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Post by nrly on Feb 15, 2008 8:06:23 GMT -5
am so glad that chickadee is doing better. Man that was allot of sand and grit, very scary. we have allot of sand and stuff here, so we do try to prevent the problem, but things can happen.
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Post by stormyranch on Feb 16, 2008 11:20:02 GMT -5
When we lived on the coast we took all the precautions for sand colic (feeder bins, sand clear, salt licks), The wind would blow sand on the hay & in the water buckets. but sometime you just can't do anything about one that likes the taste of sand.
Kevin
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Post by fantasykiger on Feb 16, 2008 13:33:04 GMT -5
We put some of the horses poo' to the water bucket test yesterday. I was surprised I expected to see more sand but there was just a pinch of sand if that. So I am pretty happy that we have the right combination of nutrients going into our horses and some non-sand/dirt eaters thankgoodness.
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Post by stormyranch on Feb 16, 2008 13:51:03 GMT -5
We were constantly doing the water test. We put poo in a plastic clear bag that lets the sand go to the bottom and you can see it clearly. We had a horse die of sand colic at our barn. She had a couple of loaf size clods in her. The owner had her put down as she couldn't aford the surgery. We were so scared we went right out and bought sand clear and new feeders. She was only there for 2 months and just ate a lot of sand.
We also had a horse get sand colic when we lived in central oregon. We had pumice there but it was still like sand colic.
He came through ok.
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Post by lindaf on Feb 16, 2008 17:26:32 GMT -5
Our horses are on dry lot (sandy soil). Although they are fed in containers and receive psyllium for sand colic prevention, they nibble on tiny grass sprigs and pick up hay particles in their paddocks during the day. None has had a colic episode, but it is something to always be on the alert for. I thought it was just a problem for us in the SW. I'm sorry other parts of the country are having to worry about it also.
Linda F
edited to add: Pfizer has a $5000 colic surgery policy if you buy your wormers, including daily wormer, from a vet in the program. It's not a bad deal, but it is more expensive because vets usually have to charge higher prices than you can get other places. If you have a lot of horses that becomes a concern.
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Post by DianneC on Feb 19, 2008 1:23:23 GMT -5
I did the water test on a couple of the horses this week while they were on sand clear and was surprised that there was no sand. I'll try it on Lark next, she always thinks she's on the verge of starvation.
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Post by stlkigers on Feb 19, 2008 23:34:35 GMT -5
Here's a cheap and easy idea for pretty indestructible feeders from a guy who's been around mustangs forever: www.kbrhorse.net/qt/tirefeed.htmlJust make sure you don't get the radial belted tires... Angela |
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Post by JoanMRK on Feb 20, 2008 0:49:07 GMT -5
That's an interesting feeder Angela. I like the idea, thanks for sharing the aricle.
Dianne, glad Chick is doing better! What a scare. I have had one colicky horse in my lifetime, it was Sunnie a couple of years ago now and I think his was due to not drinking enough water. It was quite a cold snap and I don't think he had the appetite... I need trough heaters!
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dmr
New Born
Posts: 11
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Post by dmr on Feb 25, 2008 20:32:43 GMT -5
Dianne, I had a case this fall. It was a mustang that I picked up in August. But it was black sand and I don't have that. It is also different from a normal colic in how she behaved. It took 3 days for her to feel better at the vet.
My friend that I bought her from said it was becasue I fed her good hay. I said Yes, I did!
Mine also throw the hay onto the ground to eat it even though they have feeders. I haven't had a horse colic in over 20 years! She was just acting different and would not eat. They also recomended to me to give sand clear. Now she is doing fine. So, I watch them all really close at feeding time now and take a little extra time!
Glad that all ended up well!
Kris
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Post by DianneC on Feb 25, 2008 21:11:02 GMT -5
Kris, it was different with Chick too. She just laid down and was looking a little peaked. Then she wouldn't eat, boy is that a call to action. Never did roll, thankfully. She was off and on that way for several days and a couple of vet visits before they decided to take her in to the hospital. Once she was there they tested her and gave the option of waiting until morning. My friend decided it had been long enough and to get it done before it became an emergency as that reduces the odds of success.
Great feeder Angela, thanks for sharing that!
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Post by zephyrcreek on Feb 25, 2008 22:01:35 GMT -5
This has been a tough week for me. I almost lost Topic last Wednesday to Colic. For those of you that do not know our story, Topic was my childhood horse and is now 26. I won him in a essay contest through my 4-H club when I was in 5th grade. We were separated for a few years, but he came back to live with me in 2005.
Anyways, I had fed the horses when I got home from work at midnight and everyone was fine. In the morning I peaked out at everyone and noticed a few horses enjoying the morning sun. When I went out to feed Topic was still laying down but got up while I was filling the water tank. He did not walk all the way to the tank, but that is not unusual as he is low man in the herd. He walked over to the hay after I fed, but I was not paying a lot of attention to him. After going back up to the house it hit me that I had not noticed him eating with the other horses. When I looked back out the window he was down and laying on his side. His abdomen was obviously distended, and he looked 10 months pregnant. Out place was pure ice, so I made arrangements to take him over to TRI C/V. Velvet started my Kigers under saddle, and has a large barn that is always easy to get in and out of. Due the large amounts of snow we have received I had to dig my trailer out before I could even hook up. Our driveway and road were thick ice so I said a prayer and pulled into our yard, but had to stay close to the road due to the heavy snow. I was able to get Topic up, and walk across 300 feet of ice with snow on top (our yard had flooded and then froze). He loaded great, but of coarse we were stuck. Thankfully it only took a few minutes to get out and on the road.
The owner, Velvet, was riding one of her horses and ponied Topic around the arena. When the vet arrived he agreed with my conclusion that Topic was colicing due to dehydration. The surprise came when he was not able to tube Topic. He tried the smaller tube, and had the same problem. Topic had choked on some hay, and it was still stuck in his throat. He was dehydrated because he could not drink, and our winter air is so dry. Thankfully the vet was able to dislodge the hay, and complete Topics treatment.
He stayed at Velvet's overnight to make sure he was okay. He is now back home and as feisty as ever.
Ellen
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Post by stlkigers on Feb 26, 2008 12:54:02 GMT -5
Ellen:
Gosh, I am so glad Topic is ok....and I hope you have many more years with him!
Angela
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Post by DianneC on Feb 26, 2008 13:48:33 GMT -5
Whew! who would have thought it would be from choke? I would have thought choke would have more symptoms. And how brave you were to get dig out the trailer and drive him in those conditions, wow. How brave and trusting he was to walk across that much ice. Good job both of you! What a great outcome and I'm so glad it worked out OK. We'll all be sooo glad to see Spring!
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