Tucker Colicked
I went out around midnight for late feed and Tucker did not come in.
I found him lying down in the paddock. He was not rolling, but was definitely not feeling well.
I got him up, walked him for about 20 minutes or so, then let him go free and down he went again.
I called the vet.
Replay Toby's colic post except that Tucker passed some very loose manure instead of a neat pile. Dr. Parisio was here in about an hour after I called. She examined him and said he was very gassy.
We had to double tranquilize him to get the tube down so he could be dosed with water, mineral oil, electrolytes, and some psyllum...just in case he had ingested dirt/sand while foraging for grass.
He is currently in his stall with nothing to eat and I need to go out to check on him every two hours or so. I also need to get him out walking or lungeing at each interval. Dr. Parisio is just a bit concerned that his manure was that loose, so I have to monitor him a little more than Toby needed.
Things took a bit longer because of the extra sedation Tucker needed. He is a big boy at about 17 hands, and while the extra dose kept him quiet for being tubed, it also took longer for him to recover. I'll be going back out at sunrise to have a look at him and take him out for another hike.
The vet said she'd already treated five other colics today, so who knows? Does the weather have any impact? I certainly don't have any lush grass here, but could some kind of weed be at play? I am switching Tucker over from Healthy Edge to Hay Stretcher, but I've been gradually making the change since Thursday. Considering that Hay Stretcher is really just hay pellets, it's not likely to be the problem. I added a handful of a vitamin supplement at dinner, but again, that was a minor change in feed. But you never know.
Either way, I'll be in and out of the house all day.
Of course, the weather forecast calls for rain all day today and tomorrow.
Guess my raincoats will come in useful.
*sigh*
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Sending best wishes for your big boy - colic is very scary no matter the circumstances. I believe that colic can be weather-related, particularly when there are big pressure changes. Hoping he recovers quickly.
ReplyDeleteKeeping fingers crossed for Tucker!
ReplyDeleteSending good thoughts.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about Tucker. Hope he recovers quickly.
ReplyDeleteSaturday night Sami coliced on us too. It was definitely gas related so we gave him a shot of Banamine and he felt better in a short while. Then yesterday Blue had no manure in his stall but looked fine and not in distress. He also hadn't eaten any hay? This morning he had plenty of manure to go around.
Could be the weather I guess. We thought maybe they weren't drinking enough because they're too lazy to walk up from the back field for their water. Who knows.
:-( hope he's ok..
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