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alan
Silver Member
England
434 Posts |
 Posted - 15 Sep 2014 : 12:49:29 PM
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| We lost a 2yr old filly in April this year. We didn't put her through surgery. She was pts at home. Part of me wishes I'd tried surgery I felt guilty for making the decision to pts but after reading all your comments I now feel I did the right thing. Gina. |
  
www.spirit-arabians.co.uk |
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DianaSC
Bronze Member
Spain
184 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2014 : 2:12:10 PM
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I've only ever personally known one horse who had had surgery after colic. He was not an Arab, he was a livery at Kalli's yard. He had made a good recovery, was rideable and looked splendid but his owner could only allow him grass for about an hour or so each day. We had no turnout without grass so he spent a lot of time in his box. One day, she was delayed, he had been grazing for something like 3 or 4 hours when she brought him in. Initially he seemed fine but then came down with colic. He needed more surgery so she made the decision to have him pts.
Is it normal for a horse who has had surgery for colic to have such a restricted diet? If so perhaps it is kinder to let them go but I guess a natural reaction to an illness in a much loved horse is to try to save it if possible.
When I lost Shan from colic, she was almost 20 and had had two milder bouts of it in preceding months. The vet said surgery was an option but said he had known several instances where a horse had survived the surgery but died from pneumonia in the following weeks. This was 21 years ago, surgery may be safer now. I chose to have Shan pts, partly because of her age but also because of financial constraints at the time. I think surgery would have been thousands then, heaven knows what it costs now.
Quarabian, I am so sorry about Mistral. Losing an older horse is bad enough but to lose a youngster must be devastating. |
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FireLight
Gold Member
620 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2014 : 2:24:52 PM
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| My friend opted for surgery and it cost about £7000 including after care at the hospital. Yes he is on restricted grazing and does have reoccurring mild bouts of colic, Her vet has said he cannot have further surgery in his lifetime for colic so now she is constantly worrying. |
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garnet
Platinum Member
2382 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2014 : 5:33:39 PM
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Gina, one thing you can be sure of is that whichever you did you'll wish you'd done the other. I think you did the right thing. Even setting aside the suffering before surgery I can well believe that afterwards there is constant worry waiting for a recurrence and/or restrictions on how the horse can be kept. I only hope I never have to make that decision again.
When Sam was at Liverpool we visited him 2 days after his surgery and thought we were home and dry. 36 hours later he was gone. Afterwards I spoke to several people who had gone through the same thing and it seems that Day 3 is a critical time.
I expect a lot of you read the Horse and Hound article about the reduction in colic surgery and suggesting it was due to financial constraints. No, just bitter experience. |
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Ari
Platinum Member
1657 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2014 : 8:10:11 PM
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Colic is the thing I fear most. Lost my first horse to colic 30 years ago he had recurrent bouts from age 11 to 17 and back then no surgery option or real diagnostics. I was so careful with his diet and routine but it kept happening so I agree in those cases sadly something underlying is going on.
We have a warmblood on the yard that wind sucks and got frequent colic until put on a probiotic supplement on vets advice and he's been good since.
We also had a horse with the lipoma colic the symptoms of which came on so suddenly she went down whilst being ridden. She had a successful emergency op and lived a normal healthy, active life for another 8 yrs. Have to say she was very lucky we are 20 minutes from the vets who do the procedure often and she was being operated on within 90 minutes of being ill. She did get colic again many years later, definitely not same symptoms but didn't make it as 2nd surgery not an option.
What can go wrong with a horse to cause the colic is so varied in symptoms, and prognosis it's a nightmare. All we can do is the best at the time given the facts, knowing the horse and taking vets advice.
I am insured for colic surgery and grateful to be only 30 minutes from my vets who have excellent facilities but it would still be one hell of a decision to make and if the prognosis for was only 1 hour of freedom a day to graze and interact with others then it is no life for horse.
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Edited by - Ari on 15 Sep 2014 8:13:34 PM |
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Sharea
Silver Member
United Kingdom
289 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2014 : 8:37:32 PM
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| A few years ago I went to a talk given by a very good horse vet practice near here, the subject of operating on a horse that's had colic was broached and the head of the practice said she would never operate on her own horses as she felt it caused too much suffering and felt it was kinder to pts. Luckily I have never had a horse with a serious bout of colic but I would certainly consider her advice. |
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barbara.gregory
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
4531 Posts |
Posted - 15 Sep 2014 : 10:19:44 PM
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Years ago we didn't have wormers for tapeworm so many colics were caused by them
There was a beautiful straight Egyptian stallion in Australia who has colic surgery and then had two or three more within a few weeks (can't remember now if it three or four in total) and pulled through. Last I heard several years ago he was doing well and back to stud duties so it isn't always doom and gloom. I don't think I could have put him through that and wouldn't have been able to afford to but he did make a full recovery.
It is a terrible thing but horses can and do recover from surgery and I hadn't heard about them not being able to be out at grass aftrerwards. Maybe it depends on how much of the gut is removed.
Barbara |
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alix liddle
Silver Member
England
421 Posts |
Posted - 18 Sep 2014 : 8:19:11 PM
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A horse on our yard aged 20 had colic surgery at Christmas and is on full turnout and seems to b e okay so far.
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Ari
Platinum Member
1657 Posts |
Posted - 18 Sep 2014 : 8:47:28 PM
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Barbara, I agree in the 70's wormers were not good and the horse I lost to colic was a very poor 3 yr old when I got him and riddled with red worm and although I wormed him regularly all his life with what we had at the time I blame red worm damage to the blood supply to his gut that caught up with him in later life.
Ivermectin was the big breakthrough in the early 80's and my lady died of old age at 30 being the first generation of horse not to suffer red worm in the larvae stage when it does the damage.
Thankfully parasites are now not a cause, but colic for various other causes remains a nightmare alongside lami.
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Edited by - Ari on 18 Sep 2014 8:51:24 PM |
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Quarabian
Platinum Member
Wales
4340 Posts |
Posted - 18 Sep 2014 : 8:49:58 PM
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Just panicked. I could not log in to AL. I had to go back and check my password and it had her name in it. I will have to chamge my password now.
I am in bits because I have just read the topic from 2006 when Rhoni lost her lovely mare Lisra to colic. This post seems to have become a discussion about wether we should operate on colic or not. That is okay, it is a valid discussion. But unless we can see into the future our best guide is our instinct and our intimate relationship with our horse who will let us know what is the right thing to do. I know that no one is criticising me, but I am sure Mistral's point of leaving this world was the right time and the right decision. There was a brief period of no pain and then she was gone. I dont know if she could have survived the jurney, or surgery but her life ending at home seemed important. Everyone must make their own informed decision.
I would like someone to close this topic now please. |
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RUTHIE
Gold Member
United Kingdom
1238 Posts |
Posted - 19 Sep 2014 : 07:13:05 AM
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I have just caught up with AL and read this.....so sorry  As you know I lost Crystal Flash just under two years ago and I have a bay shaped hole in my heart. The pain dosen't get better, just different with time. RIP Mistral. |
     
In Memory of Crystal Flash 2010-2012 |
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Help, anyone seen this.
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