Ugh my horse is in the clinic currently. She had colic surgery in august, a twisted large colon and right dorsal displacement. Recovered really well. Then in December colicked again but was fine, got better after banamine and fluids. Spent the night in the clinic to be safe. Today the horses went on grass for the first time this year, just for an hour. My horse started colicking as soon as she came back inside. The vet came to the barn, did a rectal and tubed her and gave her banamine. She said she had a bit of gas on the right side but overall things look good and she’s improving so I can watch her over night or take her to the clinic. I decided she can spend the night at the clinic, it’s just not worth the risk. They think she’ll be fine and told me to make plans to pick her up tomorrow.
But what the heck? Clearly she can’t handle changes anymore and she won’t be going out on grass. Disappointing but I just can’t risk it. I just want her happy and healthy 
I am really sorry to hear that she continues to have issues.
Maybe try some pre/pro biotics to help her gut be more healthy/adaptable?
Hopefully this is the last time she has issues like that.
She’s been on pre and probiotics since her surgery. They have now suggested adding electrolytes too.
Thank you for the kind thoughts, feeling pretty sad just sitting here worrying about her.
What are your horses living conditions? Does she have ample room to move about on her own or does she have limited turn out and is stalled?
Also, an hour on grass is a long time to be out for the first time, especially if it is during the day on spring grass.
Have you discussed your horse’s diet with the vets? Perhaps a hind gut buffer like KER’s EquiShure is in order for your horse during the spring months.
Sending many jingles to you and your mare!
Is there a lot of weeds, like dandelion or plantain?
I’m so sorry for your stress and worry. Glad she’ll likely be ok though. Hang in there.
OP - Have been down this path with my mare. (2 displacement surgeries, 3 “mild” colic events, a bout of anterior enteritis, all in under 3 years).
We have undertaken about every management idea we could think of. I jump every time the phone rings.
I spoke to a nutritionist post surgery #2. Here is her list of recommendations:
pre/pro biotics. timothy/alfalfa mix only - less alfalfa is better. minimize grain - horse is now only on ration balancer. BE SURE to do gradual transition from older hay to new hay. Nothing particularly eye-opening.
She gets electrolytes and has a salt rock in stall. Very careful on meds and we never give bute or banamine or antibiotics w/out vet discussion.
We don’t have the spring grass issue here in Fla, but clearly that will fall in the hay recommendation. Err on the side of less and slower introduction. (of course this makes it hard to have horse outside and moving unless a dry lot available - or muzzle).
I have read everything available on line, and while not wanting to scare you, after one displacement of the LC, risk of a second goes up. After second, risk goes up again. There are not a ton of studies, but the data is there. I spoke at some length to a vet at Rood and Riddle; there is much they DONT know about displacements, but there is some evidence that larger bodied or big barreled horses are more likely to displace. Mares, particularly after foaling, same thing.
There are no great perfect solutions. Surgeon suggested a tie down of LC to abdominal wall, I passed on that as there are risks to the procedure, and no real studies on horses who go back to performance careers. In my mare’s case, both the vet and I become convinced that something in her digestive tract is just NQR - maybe scar tissue, or adhesions or something.
You have my sympathies and I sincerely hope you have a less eventful future. Sending a cyber hug as well.
Has anyone suggested ulcers as the source of gas and colic? Could be stomach, but more likely hindgut ulcers with all the gas.
What I’ve done that seems to work pretty well: Add 2 tbs salt to supplement porridge; Give about an ounce of psyllium in same mixture*; add a scoop of pro & prebiotics to mixture. My mixture is soupy, consistancy of medium-thin oatmeal. If the hay I have is stemmy, I soak it for about 15 minutes before feeding.
This horse is mid to late 20s, and is IR.
*I’ll look up the brand I use–great stuff, smells like licorice. It is called “Equus”.
PS: I hang a slow-bag of Bermuda hay, or whatever else grass hay I can find, in his stall for comfort-food whenever he’s in his stall/run.
[QUOTE=Hermein;8159223]
What I’ve done that seems to work pretty well: Add 2 tbs salt to supplement porridge; Give about an ounce of psyllium in same mixture*; add a scoop of pro & prebiotics to mixture. My mixture is soupy, consistancy of medium-thin oatmeal. If the hay I have is stemmy, I soak it for about 15 minutes before feeding.
This horse is mid to late 20s, and is IR.
*I’ll look up the brand I use–great stuff, smells like licorice.
PS: I hang a slow-feeder bag of Bermuda hay, or whatever else grass hay I can find, in his stall for comfort-food whenever he’s in his stall/run.[/QUOTE]
just FYI… psyllium is great, but I would never use it in the same meal as supplements. Have you seen what it does when wet? I’d be worried the supplements would be contained/absorbed by it and would never have the chance to be absorbed or utilized by the horse.
ju
st FYI… psyllium is great, but I would never use it in the same meal as supplements. Have you seen what it does when wet? I’d be worried the supplements would be contained/absorbed by it and would never have the chance to be absorbed or utilized by the horse
.
That’s a thought! I’ll ask his vet whether the amount he gets dissolves fast enough to take the other stuff with it. I top dress with the psyllium. Thanks.
[QUOTE=Hermein;8159252]
ju.
That’s a thought! I’ll ask his vet whether the amount he gets dissolves fast enough to take the other stuff with it. I top dress with the psyllium. Thanks.[/QUOTE]
I’d be interested in what vet says! I mean… supplements just make for expensive poop anyway, right? :lol:
You and your vet are going to think I am crazy, but I have seen this work on two horses…from multiple colic calls per year to none!
Food allergies!! For all you lactose intolerant or food sensitive people out there…what do you get…gas.
One gal had a horse: cruddy coat, weird top line, and multiple colic calls and surgery. It took her a few months to get her vet on board with testing. Guess what that horse was allergic to: hay. All types. With an interesting feeding twist…that horse went from 6 plus years of colic calls and a past surgery to colic free for over 14 months.
Second horse was taken off of a certain type of grain and was swapped over to a beet pulp with something else. Again, now colic free for 2.5 years.
I came up with the idea when I developed lactose intolerance and had gas/bloating/crampiness after consuming dairy. And your vet may argue with you…but you sometimes have to think outside the box.
Good luck.
Thanks so much everyone,
My mare is fine and is coming home today. But still lots of questions about what could be causing this.
She has large turnout and is outside most of the day. She just come in for a couple hours for her grain and some hay then goes back out for the night. She gets a good quality hay, just ~10% alfalfa. Being at a boarding facility I can’t really control the type of hay she gets.
I have been wondering about ulcers. I had the succeed fecal blood sample done a few months ago and it was negative, but I don’t know how accurate it is.
Thanks so much everyone,
My mare is fine and is coming home today. But still lots of questions about what could be causing this.
She has large turnout and is outside most of the day. She just come in for a couple hours for her grain and some hay then goes back out for the night. She gets a good quality hay, just ~10% alfalfa. Being at a boarding facility I can’t really control the type of hay she gets.
I have been wondering about ulcers. I had the succeed fecal blood sample done a few months ago and it was negative, but I don’t know how accurate it is.
One of the questions I have asked vets is “which comes first - the gas build up or the displacement?” None of them really knows…
My mare is not normally a gassy horse - except when she has her “events”… And who knows why she got the enteritis - which is at the opposite end of the intestinal track…
I had one similar to yours, what stopped his gas colics was Equishure. It pays for itself ten times over! 
I had a similar situation with my gelding.
His issue was getting obstructions, but it was unclear which came first, the gas distention pressing on his GI tract slowing things down, or the obstruction causing gas to be trapped. Either way, it was painful and needed vet attention right away. He never had the nephrosplenic entrapment, but did need surgery for the first colic when medical treatment was not enough. Obstruction was located quickly, no resection required, and he recovered well. Rehab back to work was slow but steady.
Two years (plus) later, this past fall, he had another bad colic, went in to clinic, and I thought I would have to let him go. Surgery was not an option given his age and previous surgery. He made it through with fluids pouring in to him, plus meds. It was hell to see him like that, but I got good support and advice to let the fluids work, give him time to let them work.
He had a few ‘minor’ colics over this past winter, requiring farm calls and tubing. Then another significant episode in March. He went to the clinic again, but turned around much more quickly with fluids and meds, literally overnight.
With the vets’ recommendations, we made a drastic change in his diet. He now gets soaked senior, a magnesium supplement, pre/probiotics and electrolytes, and Arenus Assure, which is a form of psyllium and other goodies that help with hindgut issues. I also treated him for ulcers for a few weeks, not because we suspected them, but because after the stress of being in the clinic, it was wise to treat/prevent them.
With the new feeding program, he is doing great. In full work, plenty of energy, looks great. He had been eating soaked hay prior to the diet change, and since he is on a complete feed, he now only gets a small amount of soaked hay. He likes the water that the hay is soaked in (in a standard muck bucket), and so we keep that in his stall, and he drinks that down through the day and overnight. He also pees a ton, but that’s a minor hassle give the alternative!
I don’t know how old your mare is. My guy is now 22, and I am quite sure if we had not made the diet changes, I might have had to let him go. I know it can be hard to know which of the factors led to a good result for my horse. I hope sharing what worked for us might give you some ideas.
I wish you the best with your mare!
I’ve heard of that, Herbie19! I’ll look into it more. Thanks!
I have a mare who used to colic once or twice a year from the time she was 2 years old. None of my other horses ever coliced. I changed her food to an extruded feed, wormed for tapes, ultrasounded during her cycle, gave her warm water in the winter, etc. etc.
Knock on wood, she hasn’t coliced for several years that I’ve seen. I think adding probiotics is one factor. She also is IR and has had laminitic episodes so it might be that she is a little more stoic now about mild pain.
