Dodge came down with colic 2 nights ago. He was down after pawing at his tea. I called the vet and left a message and went up to find hubby sitting at his head to keep him company. I told him to move. That is the most dangerous place to sit. He will give no indication about getting up and horses get up on their front hooves first which is where he was sitting. Not knees first like cows.
Hubby got up but with nothing to do, grief came over him and he started crying. I told him Dodge is old, but he is not groaning or sweating or kicking at his stomach. At the moment it is only mild.
I realised I had brought up the wrong phone.
I went down and returned the call to the vet. I told him the same things and he said to walk him. I said we hadn’t started walking him as he is lying down and quiet and not hurting himself and I thought walking for colic was debunked. He said as long as he is lying and quiet we could leave him. He would be there in half an hour.
I went back up and they were both gone. Dodge had gotten up and hubby was letting him walk rather than letting him paw.
Walking him gave hubby something to do.
I took Dodge’s tea down and gave it to Sim in the house yard and I went up and opened the gate.
I went back and Dodge was showing a bit of interest in where his tea was, so I took over the walking and told hubby to soak some pellets only, as we do not have any bran to make a bran mash. I was hoping the pellets would soften into a mash.
They didnt with cold water and were still hard but more water than pellets so like a pellet soup. Dodge slurped that down. So he got some water as well.
I asked if Dodge had given any indication that he was getting up and hubby said he hadn’t. A good thing he was not still sitting there.
When the vet arrived Dodge had picked up a carrot from his strewed feed and started crunching that.
The vet listened to his heart beat and gut sounds. He said it is spasmodic colic and it was mild and they can resolve on their own, but I don’t play around with colic. It is scary how quickly you can lose a horse. He was given pain relief and an anti spasmodic. He is not to be given feed or grass, he can have water. Only a half feed for breakfast and he can go back on grass.
He said he has seen a bit of spasmodic colic recently and he think it is from the humid weather. I groaned in frustration and he said yes we have really stuffed them up haven’t we, he may not have had a drink.
Which is what the vet said about Vinnie when I lost her overnight to Impaction colic. Just because they have a trough full of water does not mean they have had a drink.
He commented on his brand all being on the left shoulder, they don’t do that anymore. He is 22 years old.
Hubby had just finished the loose boxes so we put him in there. That upset Stars. We put him in the one near Stars. We let Sim out who was also upset with him being in there and he started grazing outside.
Dodge is used to being stabled at the riding school. He was okay in there. He started eating the bit of grass in there!
I left the kitchen light on so hubby could check him during the night. We both slept through!
Hubby went up and gave him a quarter pre breakfast. He planned on only doing that. He reported 2 manure but no water drunk.
Stars and Sim had different ideas about not getting a pre breakfast and ended up with one each.
Back in his paddock Dodge started grazing and was still okay yesterday.
