Horse ill today, still worried...

[Mannequin]

I had a bad scare tonight with my horse Taz. I was looking at reception hall information with my fiance'' and my mother called just before we were ready to pack up and head out to grab dinner. She said to drive carefully but to come home quickly because my horse was in distress. I immediately went into panic mode - Taz is 27 and aging gracefully, and he doesn''t usually have any sort of health concerns. BIG uh-oh.

Mom told me that my daddy came home today and noticed that he went down in the paddock but did not get right back up. He rushed out to see what was going on and got him up on his feet, but Taz was very agitated and kept wanting to get down. As soon as Mom got home and found out something was wrong, she called my trainer who told her to look for a few things before calling the vet out. She checked for blood or cuts, and there was nothing. He had no interest in food, HUGE deviation from the norm for him as he is a glutton for snacks. He had a lot of dirt in his eye from trying to lay down outside and it was puffy, but no other marks on him. When she checked his gums, they were white with no capillary response and he was very cold and shaky. Shock symptoms, SO not good.

Mom called the vet and she worked on Taz as I was on the way up to Metamora. I was speeding my way there, cursing the traffic, fiance'' in tow, and I made it there just after the vet left. Taz seemed to be experiencing some kind of impaction colic or something, very scary as we''ve never had to deal with anything like that before and certainly never expected it from him. The doc gave him a few sedatives to help him relax, and she listened to his gut noise and tubed him to check for excess gas. His heart is fine, and his ears perk and swivel so he is semi-alert, but still listless compared to normal. His breath is HORRIBLE, and is evidence of fermentation in the stomach, which means he is not passing things through properly. He has two huge, spongy "pouches" on his rump full of gas, poor baby. Doc pumped a ton of warm water into his system to help work everything through, and she gave him a bunch of electrolytes as well. She wants us to watch him carefully to see if he has any bowel movements before attempting to feed him anything.

Taz was at least starting to pass gas when I arrived. He did go to the bathroom once while I was up there tonight, but no manure. We''re all waiting on that, and if he doesn''t have any in his stall in the morning, Mom will call the vet back out to see him. His gums are pinking up, and he is moving around the stall as the sedative wears off, but I am still very worried for him. I hope he is able to bounce on back from this quickly as it came on. I''ve had him to love for ten years and I can''t bear the thought of losing him so suddenly. Think of my darling boy, please...

 

[Blenheim]

I''ll be thinking of him, Equestrienne. {{{hugs}}}

 

[belle]

sorry to hear your taz is not feeling well equestrienne

i will never forget the first time one of my horses'' went down with colic. he looked terrible... pale gums, sweaty, increased respirations.... he would go between trying to kick at his belly with his back hooves to rolling to not moving at all. i tried to get him up, but he would not move. since i had no idea what was going on and he seemed so terribly distraught and pained i immediately called the vet (after hours of course!) the vet came out and gave him a dose of bute and did an internal exam. he said his insides seemed somewhat twisted and that he would probably need surgery within hours. i was in complete shock! i couldn''t believe i was having to prepare a horse for surgery. the vet left and said to call with my decision. as a nurse, i know how important it is for people to move around physically if their gi system isn''t working, so after the vet left, i kept trying to get my horse to get up and walk. after 15-20 minutes he decided to cooperate. it wasn''t more than a half hour of walking before he dropped some manure. we kept walking and he would stop and pass some gas or drop some more manure every so often and i could see he was feeling better after several rounds about the arena. we walked for at least an hour before i called the vet back to let him know that things were looking better. the vet suggested that i keep a close eye on him until the bute wore off to make sure that he didn''t go down again, so i kept my flashlight handy and went out to check on him every half hour through most of the night. he whinnied for food every time i went out, so i knew for sure at that point he was back to normal! i waited until the next morning to feed him and sure enough, he was acting fit as a fiddle! that is of course, until he opened the gate about a month later and got into some weeds and we went through the process (sans vet!) again. since that time i''ve dealt with countless bouts of colic and without fail, the walking has ''cured'' every one of them. i hope there is a simple solution for taz too. it is so hard to see these big guys not feeling well. i will be thinking of you both and hoping to hear of good news soon.

 

[Lorelei]

I am sending out my strongest possible vibes to you and Taz!!!!!!!

Lets look at possible simple causes for this. The grass is very rich this time of year, did he have access to new pasture? Sandy paddock? Any new feed or too much feed? Has he been wormed recently? Any management changes that could have triggered it? I know how scary this stuff is ( as Belle will tell you!) and how hard it is not to worry, but I am sure he will be fine and please keep us posted.

 

[Mannequin]

Date: 5/16/2006 3:37:45 AM
Author: Lorelei
I am sending out my strongest possible vibes to you and Taz!!!!!!!

Lets look at possible simple causes for this. The grass is very rich this time of year, did he have access to new pasture? Sandy paddock? Any new feed or too much feed? Has he been wormed recently? Any management changes that could have triggered it? I know how scary this stuff is ( as Belle will tell you!) and how hard it is not to worry, but I am sure he will be fine and please keep us posted.

No real cause for any of this, Lorelei. Both of my horses are on the same pasture and have been for a long time. The grass is not very high yet. We have clay soil, so it''s not sand colic, and he eats senior horse feed in smaller rations because he is such an easy keeper. He ran out of the barn yesterday morning just like he always does, and by the afternoon he was down. Taz has never had problems like this before, and we''ve never had any trouble with a horse on that paddock, so this is very alarming to me and especially my poor parents.

He passed some very small dry manure overnight, but no more urine and he is still very listless and refusing food. The vet is on her way back out to see him, and I am waiting on a call from my mom. I am supposed to go in to teach today, as I can''t call in sick this late, but if I have to, she will call me and I can get out early. I will be up to see him again tonight. Keep sending the vibes our way, poor old guy.

 

[Lorelei]

Vibes are being zoomed yours and Taz's way! I know how hard this is - if there is the slightest thing amiss with one of mine it is all I can think about, but keep positive! 27 isn't a huge age for a horse, I know many think it is but I have known many in their forties that were hale and hearty! Is he drinking? Maybe this will take a little while to sort out and he will recover gradually, he could still be in a bit of discomfort from what he has been through and it will take his gut motility a while to get back to normal and to get rid of all the gas. Always best to get the vet again of course, not worth taking any chances with colic, but just thinking it might take a little while - he has got through the night so that is a huge plus. I know my vet often says a change in the weather can cause colic or gut disturbances - they often cancel castrate ops on wet and windy days for this reason, has he got cold and wet or has the weather changed recently? I have a tiny Shetland who gets colic like symptoms and won't eat when it is cold and wet - not the same thing as Taz of course, but just wondering if the weather has been chillier. You don't think he might have a foreign body, eaten some fencing or something he shouldn't have? I know this is unusual but it can happen - take a good look around his paddock for clues....Has anyone had access to the horses and fed them something they shouldn't have had - lawn mowings, plants, weeds, treats etc? Has he lost weight recently? Diarrhoea?

Bad teeth can often be a cause of colic as you probably know - do his teeth need floating, has he been dropping feed when he eats it etc?

 

[dbgaap]

Uh oh! The dreaded and feared COLIC!!

I never dealt with it, but I know how you feel about a horse at that age.

The last time I had a horse was in my late teens /early 20''s. As he got older, I also moved out of state for my husband''s job and I was not able to come home and ride him much in the later years. (He basically turned into a pet /lawn ornament, becuase he never got ridden much after I moved away)
It has always bothered me that I was not able to be there in his "sunset" years. I was afraid he felt abandoned! (one hopes that our horse reciprocates our strong attachment, eh)

positive vibes your way!!!!

 

[KristyDarling]

I have no experience with horses but I can tell how much you love Taz....sending get well soon vibes your way! I hope he feels better soon.

 

[belle]

i''m hoping no news is good news and taz is better today.

 

[FireGoddess]

I''m hoping Taz is doing better today and not feeling so bad....*hugs*

 

[Madam Bijoux]

I hope Taz is feeling better.

 

[Mannequin]

My horse Taz was humanely put to sleep this morning by the vet. His condition had not improved by this morning and his colic symptoms had worsened to the point that the vet gave only surgery or lethal injection as treatment. Rather than perform expensive surgery with such a high risk due to his age and his heart murmur, I requested that he be made comfortable and euthanized. We have someone coming out to help us lay him to rest later this afternoon in a corner of the paddock. Taz was 27 years old and had been a part of our family for ten wonderful years. His pasture mate Chance, my family and I will miss him very much.

 

[Lorelei]

I am so desperately sorry Equestrienne - this is terrible news. You had to make the hardest decision but you made the right one. Many hugs and prayers go out to you, Taz and your family.

 

[Lorelei]

Equestrienne - I would like to share this beautiful poem Belle posted for me when I lost my beloved cat recently. It helped me a lot and is very fitting. I hope it brings you some comfort as it did me.


Remember Our Love




I was chosen today
I'm learning to fly
the world took me away,
but please don't you cry

And I chose you today
to try and be strong
so please don't you cry
and don't say that I'm gone


When you're feeling alone
just remember our love,
I'm up near the stars
looking down from above.


Remember our love
In a moment you'll see
that I'm still here beside you
when you're thinking of me.



Julie Epp

 

[dani13]

I am so sorry about Taz, Equestrienne...I know the loss of a beloved animal is one of the hardest things to go through- they are true members of our families...you will be in my thoughts and prayers....

-Danielle

 

[FireGoddess]

I''m so sorry to hear this, I can only imagine how devastating it is to you. My thoughts and prayers are with you...

 

[KristyDarling]

I am so, so, so sorry. He had a wonderful life with you and your family, and went in the best way possible, with you by his side. Peacefully, gently. Hugs.

 

[widget]

Oh, I''m so sorry to hear this sad news...my heart goes out to you..

take care.

widget

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

OH, I just read this thread and feel so sad....my goodness....take care.....

kind regards, Sharon

 

[tawn]

Sorry to hear about your horse, he was lucky to be so loved by you!

 

[hlmr]

Equestrienne:

Gosh, I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your beloved horse.

Heather

 

[Dee*Jay]

Equestrienne, so very sorry to learn of your loss.

 

[Mara]

equ...so sorry to hear about your darling horse...my thoughts are with you.

 

[Mannequin]

Thank you very much for keeping me in your thoughts today, everyone. I am still having a very rough go of it, of course, as is the rest of my family. I am thankful that my fiance'' was able to help drive me back and forth because I would not have made it on my own. Taz was my first "boyfriend" and he comforted me through all the tough stuff throughout high school and college. He was a truly remarkable animal and he will be sorely missed.

I am concerned about what my other horse will do without his Taz, but we have neighbors with horses who may be able to arrange a companion horse for him and my dressage trainer has already offered a "loaner" horse for this same purpose if needed. Taz was laid to rest in the far corner of our paddock, in a spot that always gets a lot of sun and wildflowers. We''ve fenced it off until the ground settles so that Chance can''t injure himself. He is still looking for his buddy, but he seems to be relaxing a bit now that he can''t see him or smell him anymore.

During the day, I sat with Taz and said my goodbyes. I gave the poor old guy the worst haircut of his life. I sheared off his mane and most of his tail, and I plan on cleaning it and having it made into some jewelry to wear in his memory. I have enough to make a few custom bracelets or necklaces, I think. There is a photo attached of a few types of bracelets I saw today on a website.

Lastly, my toughest phone call today was to the woman who first owned Taz. He was her first Morgan horse and she had had him for 17 years before I brought him home to love. I left her a message and I received an email later in the day. She expressed her sadness at his passing as well, and she told me something amazing. At approximately the same time Taz passed away this morning, she had a foal born at her farm. As she said, one flame burns out as another is being lit. The mare was not due until June 5th, but she surprised everyone by having the baby in the paddock this morning. The foal is a little bay colt, and he is going to be named after our beloved Taz. If this little colt is even half the horse Taz was, she wrote, he will be outstanding. I hope to go see him after school lets out for summer.

Thank you again for all your support.

 

[VegasAngel]

I am sorry to hear about the loss of your horse

Colic sucks. We had a mini mare in foal die from impacted colic or twisted gut from picking up too much dirt.

 

[dbgaap]

Oh, I am just all choked up!
I am SO sorry to hear about Taz!!
This was so sudden- I can''t imagine how you are coping.
I''ve seen those bracelets ... lovely...
HUGS.. I am so sorry.....
This will take a while.
Hang in there.

 

[strmrdr]

sorry to hear that :{
prayers outgoing.
iv been following this thread and praying.

 

[Kaleigh]

I''m so very sorry about Taz. I''ll be praying for you. Big hugs!!!

 

[Blenheim]

Equestrienne,

I am so sorry. You and Chance are in my prayers.

(That poem got me choked up too.)

Blenheim

 

[MiniMouse]

Equestrienne,

I know how precious our pets are to us and I''m sure that Taz was very special to you. Please try and be at peace knowing he is with God, in greener pastures. One day you will see him again and he will be grateful to you for giving him a comfortable life here on earth. You did the right thing, you relieved him of pain and suffering. Hold onto the wonderful memories you have. I know you and Chance can manage to get through this together. Time will heal, but if you feel the need to cry, do so, let it all out, you will find yourself coping much better. Focus on Chance, he needs you. You''re in my thoughts and I will pray for Taz who I know is at peace in heaven. Big hug.