This is really difficult to write and may get a little graphic but I’m trying my best to figure out what killed my Belgian boy Henry (17yo) yesterday, as I’m worried about my other 2 horses and 2 donkeys.
Friday 10am (reg feed time) Mixed Ivermectin paste (correct dosage) into his feed (safe choice senior) and a scoop of AntiHist H supplement. Same ivermectin given to my 25 yo mare.
Friday 12.30 pm he’s down and stayed down. He’s a very reactive horse so it was unlike him to let me get close when he was down. Temp was 100.0. Respiratory rate 30pm. He would
calmly lay down, flat out or with his head up. No gut noise but passing gas when laying down completely flat.
Friday 1.30pm after walking a little called vet, 12ml
of liquid banamine given orally and administered Equine Gut Flush. Gums normal color.
Friday night. Did not eat or drink. Offered electro light water. Standing up for longer periods and sniffing grass like he wanted to eat but didn’t. Passed manure that looked normal
6pm. Vet unable to make visit but communicated via txt all
night. banamine 12ml administered orally at 11pm. Temp normal gums normal
Saturday 9am Did not eat or drink. Laying down and occasionally groaning, he did seem to be more alert and like himself, didn’t want me to get close when he was down. Walking briskly, head down. Vet updated and administered 12ml banamine given orally . Drank a lot from his trough.
Saturday 12 noon checked and he was down but had passed more manure
2pm, turn for worst starts to get up and down more frequently, and is visibly uncomfortable. Pacing, head down and gassy. Gums pale. Temp 101, breaths per
min 40. Vet called and told her She needed to
be here ASAP
3pm walking, throwing head up and down, passed small
amount of manure, visibly in pain when passing manure and gas. Some visible belly spasms/cramps, penis out like he wanted to urinate, but spasms so strong when his gut flexed his extended penis flex and touch his stomach .
3.30-4.30 Rapid decline. Head low and would raise to cough, Yellow discharge pouring from right nostril
after cough. foaming of mouth. One minute he wasn’t sweating, the next he starts to drip from his belly, top of legs, neck and face. Breathing rapid and heavy, groaning, gums, tongue and penis start to turn purple. Call vet again to see what I can do to ease his pain. She said administer more banamine. Leave my husband holding him
so I could run into the house and get banamine, literally as I’m walking away I hear a load groan and see him collapse.
2 mins later he took 2 deep breaths and passed away.
Obviously devastated. Did the ivermectin cause a colic and gut twist/ burst? Was this an allergic reaction?
He has no known illnesses, was up to date on shots. He did fall on this left side whilst running around freaking out his mare was being clipped 7 days ago, he got back up
like nothing happened. He also got kicked
in the stomach a few days ago but was fine afterwards. He always had sensitive skin, hated the FL bugs. He did have a 4 inch skin wound on his lower leg that needed no stitches and was treated by vet with steroid shot, we would also treat daily with silver spray or wonder dust but even after 8 weeks
would not fully heal. He had itchy inner ears for the last 8 weeks, hence the histamine supplement. my mare also has itchy inner ears that are bloody - hence why I was using ivermectin on the both of them in the hopes off killing off any parasites .
i know there can be no fully conclusive diagnosis unless we did an autopsy which wasn’t mentioned by the vet, but if anyone has experienced similar I would be grateful for your opinion.
im kicking myself for not calling a different vet to get them out on Friday at the first sign of colic. But I’m just trying to learn from this and hope it isn’t something toxic he ate that the rest of the Herd can get sick from.
