Re: Colic

["Tracey" <tracey@tbt.co.za>]

> Marv 
>     wrote:
>
> >>This may be an opportunity to discuss the merits of 
>     walking horses that are experiencing colic.  Our vet of 20+ years says 
>     that he'd rather the horse be walked as little as possible.  He doesn't 
>     even have any objection if the horse lays down as long as it's watched and 
>     not allowed to roll.<<
> My vets (one has been practising for almost 
>     15 years, the other about 3 years) agree.  
> He 
>     says that life being what it is, he seems to have colics in streaks and he 
>     may not be able to get to the barn as quickly as he'd like.  He feels 
>     that an hour or more of constant walking while in pain may be physically 
>     draining on the horse.
> Fortunately, my vet is about five minutes 
>     drive away.  I 'phone as soon as I see a colic, no matter how mild it 
>     appears at first, because I am not a vet, and I can't tell whether it is an 
>     impaction / gas colic, or a twist.  My vet will say "I'm x number 
>     of minutes away" and I'll say "I'll start walking him".  
>     By "walking" I mean taking him out and putting him in the 
>     garden.  He will amble around on his own, and every now and again want 
>     to go down.  Only if he wants to go down do we walk him, because this 
>     horse WILL roll, and roll hard.  
> Of course, personal circumstances allow this 
>     : my property is small, it takes two minutes to take him from the barn into 
>     the stable, and my garden is well-lit.
> He 
>     also says far more horses were cured of colic on the way to the vet school 
>     than were cured by the vet school.  He has suggested loading a colicing 
>     horse in the trailer and taking it down a bumpy road.
> My vet has told me this, as well, and I know 
>     some people who use this method.  Again, I prefer to err on the side of 
>     caution.  Once the vet has examined my horse, if he wants me to load 
>     him on a box / lunge him / leave him, I'll follow advice.  I'm just not 
>     prepared to pratt around for a few hours before 'phoning the vet.  I 
>     watched a friend's horse die of colic two years ago, and won't take that 
>     chance with mine.  I know that some die, even with a vet being present, 
>     but I wouldn't want to have "what if" questions if it happened to 
>     me.
> Your 
>     thoughts?
> One more : I am rabidly anti- giving 
>     finodyne / buscopan to a colicky horse unless a vet has examined him / her 
>     first.  I know that my circumstances are different to some of yours, in 
>     that I have a vet handy, and some of you might be hours away from a local 
>     vet.  But I know of some people whose circumstances ARE the same as 
>     mine, who DO give meds to their horses if they colic, and only call the vet 
>     if the meds / walking / boxing don't help, which could be a day later.  
>     By then, it's sometimes too late.  Why risk a horse's life to save a 
>     vet's bill?
> Especially when I'm so deep in hock to the 
>     vet as it is >g<.  What's a little deeper?
>  
> Tracey
>