Please Help ASAP!! I am DESPARATE!!!

[Dreamer]

Help needed ASAP!!! We have a mare that has been having a gas colic since last wednesday evening. Sierra isn't getting better. The vet was out again today and tubed and mineral oiled her again and gave her a shot of something that was supposed to get her gut moving again. If anything she looks worse since he left. She is even more bloated and is constantly biting her sides and all she want to do is lay down or lay down and roll. We aren't leaving her unattended and are having to drag her as she doesn't want to walk just drop. the last time we had this bad of a colic was a couple of years ago in the fall due to acorns and we lost the mare. Does anyone have any ideas of how to help her? I am desperate and afraid we are going to lose her. Please help!!!

 

[madmax]

I am sorry Dreamer, to be unable to help you. I am wondering if she has been given pain meds.? Hope she is somewhat better now as you read this.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Call vet back ASAP. Do not wait and see what will happen, this sounds like an emergency call is needed.

Keep us posted.

 

[Sandi J.]

is she eating/passing any manure??? wonder what drug he gave...if it was an intestinal drug to get the gi tract moving, maybe there is a blockage because that will make them worse...my thought is you need a second opinion or a plan B...prayers coming for your baby...

Sandi

 

[Marty]

I am not suggesting anything which is my disclaimer and can only tell you what I have done in the past. Sometimes just a good round of banamine to get things settled down works. Other times, when I have a gas colic I do everything I can to get them trotting so they can pass gas. I've also loaded them in the trailer for a short ride because that usually gets the poop going. However if we are that plugged up, and nothing is helping that would suggest a blockage to me. I really would get another vet out there now for a 2nd opinion.

 

[Dreamer]

She has had bantamine, actually she has been on that for several days now trying to get her over it. She is passing some manure, though it tends to be in balls. Until this evening she was eating the limited food we gave her but tonight she didn't touch her food. We have been walking her and she is finally past wanting to be down rolling. She still seems really uncomfortable but is willing to stand quietly now. Will be giving a vet a call.

 

[Carolyn R]

Same as Marty here, what has helped in the past for me.....

If I can hear gut sounds and some manure is being passed, I pull all grain and only give soaked hay and soake alfalfa. Probiotics are a give in when giving antibiotics, bute or banamine. Electrolytes are a great thing also. Trailer rides, walking them in an area they may be a little nervous does wonders too. If they are passing manure, graze for 1/2 an hour ( if they are accustomed to grass) then pull and walk, let them rest and repeat every few hours.Grass, as well as alfalfa, is a natural laxative. I do this as well as the soaked hay.

I would keep them off all grain until stools are normal for a few days, then slowly start them back on their feed and add some water to it as well as some veggie oil to keep things lubed up. I have used Milk of Magnesia also. This was once again in a case where they were passing manure but it was firm and few. A full bottle for a 200-250 pound mini, I believe the average bottle is 12 oz.

The length of time this has been going on and the fact that banamine is being used for any length of time would prompt me to want them on some gastro guard/ulcer guard. I have also given enemas to see if I could stimulate the horse to want to push and help ease anything that may be at the very back end.

If her gut has no sound,I would be concerned about an impactions, and believe it or not, I have dealt with a horse that was passing very small amount of manure, essentially moving out what was in the tail end of her track, but still had an impaction, slowly but surely her gut sounds went down to zero. Another concern, depending if and where there is an impaction, is that there may be gas collecting In Her cecum and it may need to be tapped.

Is your vet sure it is gas colic? is there any reflux when your mare is being tubed? Reflux indicates nothing is moving down, no reflux indicates things are slowly filtering through. Does the manure that is being passed have a sheen to it? indicating the oil is working its way through? My biggest success with impaction issues, especially when I was nearing my wits end after administering bags of lactated ringers and round the clock walks, was to take the horse to a 24 hour large animal hospital and put the horse on a constants drip and have her monitored and given pain meds as needed. Having a cath put in and giving fluids at home when it is warm out is not a big deal if you have a great vet that is willing to work with you and they are comfortable with your level of competence. Doing it when it is near zero and snowy out, is another story.

Sometimes the horse needs to be given fluids to get them to perk up and get things moving. There is no shame in bringing a horse to a 24/7 facility and telling them the course of action you are taking is hydration and pain management, if that is what you can afford/are comfortable with, meaning surgery is not an option. Believe it or not, they do understand in most circumstances.

 

[REO]

I hope you got the private message I sent you earlier.

 

[Dreamer]

Thnaks for your advice ladies. I did get the message Reo and we will be trying that this morning. She looks a little better this morning and made it through the night. Thanks Caroline I will try a clinic or see if our vet might be able to get her fliuds, becuase if it comes down to it we are not able to afford the surgery for her as much as we would like to be able to.

 

[chandab]

Consider treating her for ulcers, if she didn't have them before this started, the banamine for several days in a row could have caused them. It won't help colic, but if she's in pain from ulcers she'll continue to exhibit colic-like symptoms, even if the colic is resolving. [Not eating is one sign of ulcers.]

 

[wingnut]

I was in a similar position in December 2009 with a weanling we had (she was 6 months old at the time of colic). Our vet gave her banamine and a sedative to do the tubing. After that procedure was done we could only wait and hope. Our vet was pretty up front that if the tubing didn't work, the only other alternative was surgery. Which was not an option for us at that point. One thing that I think did help a lot was the sedative. The vet left us with injections of banamine and sedative to use together. We were afraid to give her either but gave her the banamine. At one point the vet called to check in (day 2, about 12 hours after he visited us during the blizzard we were having at the time), he told us to give her the sedative that it couldn't hurt. What it did for her was relax her so she could rest AND relaxed her gut and the manure finally started moving through.

I will be praying you have the same good outcome we did. I can remember too well that 72 hours of agony waiting to see if she'd make it.

 

[Boss Mare]

Many years ago I experienced something similar and my filly just wasn't getting better. The vet was out twice a day for a week and a half.. Pain meds, two types of antibiotics, injections to stimulate her gut, tubing with oil and water, bloodwork showed inflamation in her gut and high white cell count. Even twice we did two desperate measures where the vet put large gauge needles at different points in her abdomen to actually deflate her, each time injecting penicillin straight into her abdominal cavity because the risk of infection was high with this procedure. She was on IV fluids non stop for a week. Long story short and a trip to VA Tech, colic surgery - 13 lb. impaction for what they thought was gas colic. From being distended for so long they also found out she had tears in her small, large colin and intestines. She survived surgery and a year afterwards.

If any forum members that have been around a while remember this I am referring to my filly Sky.. The forum was a huge help and support! We ended up losing her a year later, just found her dead, no signs. Vet was concerned about one repair they made to her colin and think it may have ruptured.

I didn't read all of the replies. My thoughts are with you.

 

[Carolyn R]

Many years ago I experienced something similar and my filly just wasn't getting better. The vet was out twice a day for a week and a half.. Pain meds, two types of antibiotics, injections to stimulate her gut, tubing with oil and water, bloodwork showed inflamation in her gut and high white cell count. Even twice we did two desperate measures where the vet put large gauge needles at different points in her abdomen to actually deflate her, each time injecting penicillin straight into her abdominal cavity because the risk of infection was high with this procedure. She was on IV fluids non stop for a week. Long story short and a trip to VA Tech, colic surgery - 13 lb. impaction for what they thought was gas colic. From being distended for so long they also found out she had tears in her small, large colin and intestines. She survived surgery and a year afterwards.

If any forum members that have been around a while remember this I am referring to my filly Sky.. The forum was a huge help and support! We ended up losing her a year later, just found her dead, no signs. Vet was concerned about one repair they made to her colin and think it may have ruptured.

I didn't read all of the replies. My thoughts are with you.

The procedure you were describing was what is referred to as tapping their cecum. It is wonderful that you vet was well versed and willing to do it at your farm, as was mine, in the instance with me, it was a large horse. The vet did it prior to me trailering her to the animal hospital ( 24/7 facility my vets referred me to). I was told that without it, she most likely would have not made it since the vet at the 24/7 facility that usually did this procedure was tending to emergencies for several hours. I never thought the bubbling from the cath tubing submerged in a cup of water would stop. It really is a remarkable procedure to see.The mare made it, passed the impaction. It was about 8 years ago, that was the year from heck.

 

[cretahillsgal]

Also make sure she is well hydrated. If she has slacked off drinking that won't help the situation. Have the vet IV her for fluids.

 

[Carolyn R]

Please keep us updated. Sending prayers that all is resolving itself.