Think it's just colic?

the_jersey_lilly_2000 · Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:19 pm Post subject: Think it's just colic?

Well ya'll yesterday was an extremely long day. Lil Lilly went out to feed her barrel horse before school. 7:45am said "mom, he's actin funny, and I had to make him git up, and he's not eatin" I ran her on to school, got back at 8am, went directly out to see what was up. He's down and has been rollin. I get him up, walk him for a few minutes, and tied him to the trailer so he couldn't lay down and roll. Come inside and got on the phone, tryin to call a friend that has medicine I know, for treatin colic. She's not home.......called vets office........he's outta town.....put a couple more calls in and left messages with people that I know that I thought might would have banemine. Around 9:30 the first person I called finally called me back. Told her what was goin on, and she came right out, gave him a shot, and he calmed down and acted like he was feelin better. We kept him tied most of the day, walkin him for short times off and on. About 4:45 he went back to bitin at his sides, kickin at his belly and wantin to roll. I'd given mineral oil about 4 pm. I wasn't sure if this was signs somethin was movin, or not, watched him a few more minutes and decided to go ahead and call the Big Equine Hospital. They said bring him in. We get there, and they listened for intestinal noise, which I'd done off n on all day, and could hear noise. They palpated him and immediately said he needed to have surgery. Wasn't your normal colic. Doc said he had an Entroliths. Somethin I'd see in a display case at A&M back in April when we went up there. Basically it's an intestinal Stone. For whatever reason they form, similar to a pearl in an oyster, but bigger. Not always uniformly round and smooth like the one's I seen. Now we know. The base for this stone, wasn't a piece of wood, or a rock, it was a ball of what looks to be feed sack string. These things take a long period of time to form, sometimes never causing a problem, sometimes major problems, just depends on if it shifts and they try to pass it. Well good ole Toilet Paper was out and on the surgery table by 6pm with all his goodies laid out for the world to see. Lil Lilly was great thru the whole thing, she asked the vet if she could watch. And when he removed the stone she said, "I'm takin that with me" LOL
I'm posting this, because it's not somethin that's heard of by most horse owners, but don't seem to be all that rare of an occurance. The reading I've done since findin out what it was says, only 10% of colic horses die, out of that 10%, 15.7% are known to have Entroliths. What about all the others that aren't tested and die at home, or at the vets and aren't posted. If you have a horse that's acting like he's colicin, if he doesn't improve with treatment quickly, get him in to the vet.
The vet said most horses that have this surgery recover 100% and go back to doin what they were doin before in about 6 to 9 weeks.
We're takin her over this after noon to see him, he came thru surgery fine, recovery went good, and he's pooped once today....Yeah!!!! LOL now that's somethin to get excited over aint it...horse poop. He's on IV fluids, and very little pain killers because he's bein so calm in his stall they don't think he's in a great deal of pain.
Anyway, here's a picture for those of you that wanna know what this thing they removed from his gut looks like. Quarter and a ruler beside it so you can see how big it is.

kolanuraven · Rancher Joined: 27 Jul 2005 Posts: 9981

!!WOW!!! That's pretty good size. I had a rescue horse die of colic 4 days after I saved her.

We posted her just to be on the safe side and vet found one of these things but it had embedded. Even if she'd been able to get surgery her condition was so bad and infections had already set up ....she'd prob not survived the surgery.

I gave her a good 4 days though!

Faster horses · Rancher Joined: 11 Feb 2005 Posts: 19605 Location: SE MT

Good thing you realized it was serious, Jersey Lilly and took him in.
How long do they last if they don't get help, did the vet say?
I hope everything goes well. Keep us posted.

Poor little Toilet Paper.
But at least he is on his way to recovery.
Thanks for lettin' us know.

the_jersey_lilly_2000 · Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2006 12:13 am Post subject:

Vet said if we hadn't brought him in when we did he'd probably not made it thru the night. I can't imagine havin her go out to feed and find him.......But that didn't happen, thank the good Lord above. Here's a pic from today's visit.

Faster horses · Rancher Joined: 11 Feb 2005 Posts: 19605 Location: SE MT

AWWWW. That brought tears to my eyes. Crying or Very sad

Hopefully he won't have to be there long.

Keep us posted, won't you?

katrina · Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2006 9:58 am Post subject:

Dang the luck........ Take care and let us know how you all are doing...

the_jersey_lilly_2000 · Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2006 12:05 pm Post subject:

They just called to update me on his condition. Said he was drinking more and more water on his own, so they are gradually cutting back on the IV fluids. First thing in the mornin, (sunday) they will start him slowly back on feed. Said they'll use a senior feed, that's wet like a mush.
Said he's much perkier today that when we were there yesterday, and moving around more in his stall.
We'd planned to go over this morning, but they aren't open on saturdays. The girl on the phone while ago said they'd meet me up there so that we could see him if I wanted them to. But they've got lots to do up there, and work hard durin their normal business hours. I'm not gonna make them do extra just for a visit. It's enuff knowin that he's doin lots better today than yesterday.

the_jersey_lilly_2000 · Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:34 am Post subject:

Vets office called this mornin to update us on his progress, they've removed the IV because he's drinking as much water daily as a normal healthy horse would. YEAH!!!! He's eating the senior feed mush great, like he's starvin I'm sure. Since he basically didnt eat anything at all from Wednesday night till Sunday evenin. He's poopin and they are gonna start him on hay tomorrow mornin. We will go visit this evenin after Lil Lilly gets outta school.
Thought I'd share the picture of her and Toilet Paper at WBR in Waco Sept 1st. Vets real optomistic that he'll be up and runnin again 60 to 90 days post surgery.

She called her sponsor yesterday to let him know that Toilet Paper won't be goin to the WBR in Guthrie Oklahoma in November. He told her, oh yes you will be goin, not with TP, but there's a horse in my pasture that's a finished barrel horse your more than welcome to come get and start haulin till yours is back up and runnin.

katrina · Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 12:29 pm Post subject:

Best wishes and good luck from ours to yours!!!

the_jersey_lilly_2000 · Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:21 pm Post subject:

Today (Monday) afternoon visit, they finally let her go in the stall with him........this'n choked me up. ahhh......what we won't do for a girl and her horse.

Thank you all for your thoughts and I'm sure prayers, means alot to us.

Faster horses · Rancher Joined: 11 Feb 2005 Posts: 19605 Location: SE MT

That's a good picture of her and Toilet Paper, Lilly.
You'll have to keep that one. There's just something special
about a girl and her horse. Doesn't matter how many more she has,
he will always be "the special one."

I'm so happy she has offers of horses to use. Take those folks up on it.
The more horses she gets on now, the better.

I'm glad everything is turning out ok.

YIPPEE!!!!!

Jassy · Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 8:27 pm Post subject:

Awwww Lilly...you really captured a Kodak moment with TP and Lil Lilly. That's Precious! I knew TP would come out all this ok..he's got a lot of luvin to catch up on when he gets home...come to think of it..damn I almost wish I was him...he'll get lots of TLC! When I'm sick...all's I get is.."do you feel like cookin?"....lol

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