Bit of a sad day

[secuono]

Ugh, always a hidden low during a good streak, should of seen it coming!

Went to see my horse to try out saddles. Three in all, 2 looked promising and we were tacking one up to do a test ride in before deciding.

He started acting up, pooped, pawing the ground, then got a lot more animated and unsettled in the crossties.

Suddenly the barn owner said he didn't like the way the gelding was breathing!

As he went to get some drugs, trainer removed his tack and checked gut sounds. None on his left, slight on his right. But he had just pooped! They were tossed for a loop at that and how sudden it came on, literally just a couple minutes and he was kicking, sweaty and breathing hard!

Drug went in, he calmed, I walked him and let him eat the only visible grass under the snow in between walks.

A while later, instructor heard good sounds and I put him in his stall to eat, drink and relax.

They think he had mild gas colic! ×0

Colic was my biggest worry with sending him to a trainer and it happened! And just a week before coming home, no less.

They will keep an eye on him. Hoping it goes away. He comes home next Saturday, but now I'm debating bringing him home this Sunday after the horse/rider play date.


Then I come home and find my mix pink piglet froze. . .bloody heck....

I know there is deadstock with livestock, but I really didn't need this today.

Moved the black piglet back into the shed, she was smart enough to sleep in her bed, but the pink one wasn't.

Time to go cry in a corner and wish winter would pass already!

 

[ninnymary]

Sad to hear this secouno. I don't understand about your debate on which date to bring him home. Do you want to bring him home earlier because of the colic? I don't know anything about horses so sorry for the dumb question.

Mary

 

[so lucky]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. We get so attached to our critters.

 

[secuono]

Yes. Bring him home sooner because of the colic.
Maybe the other horses are keeping him from the water or something. So if I brought him home, he'd have free and safe access to water, room to roam and fresh hay available allthe time. Plus, we have a little grass left, too. So I could let him in the back yard alone to gobble up the grass calmly and not be bossed around and stuck with just dry feed.

I bought some horse treats. Going to soak a few each time I visit him for him to have. Water my itself doesn't taste great, so maybe it might help a touch.


Oh, I had noticed that he got extra water in his daily grain ration! So that's good.


I also found out why he moved stalls the other week. He is in a stall by the door now. Before, he was in the back and they noticed he was spinning and stressing out in that stall.

 

[valley ranch]

Too bad about the piglet. The Colic was a scary one I'll bet. We came close to losing a stallion couple years back. Can't seem to be able to post a picture of the product wifey used, but I see you had what you needed on hand.

Great luck in the future.

/home/yerani/Pictures/equiopathics-digestive-upsets.jpg

 

[buckabucka]

So sorry about your animal troubles . I'm trying to nurse an older cross-beak hen (she's a pet, really) that has sour crop right now back to health. It is easy for me to get attached to a chicken, but I imagine it would be even harder with a horse or a pig. I hope things are looking up for you soon.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

so sorry for your troubles this week. colic is not anything fun to deal with on any animal. when i was working for the equine clinic in my area i could remember when i was driving there. i would get about a mile away and could smell the tell tale signs they did a surgery. not a pleasant smell, usually it would involve a lot of clean up for me too. i had to clean/sterilize the tools and clean the surgical room after they were done for the day.

 

[catjac1975]

Yes. Bring him home sooner because of the colic.
Maybe the other horses are keeping him from the water or something. So if I brought him home, he'd have free and safe access to water, room to roam and fresh hay available allthe time. Plus, we have a little grass left, too. So I could let him in the back yard alone to gobble up the grass calmly and not be bossed around and stuck with just dry feed.

I bought some horse treats. Going to soak a few each time I visit him for him to have. Water my itself doesn't taste great, so maybe it might help a touch.


Oh, I had noticed that he got extra water in his daily grain ration! So that's good.


I also found out why he moved stalls the other week. He is in a stall by the door now. Before, he was in the back and they noticed he was spinning and stressing out in that stall.

The only reason to not bring him home early-How far is the trip? If it is a long ride I would hold off. My vet wants horses outside 24/7 with just a shelter. I do have a barn-not a shelter. Mine are outside almost all of the time except for extreme cold, wet weather, and blizzards. My horses are old. My mare's legs sometimes swell when she stands in a stall all night. I use a blanket in winter when it is cold. These horses have never had colic. In fact of the 5 horses I've owned only one used to colic. What you are describing sounds like the horse is often stressed. Just my horse owner opinion-not an expert. Also do they keep a pain killer on hard to administer for colic?

 

[Smart Red]

So sorry, secuono! You certainly had a bad day with stresses you don't need. I am happy that you had your horse stabled at a place that was prepared for and knowledgable about colic in horses. Not every horse place is that well equipped.

As for your little one, that is such a shame. I would have thought it would have snuggled with the other pig. Pigs do enjoy their creature comforts. That it didn't makes me thing something other than the cold did it in. Without a vet exam you will never know, but don't spend time berating yourself for something you couldn't prevent.

 

[secuono]

It's a 10 minute ride.
I never had to deal with colic before. Mine live 24/7, 365 days outside. Unless they injure themselves, but even then, I just move them to a small pasture. I never bring them in, lock them up or limit hay or movement.
He's in the stall so he can drink freely without the others hounding him and so they can make sure he keeps pooping. Out in that big pasture, it would be hard to check on him and there's 10+ horses in there, too.

Yea, I expected them to keep together, like they have been. But she opted to hide under a thin bit of hay, on the snow, alone....


I'm still thinking about it, maybe he will be fine and and not need to go home early, but if he seems off, I'll bring him home.