I read that as much as 25% of what is considered dangerous is acceptable. In other words, some sand may remain even after he is doing better. There is a plant he can be fed, once he is eating again, which helps carry away some of the sand. Make good progress sigmonkey and kid. Get him better.

Still checking in Monkey and holding in with the prayers. I wish that you weren't on the opposite end of the state, I'd enjoy a visit with the horse and say a prayer up close in person

I read this discussion thread earlier in the evening, and before I could post i had to rush my Husky to the emergency vet.

Your family, and the horse is in my thoughts and prayers.

He is still getting "tubed and lubed" and it is believed, he has said he does not like it.

He has passed some of the blockage and a very large amount of it is sand. (collecting droppings as soon as possible and then determining the ratio of sand to that "other stuff".

He has "oiled and spray painted" the entirety of the walls of his stall, and it is been said that the walls and his ass will never rust...

He still has a long way, and it is still not the best prognosis, but progress is forward.

He is getting psyllium and all manner of "wet foods" in addition to the saline and mineral oil, and other (horse doctor) stuff.

That is the best information I have gotten. The girls are tired and not real "chatty".

That’s good news, right? I’m not a horse person, but I’ve sure seen dogs impacted with sand. Not the same level, I’m sure, but I’m glad things are moving through. Hoping there is continual improvement.

Hey, the news that he and the ladies are still 'rolling the dice' is good.

He's tolerated the treatment so far and while not out of the woods yet, he's made it this far.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
< snip >
He has "oiled and spray painted" the entirety of the walls of his stall....
< snip >

Any chance we can get him into Dean Wormer's office on Sunday?

Prayers sent. Glad to read the updates

Prayers for you,your daughter and her horse...

Wow, tough stuff - I truly wish you and your daughter the best! I'm learning a bit more about horses, here, than I'm pretty sure I ever wanted to know.

The biggest issues with sand colic.

Occurs when horsies ingest sand with feed/hay/or natural grazing in paddocks with sand/loose soil, and worse when the grasses are sparse.

They pick up more sand/soil than they should.


The result is sand/soil is heavy and "settles" in the gut, and most detrimental in the large colon.

The weight of the sand, and the mixture of various natural vegetation and other components in the intestinal tract, result in a mass of heavy, and compacting debris that settles in the gut and this weight can make it difficult or impossible to pass naturally.

This, coupled with the irritation to the gut often causes a horse to "stop, drop and roll", with the effect of twisting the gut on itself, and then "locking" the mass(es) in place.

If this happens, it is almost a very quick decline in the horses life expectancy, as the normal gases produced in the gut cannot be expelled "in either direction", and the gut will rupture, and the horse will succumb very quickly.

In other words, a horse that "goes down" rarely ever makes the "10 count", and there is not enough towels in the universe, so save a horse from that count...

Second, but of long term, is the damage to the gut from the abrasion and scarring, as well as not all of the sand can/will be eliminated.

In the case of my daughter's horse, he is about 30 years old, has had this issue for some time before it presented, and the time it takes to "purge" is countered by his willingness to eat "wet" foods and his body's ability to eliminate the sand.

During the treatment time, he is not getting as much nutrients as he should/could due to the mineral oil and enemas.

In effect, he is being "starved on the front end" and suffering "extreme diarrhea on the back end", and both of those mess with electrolytes, heart rate, stress and resting.

What might appear to be a minimal issue, is in fact, a serious and complex issue.

And in the end, nature, holds the winning hand.

All the players are bluffing and hoping that nature, folds...

I talked with my daughter this afternoon and could tell that she is very tired, so she had not been active with information.

But, he has had about 9 small "movements", over the past two days, and that is forward progress.

I will post more when I know more.

And, thank you all who are at the rail, calling him through the homestretch...

Sigmonkey, following the thread and standing firm in prayer. I looked back over the thread and may have missed it but, does this horse have a name I could also toss in as sometimes it just makes it a little more personal in prayer for me, thanks for updating.

Prayers offered sigmonkey!

quote:

Originally posted by just1tym:
Sigmonkey, following the thread and standing firm in prayer. I looked back over the thread and may have missed it but, does this horse have a name I could also toss in as sometimes it just makes it a little more personal in prayer for me, thanks for updating.

Dolce but not sure how to pronounce it.

It is so sad to see an animal like this sick and on the edge. We lost a 20 year-old mare last year due to infection from a gunshot. I am sorry for the grief.

We were in the hay business for a number of years-with over 200 acres of hay fields. A highly respected large animal vet in this area did a study with Auburn and concluded that horses being fed long stem Bahia grass hay were far less likely to colic than horses on fine leaf Coastal Bermuda grass hay. This affected our hay business a lot and we planted Tifton 9 Bahia and coarse stemmed Tifton 85 Bermuda. Most of our customers switched from Coastal Bermuda due to vet recommendations and it seemed to make a difference in the number of colic cases.

We hope for the best possible outcome for this horse and his people.

^^^

Thanks, David.

Yes, his name is "Dolce".

It's pronounced "Fra-gee-lay" ...it must be Italian!



(or maybe it's pronounced "DOLE chay")

I'm still waiting to hear from my daughter on updates.

@HayesGreener

I remember hearing about your horse in the news, and what my thoughts are on the shooter(s) is not fit for print. And I hate eating soap.

Making more progress yet ?

Dolce = sweet, like La dolce vita, the sweet life

Thanks again for all the support, prayers, and well wishes.

Hope he continues to improve and have a good few years ahead to enjoy all things horse.

-sm


From my daughter just a bit ago.

**UPDATE**
Well it's been NINE days of severe colic and I think my big guy is finally making a turn around! My vet says it's one of the most severe cases she's ever seen and honestly he statistically had next to no chance for survival. But guess what!

After being gastric tubed and pumped full of oil and water TWICE by our vet, multiple enemas, over a hundred dollars in Banamine (100+ ml in 9 days) for pain and spasms, and a team of amazing humans babysitting him 24-7 the past week+2 days... he seems much better. Finally drinking on his own and eating small wet meals and wet hay, and he is POOPING! YAY!!
I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for him, as well as us. My clients have been so patient and understanding of this. I haven't been able to work because I couldn't leave him. ...

Thank you all so much for caring about and loving my special boy. He means the world to me. ...

This is his fifth medical emergency since Christmas. A lot for a young horse, let alone a geriatric horse! I hope this is it for a long time!

****

That's awesome!