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Many years ago we lost a lovely mare whom we had had only 12 days.  She was
8 years old, 5 months in foal.  While we were at a ride she colicked and
died.  Our daughter, knowing me well and knowing I HAD to know why the mare
died, ordered an autopsy.  She died of a ruptured stomach caused by a
blockage, perhaps a twist, in the intestine leading out of the stomach.
Since she couldn't pass anything out of her stomach, well......the rest is
pretty grim.  She had never been broke to ride; she was in a paddock of
enough size for her to move around in; she was well cared for.  She
apparently had rolled during the night, as she was covered with mud

Barbara

----- Original Message -----
From: "terre" <tobytrot@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <AERCMembersForum@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2003 2:27 PM
Subject: [RC] vets?--colic


>     Haven't heard a definitive answer back from any vets yet re: whether
> stomach ruptures can occur other than as a result of an impaction
> colic--but several people have posted me privately with examples
> indicating that they can.
>     So here, in a very convoluted way, is what I am interested in:
>     The most frightening thing, to me, is the horses that suddenly get
> into trouble, or even die, for no apparent reason.  These would be fit,
> experienced horses ridden well within their capabilities that give no
> notice to their highly competent riders and vets that there is anything
> wrong--pass all parameters, etc--and then just suddenly crash.  It is
> frightening because we don't know why it happens, and so we have no way
> to prevent it; and it does seem to be able to 'happen to anybody'.
>     At least some of these horses seem to be presenting a ruptured
> stomach, which apparently does not produce the kind of pain an
> intestinal colic does, and so is harder to detect.  We may be diagnosing
> them better because it is easier now to ship to clinics, etc; perhaps
> riders are more inclined to ask for necropsies...But even when the cause
> of death is 'ruptured stomach', we still don't know   WHY it ruptured,
> especially in the absence of an impaction colic.
>     So, my question is: could this be the result of a cumulative
> effect?  Perhaps many small colics, or episodes of stomach distension
> that may not even have been noticed?  We know that some
> things--especially tying up--can have a cumulative effect.  Each episode
> causes a little more kidney damage until the result can be renal
> failure.  Many times, once a horse does something once--thump, for
> example--they are more prone to do it again unless the rider makes
> heroic efforts to prevent it.  Could this also be true of 'colic'?  How
> could we know?  Are "colics" at rides identical with "colics" at home?
> Do they/can they produce cumulative damage that can rise up and bite us
> without notice?
>     The GI tract is the horse's "weakest link".  (to disagree with
> Howard that it is poorly designed; we are just not using it in the way
> nature intended).  I wonder if many horses don't "die of colic" because
> the heart is simply too strong to fail them, and something has to give...
>     What do you all think?
>
> terre
>
>
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