Hello all,
This is my first post ever on COTH and I am pretty stumped at what to do. Before I start I will say that I am very sleep deprived and spelling will be off so I apologize in advance. About a month ago I purchased a 7-month-old draft colt. All seemed well, he was eating decently. He just sort of picked at his hay and nibbled a few bites of grain but he would eventually eat. Fast forward to a few days later, He was rolling around groaning very loudly and showing signs of colic. I call the vet out and they tell me to take all feed away. This vet deworms him and tubes him and tells me her opinion was that he had severe worms from previous owners and that he shouldn’t have free choice hay and he shouldn’t eat any grain. She tells me to only feed him 2 handfuls of coastal every 3 hours for the next 2 days and after that increase hay gradually but to never give him free choice hay again. She said I could start him on grain when he was 10 or 12 months old(a locally milled 12/8 that the breeder had him on). So I hope for the best and follow her instructions, a few days later he is thrashing and groaning again.
I call my regular vet who wasn’t able to make it out the first time. He thought it was due to all of these quick diet changes and tells us that it should all work itself out once the worms run their course out. We insist he does bloodwork and gives him a thorough look-over. The bloodwork all came out fine according to the vet, however the blood panel reports low in the following: Calcium(10.6), Chloride(91.4), Sodium(126.1), Osmolality(261.74), HGB, HCT, MVC and reported high for AST(417), Alkaline Phosphatase(379) and finally CK(473)AND MCHC. I asked if he might have a twist or if we need to do testing for that but he assured me he would be okay. He tells us to increase hay slowly like she said, however, he encouraged free choice hay consumption and recommended we switch to a textured feed with lower fat content and start some gut supplements. He recommended that once he was brought up to free choice hay again to turn him back out with his buddies.
Fast forward to yesterday, again he is laying down quite often but he wasn’t groaning or showing any other signs so I hoped he might have been enjoying all of the sunshine we had. Today he is groaning and thrashing again, I’ve called the vets and no answer. He has been on free choice hay, nibbles of the new grain the primary vet recommended and turned out with his buddies. The vets assure me this is normal for a horse with a severe worm infestation and to just give him a little Banamine but I’m starting to wonder if its a bigger issue. I worry that with all of these gastro problems at such a young age what will his life look like? If he is prone to colic then I am worried that he will colic regularly regardless and he may not have the show career I had planned him to have. I am considering hauling him in first thing in the morning to see if the could do an ultrasound or a scope of some sort. I just don’t want him suffering, he doesn’t run around and play as much as a normal foal would. He primarily eats hay and spends time just standing near his buddies or begging for scratches at the fence.
Has anyone had similar experiences? Any help and insight are appreciated, I am sure I’ve missed some details or failed to connect the dots somewhere in this lengthy post so please let me know if I need to clarify anything.
Thank you all,
Picka
It’s a big step from colicky colt to the horse will never have a show career, so first, take some deep breaths.
If it really is a heavy worm load, then I’ll defer to the veterinarians on how to manage that and get it cleared out.
The thing in the story that stands out to me is: coastal hay. I’ve got one that Will. Not. Tolerate. It. Gas colic, flinging himself on the ground and impersonating a beached whale, every time I’ve tried it. All two of them, since the emergency vet bill completely obliterates the savings on the hay!
So… are you sure he was eating this same hay at his old home? Can you try something different like orchard or timothy and see if he does better on that?
Scoping might not be a bad idea. My mare was colicing last fall and it was due to ulcers. Some parasites will be visible in a gastric scope as well.
Has he had fecals or other parasite testing? Was the worm load confirmed, or just suspected?
Thank you for the quick responses. I know it was a jump from colicky to career ending I just worry with so many issues so early on. He seems to be extremely delicate for a draft LOL. I am feeding the same hay as his original owners. I will look into trying different hay types. He had a fecal done and was confirmed. They tube wormed him because of it.
I’d consider another fecal to see what’s coming out now. Was he wormed with the correct chemical and at the correct dosage?
I’d really suspect ulcers. Especially giving less food, and being in a new environment, that would encourage a flare up. Ulcers in foals are definitely a thing. Scoping is a great idea.
I really don’t understand the first vets rationale on such little food and no free choice hay ever.
Sorry to hear your Draft is having gastro issues. Parasites are nasty little suckers, The Labs tell us his electrolytes off, his Blood volume and count is off, Both are tell tell signs of parasites sucking way all his nutrients. Ulcers very well could be the reason for the low blood count. Dehydration also. Drafts weather young or older are really Gentle Gaints, Being in a new home, new friends ect ect he is probably trying to figure out all the new changes. Once his belly issues are resolved and he figures out this is his home he will be hanging out with the other horses. My Diva is a Percheron, She does NOT do well with change IE: when ever we move she is unsettled for at least 6-8 weeks. Anyways, If your boy had a heavy load of parasites he is low in his iron/ anemic probably why he didn’t feel like being social with the other horses. Having belly/intestinal pain from the parasites, not grazing like he should he is getting a build up stomach acid which in turn can be causing Ulcers. JMO he is young and growing, I would try Some Alfalfa/Timothy cubes soaked and fluffed up for him, Alfalfa is great for prevention and aid in the healing of ulcers and soothing the gastric tract , soaking them ensures he is getting extra water. Of course you don’t want him to colic from change of feed and hay but by adding it with what your feeding him. Drafts don’t need sugary grain or highly processed starchy grains. Drafts do best with all forge diet. I have zero clue as why the first vet said no free choice hay, Unless your boy is impacted and she didn’t want to clog him up more. My Drafts have free choice hay, and the get AM and PM feeding of Alfalfa large pellets and broken up Alfalfa/Timothy cubes, 1/2 cup of canola oil( omega 3 helps with inflammation) 1 scoop of electrolyte, Biotin, 1/2 cup flaxseed,1/2 cup BOSS and a scoop of their vitamins. May seem like a lot or I could just buy a complete feed but being fed this way I can control their nutrition. This works for my Drafts and every horse is different just like humans. I saw my baby colic once when we first got her and I swore up and down I would do everything in my power never to see her in that kind of pain again, It is scary when you see a 1.5 ton animal go to the ground rolling and groaning in pain. Also you might want to ask the Vet about adding some Red Cell supplement to his diet till his HbG/HCT gets into normal range. Free choice mineral block, Difinatly some added electrolytes. Sorry for rambling along, Sometimes The Vets forget that our big babies can’t be treated like their smaller horses. Draft horses have a slower metabolism so IE: a lot of the medicine like sedition is a lower dose than that of what would be used on a quarter horse. I hope that maybe I may have typed something that may have been of use to you, if not thanks for reading this far.
I think I will try to force them to do a scope. Better to be safe than sorry and I do not want to see him in pain any longer.
Thank you Msski for the detailed reply. I really appreciate it and will take your advice. At what age does everyone usually start grain? I also don’t understand why the first vet was so against free choice hay…
My vet just recommended we put him on platinum performance GI. I will attach a link below… Thoughts? I just think that is more stuff to upset his stomach at the moment.
https://www.platinumperformance.com/horses/health-categories/horse-all-products/platinum-performance-gi-supplement-2-2
Another vote for scoping. Had reason to suspect (or they’d colicked) and scoped 5 horses in our barn and they all had ulcers. These horses mostly have hay in front of them and turned out 12 hrs/day. Most had somewhat recently come into our barn and had past hx to explain why there could have ulcers. And, AMAZING to see the behavior difference in them all since healed. Keep us posted please and good luck!
Mild recurring cólics are typical with ulcers. I would scope.
Ask for a free sample * 30 day trial … glad I did
Mare would not touch it regardless of what it was mixed in.
So … I asked my other equine buddies if they would like to taste /try it …
overwhelming NO !!
please at least ask for a free trial on this product .
Other horses may love it and thrive on it but
Not One of my
horses / ponies … two breeds … all different ages
would touch it / or their grain if this product was in it.
Ask for a free sample * 30 day trial … glad I did
Mare would not touch it regardless of what it was mixed in.
So … I asked my other equine buddies if they would like to taste /try it …
overwhelming NO !!
please at least ask for a free trial on this product .
Other horses may love it and thrive on it but
Not One of my
horses / ponies … two breeds … all different ages
would touch it / or their grain if this product was in it.
Agree ulcers… especially with the recent change of ownership/ scenery, etc.
But do young horses get strangulating lipomas?
Hello all,
Turns out it was severe bleeding ulcers. Worst the vet has ever seen in a horse so young. We are hopefully now on the road to recovery 
Thank yall for all of the tips and support!!
So glad you found the cause. Hope your baby has a speedy recovery.
Poor Pony! Glad you’ve gotten to the bottom of it. Omeprazole for 29 days, right?
Agree! Neither my horse or his buddy would touch this stuff, and stopped eating because of it.
Very rare to get lipomas in young horses. And those generally cause very severe abrupt surgical colic.
Hmm… I knew a horse over the course of several years. He’d colic on n’ off, usually resolved by a trailer ride. Original owners could not afford surgery but he’d go in for medical colic & pain management probably once a year. Abdominal discomfort would occur about once every 2 or 3 months.
Fast forward about 8 - 10 years. Horse had a soft landing with a wealthy owner. He was continuing to colic. Can’t recall if it was exploratory or emergency surgery, but it was found he had a strangulating lipoma and another fatty tumor, attached to something (can’t recall… I tech’ed the surgery). He had a linear recovery from the surgery and lasted another 4+? years until he foundered badly.
Point being, he lived a good long while with those lipomas, or at least one would suspect given the size and repeated incidents of colic.
Hi OP,
After ulcer treatment, you may want to look at Succeed. I haven’t tried the Platinum Performance GI but Succeed is pretty palatable stuff and helps with both fore and hind gut issues. It was my vet’s choice to address suspected hind gut ulcers in my aged mare and a 90 day treatment of the VF formula worked so well for her that I put all three of my horses on the granules.
Also, after you get your boy through the worm and ulcer issues, you may want to consider having him tested for type 1 EPMS. It’s very common in drafts and the test can be done on hair follicles. Catching it early, if he has it, would be really helpful for both of you.
Best wishes to both you and your boy. I’m sure that you will make a lovely show team.
