A case of colic for Freedom

[DeniseJP]

Freedom is a very special horse to me - I knew her from her first kick in the womb to her dystocia delivery (talk about suspended from one life to another and not moving and the vet would not have arrived in time to save her - hence her name as I was able to get her free to be able to be delivered) to nine years of life here at the farm... through illness, showing, learning tricks to her wants and needs (including getting her butt scratched)...

She was not feeling well last night and I was watching her... she ate... produced some manure and seemed OK but not herself... because she is here, I picked up on that fact.

This AM she ate and then was lying down without showing much energy... knowing her as well as I do, she had an intestinal blockage and I gave her pain meds as prescribed by her vet and a bran mash... then turnout to work things through.

This evening, she ate the branmash and then was lying down again when I turned her out - not like her since she is all about eating everything in sight.

I was lucky, the veterinarian was due to give Saoirse her last West Nile Virus shot so I greeted her in the driveway with Freedom and explained what we had going on. She checked her out, said gut sounds were good (gassy to me and for what Freedom normally sounds like) and her heart rate was good, but she opted to give her a dose of mineraloil - but did not have any on the truck and had to run home to get more... luckily just 6 miles down the road.

Freedom is normally bad about swallowing the NG tube but she was OK this time... no real nosebleed and a need tobe tranquilized as she has needed in the past...I know she did not feel great about having oil and water put into her belly but I am hoping it helps lubricate her system so she can pass the blockage through. She was trying to drink water but did not do it consistently. She passed some manure but it was not the right consistency - too dry. I am glad she lives here as I know all about her system and those of the other horses and rabbits here.

I have more Banamine here for her pain... this is like rabbit GI stasis... Freedom and I have been down this road before... prayers needed that she works through this as she is a very special horse to me.

Denise

 

[DeniseJP]

Off to the barn to see how Freedom is feeling...

Denise

 

[aurora369]

Get better Freedom! Stop scaring your mommy!

-Dawn

 

[hartleybun]

ray: come on Freedom!! like Dawn says - stop scaring mommy!

 

[myheart]

ray:{{hugs}}

Time to feel better, Freedom.

 

[cheryl]

Sending lots of get better quick vibes..

 

[fuzz16]

i hear a lot of horror stories about horses colicing. a friends house was 4 when he coliced from to much beaut given to him. he now eats 10lbs of senior purina feed a day and free grazes but cant eat hay. ): expensive horse

 

[Luluznewz]

I'm sending you and Freedom good vibes! I have three horses and know how upsetting it is to have a horse that isnt feeling well.

All my horses have coliced and gotten through it just fine, so I'm hoping Freedom will have the same good luck.

 

[tonyshuman]

I love mini horses. I'll be thinking of Freedom and you, and hoping she recovers quickly.
ray:

 

[DeniseJP]

Thank you for the good thoughts... we have manure!!!!! Freedom is eating slowly still and I am off to the barn to see what water consumption I have going on but when I saw oily poop, I was excited. Freedom needs a bath but I could not be happier!

It is amazing what some of us get excited about...

Freedom was the first dystocia I delivered on my own - her dam was ultrasounded and we knew she was a filly from three months gestation... when it came time for Freedom to arrive, she presented with elbow lock and her left leg back at the shoulder... and she was stuck. Horse deliveries happen quickly and I was afraid she'd start breathing and would die due to being stuck. The veterinarian lives up the road about 6 miles but by the time she got here, Freedom might not have made it and had I not been there, Hope would have possibly died. My son went to call the veterinarian - I did a midwife job and out plopped Freedom into my lap, shaking her head and breathing on her own just fine. Hope did not have any trauma from the delivery and our veterinarian said I did a good job - no bruising or tears for Hope, no bloodshot eyes for Freedom... and nine years later, she is still a favorite of mine.

Denise

 

[hartleybun]

:yahoo::sweep:sweep why are we always glad see pooh??? i sometimes think we are a psychiatrist's dream!!

 

[cheryl]

That's great..i'm happy she is feeling better.

And i know..it's like yay for poop!

 

[DeniseJP]

Freedom still looks bloated to me... but she had a day inside due to bad weather here (lightning and I am on a hill...)... she cleaned up a wet, sloppy bran mash and will be headed out to the pen with Mercy once Weatherly finishes her grain. She has three piles of manure in her stall... good for her since she is on a diet.

She is not drinking as much as I'd like to see so I am soaking the hay to add water.

This little horse has always given me fits... but she is the only one too that I used to hold and rock when she was a foal...(you might say I really needed to have more children - LOL) she was small enough to fit in my lap and she would fall asleep, her head cradled over the crook of my elbow. Being a horse, I always had to make sure my head wasn't near hers as when she would wake up, she woke up fast and would raise her head quickly.

Thank you for the kind thoughts and prayers... still praying that the "bloated look" goes away with exercise and she increases her water intake.

Denise

 

[DeniseJP]

hartleybun wrote:

ray: come on Freedom!! like Dawn says - stop scaring mommy!

Yeah, I am exhausted trying to keep up with her and work and the other critters here... one good night of sleep for both of us, I hope!

Denise

 

[Blaze_Amita]

Come on Freedom!!!! Feel better quickly and DON'T scare mommy like this! My old man can't colic anymore, he's already short intestine from a youthful colic surgery. I've watched two horses that I loved dearly lose their battles with colic, and one make it through.
It's just a terrible road to be on, and rough when you are on it without choice.