while -- let's face it, lot of gas and small needle -- but, I held her in my arms and talked to her while the needle did a tiny spin from the pressure and heard and smelled the gases coming out
new_shocked.gif
She actually fell asleep in my arms
wub.gif
We loaded her with antibiotics, a gas reducer and so forth. The bloating was relieved, she improved over the next few days and today she is a fine, healthy 9 year old mare. Guess I had named her well "Lady Luck". And, she was lucky that is was not a sever impaction.

I have also found epsom salt water to be quite helpful to reduce gases, and break down gut matter. They actually seem to like the salty taste, too. Ask your vet if this might be an option. He could even nasal tube it into her.

Guess what I'm saying is this -- if you HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE, ask your vet about some of the other, more uncommon measures. You can give them meds for pain, infections, etc. When your choice is "last resort or maybe the unusual" what have you got to lose? If alternative things don't help, you can still take the last resort route.

I'm praying that things work out for you as they did for me in the past and the alternative method can be found to bring this filly around.

Oh, trailer rides -- yep, it often makes them nervous, and when that happens their reaction is often that their system makes their intestines overly functional.

They poop!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top