It's Always Something with Horses!

So....here's Jack happily playing in the water during his first ever trail ride to Santa Margarita River...



(Some of you may have already seen this video because as soon as I upload it to YouTube it feeds into Facebook and a myriad of other ethereal locations.)

A mere 4 hours later, we've got the top head honcho vet called from his supper to treat Jack for "colic"!! No joke! This same horse playfully pawing the pool this afternoon, was writhing on the ground this evening! At one point (the point I decided to call the doctor) he fell to the ground, his eyes rolled up into his head, upper lipped curled and legs splayed straight out - almost like he was convulsing!
Dr. Colburn (who did not sign a media release so you will not be seeing his cheery face here tonight; no, he will not be claiming his fame on "Backyard Horse and Rider" blogspot! like his colleague Dr. Bender from last night!! LOL! I should own stock in their company!) gave Jack a sedative, listened to gut sounds and a few other things vets do for a colicky horse - final diagnosis - gas!! Yes...gas!

I wonder if he got it from drinking the water at Santa Margarita River?

Horse People! Any Idea What's Wrong with this Horse?

Yes, this looks like your standard case of colic, and he certainly is suffering from some sort of major stomach ache, but I don't think this is your typical "colic".

This horse does not have a history of colic.


Max is a 20 yr. old American Saddlebred; he's been in my care for 8 yrs. Prior to that, he was a lesson horse at L.A. Equestrian Center (or so I'm told). He's had a nice cushy life with me; I've used him on lazy trail rides, and low key arena work - he's high spirited and an alpha horse. Until recently, he was on Bermuda grass and Creekside Life Stages only. With the coming of Joanna the Holistic Natural Hoof Practitioner, his diet has been modified gradually over time to cut out sugars, and move more towards formulating for specific dietary needs, i.e. still mostly Bermuda grass with a mash of soaked beet pulp, biotin, sea kelp, Red Cell.

It started about three weeks ago...



He was out for a lesson and something just wasn't right - he's a fast, forward moving horse, and that day he was notably slow, sluggish...off!

He was put on paddock rest and observed. He hung his head and licked his lips alot. Doctor called out; vital signs all checked out good.

Within a few days, green snot began running out his left nostril. His stance was odd - he stood with his nose almost on the ground with his head tilted to one side. Doctor called out; again all vital signs checked out good, sinuses not terrible congested; and he was put on sulfur based antibiotic SMZ (Sulfamethoxazole 800 mg and Trimethoprim 160 mg) 16 tablets twice a day. In a few days, the green rheumy nose cleared up, but his stance got worse. His eating was off, he began to go down and lay completely flat several times a day. He was still passing good manure and still eating alittle.

Doctor called out; took a blood sample on June 1st (Max had hepatitis about three years ago with similar symptoms); I'm thinking maybe he has hepatitis again, 'coz he's just not getting any better! We got the results the same day - all blood levels normal! Vital signs still normal; gut sounds still fairly normal - considering he's now not eating and looking very gaunt! Doctor thinks maybe ulcers.

On June 2nd, yesterday, we started dosing Gastroguard. This video was taken today, after a second dose of Gastroguard. No improvement in his condition. He's up and down like this several times an hour; and stands with his head to the ground, tilted to one side. Not eating - no manure at all today.

I gave him Banamine tonight after calling the doctor; tomorrow we will oil him. I'm wondering if there is such a thing as chronic colic and if so, what causes it, or more importantly, how do you control it?

Has anybody had similar symptoms with a horse? And what did you do about it? It doesn't really seem like a standard colic, but what else is there that manifests like this?

Star Off Her Feed

This morning, Star was not interested in her feed. Walked away from her Senior Pellets/Biotin Plus/soaked Beet Pulp haute cuisine. Well, I'll keep an eye on her, since this is very unusual behavior for her or any horse. (The dreaded "colic" pops into mind).

At lunch, she had eaten about 3/4 of her pelleted breakfast, and no Bermuda grass. My son had already mucked so don't know if she passing any manure. She looks a little down. If this continues into the evening, will have to call vet.