Enjoying a week off
Well I am currently two days into my week off and already I’ve found myself with nothing to do. Nothing fun anyway, although I’m sure the floor could do with sweeping! I’ve resorted to writing some more fact sheets for the website, so why not go and have a look? The latest one is on colic, a very common condition, and one that is worth knowing about. If there is anything important missing, or you have any questions then just use the comments section of this post.
Also this week my new toy was delivered – a flexible intra-oral camera. This means I will hopefully be able to get some really good pictures of some common dental problems, so watch this space.
Comments: 2 Comments
Sounds like you are having a great week OFF!!
Re Colic Fact sheet, is there anything owners can do for their horses to reduce the pain or further injury whilst waiting for the vet to arrive?
This is a little bit of a late reply, but better late than never! There is not much that can be done to reduce the pain your horse is feeling until we get there, but there ways to stop them from injuring themselves.
If they are showing mild/moderate signs of pain, but remaining on their feet, e.g. belly watching, pawing at the ground, then leaving them alone is probably the best option. If they want to lie down, then let them do it and observe them. If they are quite calm, and either lying flat out or just belly watching then that’s also fine, and they can be left to it until we get there.
With more severe signs, i.e. going down and rolling/thrashing then it is often best to try and get them up, and walk them to a safer place such as a menage, where there are no obstacles and the ground is soft. Be careful though, as when they are in pain your horse won’t notice you, and a stray hoof can do a lot of damage to a human! If the menage is a long walk away, then it may be safer for them to stay in the stable than risk them going down on concrete while walking over.
Once in the menage, if your horse wants to go down and roll then let them. I’m yet to meet the person who can stop a determined horse from going down! I would put a lunge line onto their headcollar and stand back, so that there won’t be any issue catching them when the vet arrives.
It used to be thought that rolling caused twisted guts, but we now know that it is the other way round – an already twisted gut can cause them to roll. This means we don’t need to worry about letting them roll if they really want to.
If you are unsure at any point then the best thing to do is to ring us back and ask for some advice, as every case is unique in what is best.