Slightly disappointing news...
I heard back regarding the DNA test - Faith is not the horse we thought she was. :( The positive side of this, is that if it were her, it would make her 23 years old. We have thought all along that she is about 17. It certainly doesn't hurt us at all to have a "younger" age on her!
The bad news...
Faith is a little colicky tonight. She ate most of her grain, but hasn't touched her hay. (Apparently she doesn't like the flavor of her Vitamin E supplement, and since adding it, she takes her time eating her grain. For a horse that was nearly starved to death, she's pretty damn fussy!) Normally by this time she eaten the majority of her hay, and it looks like she has only eaten about one half of a flake.
I went into her stall and she seemed uber-grouchy, more so than her usual self. When I put my hand up to her abdomen, she immediately swung her head back towards me with her ears pinned back. She is somewhat sweaty over her hing quarters, and has a little steam coming off of her. She isn't showing any other symptoms of colic per se, but it's obvious that something isn't right with her tonight. Her gut sounds are normal, TPR all within range, CRT is good. She has been eating and drinking well all day, and spent about 8 hours outside.
I just walked her for about 15 minutes and I'm going to keep my eye on her for the next half hour. If need be, I'll give her some banamine and hopefully that will help her out. Keep your fingers crossed...
Keep hanging in there, sweetheart!
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10:10 Update
I just spoke with Dr. George on the phone and he suggested hand-walking, banamine, and monitoring her. He told me to call back if I had any questions or needed him. (I feel so bad calling him so late at night, but it's so nice to hear an encouraging and helpful voice on the other end!)
Faith's pulse is 48 bpm and her temp was 100.6. Her breaths are deep, her abdomen expanding more than normal. (She has always been a "gut" breather, but now it is slightly more labored.) She still seems a bit lethargic, but she has stopped sweating and appears a little more comfortable.
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Banamine is good, but do you think maybe she is coming into season and she's just a little "hormonal" or crampy? Just a thought. We are having a tremendous windstorm tonight and I always check the horses because a change in barometric pressure can bring on colic. So far, knock wood. All are up and eating and while they may be irked at me because I don't come into the paddock area armed with carrots and treats, they are not hurting.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and yes, do keep an eye on Faith. Let us know how she's doing.
I used to board a mare that would go into a strong colic her first and last heat of the year.
ReplyDeleteFor my TWH mare who gets mild colic sometimes when in season, Banamine does not help.
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