My below
observations are only based on 2 horse deaths that I know of that
were colic related.
1. In
both cases the riders recognized ADR (ain't doing
right).
2. Both had
C or D gut sounds on entering a vet check but "seemed" to improve before
leaving.
3. Both were
treated at ride site for many hours before being shipped to a
hospital.
These observations
leave us with several things to think about.
1. If the
horse ADR and has C or D gut sounds, vets correct me if I'm wrong, I would think
the gut may be compromised circulatory wise and returning to trail, even if
slightly improved at rest, would only recompromise the gut. Hard call,
maybe we need to reevaluate our thinking on pulling for poor gut
sounds.
2. In
Adios's case it may not have made a difference, I suspect the rupture
occurred at the time he regurgitated, but possibly we should make the call
to send horses that don't respond quickly to treatment for colic symptoms
to a hospital earlier.
Any
thoughts? I believe my second suggestion is something the Veterinary
committee could investigate, i.e. time from onset of symptoms to time of
shipping to hospital. Do we wait too long?
Certainly we
should all be trying to figure out how to prevent the colic to begin with but
also the best course to take if we suspect gut compromise and/or
presents.
