# Input asap- Necropsy report is in 12/5/11 Pg 6



## albahurst (Dec 3, 2011)

I would appreciate input frpom anyone regarding the situation I am having with one of my horses-

fine last night, this am he was in obvious pain- no appetite, slow walking, no drinking

He appparently stood out last night in a snowstorm - he always goes in the barn, but not last night

Started sand clear last night for this month (as usual)

I have oiled him, given pain meds with gastro gard, activated charcoal, pedialyte, calcium, on and on as per vet suggestion

We are snowed in and I can't get him to a vet- it looks like I may lose him.

Colic? Blister Beetle?

He is wobbly, breathing hard, his sides are pulsating hard. I wondered about thumps- vet has had me give a bolus of calcium. Now he is bloated-oil has not come out. Going to give an enema now. ANy suggestions?


----------



## targetsmom (Dec 3, 2011)

I am so sorry and am afraid I can't help much. Have you taken his temp? Do you think a blanket would help at all??

Can you get water/liquid into him somehow?? With a dosing syringe?? Sounds like you are at least in contact with a vet.

Hope you can help your boy!!!


----------



## albahurst (Dec 3, 2011)

Yes- his temp was 98.8 this noon


----------



## REO (Dec 3, 2011)

It sounds like a twisted intestine, or at least like a filly we lost due to one.






Enemas never hurt!

When my mare gets gas colic and blows up like a balloon, I fill her full of enemas. Then she expells a bunch of gas and I give her a bunch more. You can see her sides go down as she blows out the gas with the water. When she gets gas, she doesn't mess around!

Giving him a bunch (I give 10 at a time) wouldn't hurt and might help.

I hope you can get him through this Peggy!


----------



## Minimor (Dec 3, 2011)

Sounds like an impaction or twisted intestine, since he has passed no oil & is bloating--the hard breathing & pulsating sides would go along with the pain of that. If the colic pains started in the night, that would account for his standing out in the storm, the discomfort would make him oblivious to the miserable weather

Thumps--if it were that you would have little doubt; you can actually hear the THUMP noise and see the body jerk with the force of the contraction of the diaphram.

It sounds like you are doing everything you can in the circumstances and I really have no additional suggestions--just wanted to say that I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, and especially on a day when you're snowed in & cannot get to a vet.


----------



## Mona (Dec 3, 2011)

Sorry I have no advice to offer, but know and understand how frustrating it can be to be in your shoes. Sending prayers that your boy will pull through.


----------



## valshingle (Dec 3, 2011)

If he hasn't eaten for a bit, get some Karo syrup in him. I had one get hyperlipidemia from going off his feed slightly while he was fighting a virus. Use a syringe.

Is it Nick?


----------



## minisch (Dec 3, 2011)

Keep us updated. Do you have any banamine? Do you have a stethescope? If so, what kind of sounds and where are you hearing them. Check his gums. Check his temp again, get some kayro syrup in him and syringe water too. Hope he pulls thru for you


----------



## frostedpineminis (Dec 3, 2011)

sorry to here about your guy, first thought he may have been sore due to shivering but, like he tied up or something but not with the bloating and stuff he might have been standing in the storm because of a fever, sounds more like a colic like or impaction like others are saying, hope that the vet can make it through quick, and please if you get a moment in between checks and phone calls please keep us posted! sending prayers your way


----------



## JAX (Dec 3, 2011)

I am not a vet but I would do everything I could to get as much fluid into him as possible. Do you have any flavorings to add to warm water? Ask your vet if it would be ok to add sugar or molasses or something to warm water and get him to drink! And then walking walking and more walking!! I am assuming you cannot take him for a ride in the trailer but sometimes I have been known to walk for awhile and then load them up as if we were going somewhere, then walk and walk some more. I had a filly that the vet oiled gave fliuds to and she was not getting better, because of her belly he was pretty sure she would need surgery at A&M which I couldnt afford at the time. I walked that girl for 8 hours. The first three hours involved me pulling her about 4 steps and her falling over(falling hard sideways right onto her side) then getting her back up for a couple more steps. It was horribly hard but I knew I couldnt just let her lay there and die. I am sure I couldnt have done it if I hadnt had my neighbors help. After couple hours realized we were having to get her up less and less. She did make a full recovery without surgery and I still have her ten years later. I understand it will not work in all casses but if you cannot get him to the vet then my guess would be banamine, liqiuds, and WALKING.

I will be



for you both.


----------



## albahurst (Dec 3, 2011)

He is now in shock. He has a blanket on and a KalGlo heater. Vet still thinks BLister Beetles.

I am just so sad-

Two weeks ago my mother died and now special buddy is on the verge.

He does respond some to boluses of calcium. So, we are going to give that through the night.

He has had a little to drink today. I am also giving him Pedialyte. He is having trouble swallowing.

We will be on the road as soon as we can in the morning, provided he is still alive.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Keep them coming





Val- it is not Nick, it is my gelding, Saturn.


----------



## JAX (Dec 3, 2011)

I have never seen blister beetle poisoning. I was assuming impaction or twisted gut because the oil never passed through. Sorry I didnt realize that would happen with blister beetle pooisoning.

I will continue to


----------



## REO (Dec 3, 2011)

Prayers for your boy


----------



## albahurst (Dec 4, 2011)

Thank you, all, for the prayers and suggestions. We have brought the horse into the kitchen for the night. He is toasty warm and resting. He is still very colicky, but at least has stopped the rhthmic 'pounding' shaking. The calcium bolus has helped with that, it seems. He is still standing and has not gone down. He has a strong will to live - his eyes tell the story. As soon as the roads are clear in the morning, we will be heading to the vet. He is still on pain meds. We also started him on carrafate to help with potential gut pain from blister beetles. I will check on him throughout the night and give him pedialyte for fluids. I pray he makes it til morning, but at least he is acting better for the time being.

We believe in the power of prayer. Thank you for your prayers.


----------



## cassie (Dec 4, 2011)

Definitely praying for all involved! We almost lost my foal last weekend n through the power of prayer and our awesome God! He gave us a miracle n my little colt pulled through! I'm praying for the same miracle for you! I know how upsetting n stressful it is. It must be so hard especially after losing your mum too... Praying that the roads will be clear in the morning for you all



N that your little man will keep fighting n pull through!!


----------



## AnnaC (Dec 4, 2011)

Prayers coming from me too, hoping that he can hang on and that the roads clear for you.


----------



## joylee123 (Dec 4, 2011)

Peggy I am so sorry to hear you are going through this



I'm sending healing thoughts and prayers your way





Joy


----------



## StarRidgeAcres (Dec 4, 2011)

Praying for you and your horse Peggy.


----------



## Eagle (Dec 4, 2011)

oh poor little boy! I am praying that he will get better soon


----------



## Jill (Dec 4, 2011)

I am saying prayers for your guy and you. Praying you get to give us good news soon.


----------



## albahurst (Dec 4, 2011)

He is gone. I lost my friend, Saturn. He was always there for me.


----------



## Eagle (Dec 4, 2011)

I am so so sorry




I was praying for you both. I wish I could be there to give you a hug. You were there for him and you couldn't do any more than you did, he was in your home and he knew he was very loved.

RIP Saturn, run free


----------



## Becky (Dec 4, 2011)

I'm so sorry, Peggy.


----------



## eagles ring farm (Dec 4, 2011)

I'm so sorry





RIP Saturn knowing you were so truely loved

(((HUGS))) Peggy


----------



## Jill (Dec 4, 2011)

I am so sorry!!! My thoughts and heart go out to you.


----------



## Minimor (Dec 4, 2011)

I am so sorry!


----------



## Genie (Dec 4, 2011)

Ah, so sorry. You have had such a hard time





As you told the story I could imagine how you were feeling as we have all been through these worrisome episodes when you have to try to guess what's going on.

You did your best and he is out of his pain.


----------



## WeeOkie (Dec 4, 2011)

Oh, Peggy, I have just read your thread and was so hoping to read of good news this morning. I'm so sorry it didn't work out that way. I know how much you are hurting -- my thoughts and prayers sent to you.


----------



## jegray21 (Dec 4, 2011)

I'm so sorry for your loss



sending you my prayers.


----------



## Sue_C. (Dec 4, 2011)

I am so sorry for the loss of a dear friend. :-( You did what you could.


----------



## Windhaven (Dec 4, 2011)

So very sorry for your losses and the very difficult times your are going through.

You did all you could do and your buddy passed knowing he was loved.


----------



## topnotchminis (Dec 4, 2011)

So sorry for your loss. Sending prayers.


----------



## 2minis4us (Dec 4, 2011)

I am so sorry for your loss. You tried so hard to help him.


----------



## Carolyn R (Dec 4, 2011)

I too am so sorry to hear this news. I was hoping to sign on this morning and hear that you had a chance to get him to the vet. I am so sorry for your loss, sometimes we can do our best and still fall short due to no fault of our own.

Many of us know the saddness and frustration that goes hand in hand with the warm fuzzy moments we share with our critters, hopefully those positive moments are the ones that stay foremost in your memories.


----------



## StarRidgeAcres (Dec 4, 2011)

Peggy, I'm at a loss for words. You did all you could, although I'm sure that means nothing at the moment. I'm just so sorry. Hugs to you. You are the best horsey mom, even if you can't feel that right now.


----------



## targetsmom (Dec 4, 2011)

I am so sorry... my heart goes out to you. What a nightmare..

I wonder if it had something to do with the storm?? My big horse colicked (and needed surgery) when a March snowstorm was approaching. I managed to get him to the hospital and then I got snowed in there. They had 3 colic surgeries that day - all presumably caused by the weather.


----------



## wingnut (Dec 4, 2011)

albahurst said:


> He is gone. I lost my friend, Saturn. He was always there for me.


I am so sorry for your loss


----------



## JAX (Dec 4, 2011)

I'm So Sorry.


----------



## MyBarakah (Dec 4, 2011)

So very sorry Peggy for your loss. Hopefully you will beable to find out for sure what exact cause was. You know he's in greener pastures and you know he was well cared for & loved! HUGS!


----------



## Marty (Dec 4, 2011)

Peggy I am so very sorry! I know you are a GREAT horse person and you did everything you possibly could for Saturn. I feel so sad for you.


----------



## Field-of-Dreams (Dec 4, 2011)

I's so sorry...

Godspeed, Saturn.


----------



## 3EagleFarm (Dec 4, 2011)

Oh no!




I am so very sorry! I BIG (((((((Cyberhug))))))) coming your way!!!


----------



## albahurst (Dec 4, 2011)

Thank you so much, everyone. My heart is broken right now. I am sure, in time, the good memories will replace the sadness.

I was hoping he could hold on til this morning, as the roads are clearing.

Saturn was one of my first minis. He has always been a protector of me and was always there to make sure I was ok. He also would protect the babies.

He was a very special horse, and I miss him greatly.

We will be doing a necropsy. I can let you all know the findings. I just don't know if it was a poisoning of some sort (blister beetle) or severe colic. Maybe I can get some answers later this week.


----------



## Charlotte (Dec 4, 2011)

Peggy, I am so sorry to read this news this morning. I hope over time your memories of yesterday's struggle will fade and just the good times with saturn will be in your thoughts.

Hugs my friend.


----------



## dgrminis (Dec 4, 2011)

So sorry for your loss..


----------



## chandab (Dec 4, 2011)

I'm so sorry.


----------



## madmax (Dec 4, 2011)

Peggy, I am so so sorry you have lost your little guy. A sad morning indeed for you, it is so hard to lose a friend. Again, so sad you lost him.


----------



## sedeh (Dec 4, 2011)

I'm so sorry for your loss Peggy. Your beloved Saturn is resting in peace. *{{{{HUGS}}}}*


----------



## Mona (Dec 4, 2011)

Oh no, I am soooo very sorry for your loss. (((HUGS)))


----------



## REO (Dec 4, 2011)

Oh Peggy, I'm SO very sorry you lost him.





My heart aches for you {{{{hugs}}}}


----------



## Aristocratic Minis (Dec 4, 2011)

So sorry for the loss of your dear boy. It is so hard to deal with a loss like this. I pray your heart heals in the future.

Run free, Saturn.


----------



## Royal Crescent (Dec 4, 2011)

I am so sorry you lost your special friend Peggy. I am sure he felt your love and care. Hugs.

Barb


----------



## AnnaC (Dec 4, 2011)

I'm so very sorry for your loss. Sending ((((HUGS))))

Run free little man - you were so well loved, but then you knew that.


----------



## valshingle (Dec 4, 2011)

Peggy,

I'm so sorry to hear you lost Saturn. I'm sure you did everything possible and it sounds like he would not had lived even if you could have gotten him to a vet. This is the price we pay for having animals we love - eventually they pass and we are left to pick up the pieces. You can remember that you gave him a great life and lots of love.


----------



## SampleMM (Dec 4, 2011)

I'm very sorry for your loss.


----------



## Hawks_Eye_Minis (Dec 4, 2011)

Im so sorry hugs


----------



## albahurst (Dec 5, 2011)

Saturn's necropsy showed a twisted gut. He apparently coliced in the night and rolled. We never saw him roll once. Vets said nothing could have been done at home - he would have had to go to an equine hospital several hours away for surgery. Of course, we were snowed in. Vet office made a hoof imprint in clay for me - I thought it was a nice gesture.

Miss you, Saturn.


----------



## targetsmom (Dec 5, 2011)

I am glad you were able to get an answer, and unless you were willing and able to have surgery, there was nothing more you could have done. I thought that was what they might find based on our experience with colic surgery and a snow storm. I don't know what the connection is, but Max died right after a snowstorm too.

RIP Saturn and hugs to you.


----------



## Riverdance (Dec 5, 2011)

Peggy,

I just read your thread. I am so sorry to have read about Saturn. I know he always had a special place in your heart.

You did everything you could have done.


----------



## High Meadow Miniatures (Dec 5, 2011)

So sorry for your loss


----------



## valshingle (Dec 5, 2011)

Peggy - as you probably know, weather can play a huge role in colic. Something about the pressure changes. I know I always watch the horses like a hawk when a front moves through. You did all you could - no one could have loved Saturn more.


----------



## Hosscrazy (Dec 5, 2011)

I am so, so sorry for your loss...




Only time can heal your broken heart... know that there are many of us who have gone through this loss, and we all support you and are thinking of you during this difficult time.

I'm so sorry...

Liz N.


----------



## Carolyn R (Dec 5, 2011)

Thank you for letting us know your findings. I know it doesn't take away the pain, but at least you know there was nothing short of surgery that could have been done ( which is about 50/50 outcome).

I am stll deeply sorry to hear about your loss.


----------



## alongman (Dec 5, 2011)

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss.


----------



## Riverrose28 (Dec 6, 2011)

So sorry for your loss.


----------



## Connie P (Dec 6, 2011)

Peggy I am so very sorry that you lost your precious Saturn. I know the special care that all of your horses receive. Sometimes things are just beyond our control and there isn't a thing we can do. Big Hugs to you! (((( ))))


----------



## drmatthewtaylor (Dec 6, 2011)

albahurst said:


> Saturn's necropsy showed a twisted gut. He apparently coliced in the night and rolled. We never saw him roll once. Vets said nothing could have been done at home - he would have had to go to an equine hospital several hours away for surgery. Of course, we were snowed in. Vet office made a hoof imprint in clay for me - I thought it was a nice gesture.
> 
> Miss you, Saturn.


Sorry for your loss, I hope the knowledge of what happened can help to temper your pain.

It is a myth that horses colic then roll to 'twist a gut'. Instead the intestine becomes 'kinked' somehow and that leads to all of the signs you see. Colics, generally, do not get worse during the course of the condition. They start at what they are. Research has been done to try to figure out how these things occur and other than to say parasites and changes in husbandry increase the odds of occurrence, we don't really now the cause.

I put 'twisted gut and kinked' in parentheses because these words are not very descriptive of what happens. Instead, intusseception, rent, volvulus, etc... are far better terms, but as they are not as well understood by owners then Vets just go back to 'twist'.

Dr Taylor


----------



## albahurst (Dec 6, 2011)

The vet used his 'official' terms, but somehow the intestine had flipped. I guess we will never know why or how, exactly.


----------



## Getitia (Dec 6, 2011)

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your wonderful horse Saturn. I can totally relate to your situation unfortunately as this is how we lost one of our most prized herd sires a few years ago. When I left him in his stall that night he was happily munching his hay and the next morning, when I went in to feed him, he was in full blown colic and in extreme distress. Within a few minutes of discovery, we immediately rushed him to the vet - Sometime during the night his intestine became 'kinked' or 'twisted' as described by Dr. Taylor and by the time we made it to the vet to prepare him for surgery his intestine had already ruptured.


----------



## HGStables (Dec 6, 2011)

Its terrible to lose a horse like that. So suddenly...I lost my 18 year old Thoroughbred mare last year, she had bone problems. She broke her front leg as she stood up from sleeping, she loved sleeping laying down.

If you can cut a little of his mane off and braid it up. You will always have a little bit of him with you and the memories.

Im really sorry you lost your baby boy. I still havent gotten over losing my mare, they leave hoofprints on your heart.


----------



## horsehug (Dec 6, 2011)

I'm so sorry, Peggy






That is how I lost my little leopard filly in my avatar. She was fine the night before and by morning she was lying there dead. My vet did a necropsy and found a twisted gut. She appeared to have lain down and never rolled at all.

He told me sometimes it can happen that fast.

Susan O.


----------



## Horse Love (Dec 6, 2011)

I'm so sorry for your loss! If you ever need anybody, we're all here for you! Its hard to lose a best friend, whether it may be a horse or a person. Alot of people don't realize the delicate bond between an owner and their horse.


----------



## HGFarm (Dec 6, 2011)

Oh no! I am so sorry- tons of hugs for you!


----------



## albahurst (Dec 6, 2011)

You guys have been so sweet- thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The vet office made a hoofprint plaque for me with Saturn's hoofprint. It is made in clay. They also cut some mane off and braided it for me.


----------



## horsenut50 (Dec 6, 2011)

So sorry for the loss of your mom and your horse. My heart goes out to you at this extemely sad time.


----------



## REO (Dec 8, 2011)

I knew it was a twisted gut from your first post. We lost a filly that way once. I'm SO sorry!!!





I've been off line due to my computer being in the shop but looked for your thread. {{{hugs}}}


----------



## supaspot (Dec 8, 2011)

Im so so sorry , to lose your mum and your friend so close to each other must be devastating , Im sure they will be taking care off each other and watching over you X


----------



## MajorClementine (Dec 8, 2011)

So so sorry. How difficult for you.


----------

