Oy.

I hate, hate, hate colic.

Hate it.

And now I know I have another horse who colics when emotional.

Dodger gets colic when I move him to a new pasture… and now Annie.  Or at least I think that is what got her.  But, to be honest, I’m not sure.

 

LEADING UP TO THE EVENT

Annie was fine all day.  I know this because I was outside often.  Since today was my first day in 3 months without work (yay!), I was able to hang out and do – very overdue – chores outside.

One of my chores was to move Gwen out of Annie’s pasture.  I wanted to put her next door, with Dodger and Norma, so she could have a break from pushy Annie.

Annie is one of those horses that just doesn’t get how BIG she is…  she will push Norma or Gwen – as if they were a horse of Annie’s size.  Well, nobody around here is her size.  She just doesn’t get it.

Even with me… she will swing her butt around to be scratched, or to have her udder cleaned, and it comes WHAM!, very fast.  I have to slap her and shoulder-in to get her to understand.  In fact, I never get between her and a fence because she is likely to move over to get pets and pin me.

So, she is a difficult horse to have as a paddockmate.  Gwen does it because I ask her… but I got the feeling she’d like a break.

Hence, the move.  I put Gwen in with Norma and Dodger.  Right next door.  They all could touch noses.

THE EVENT

At feeding time, I went outside and noticed that Annie had the look as if she was going down.  Immediately, I was alarmed.  This is a horse who has never been ill.  She is young and strong as an ox.  She eats well and drinks well.

I stood there like a stone and yes – she did go down.  Right in front of me (thank horsegods).

I yelled, “Annie!” – and she got up.  Immediately she did the flehmen action with her lip.  I knew this was not good.  I ran up to her and she was sweaty.  I knew this was bad.  She was uncomfortable, flehmen, sweaty, down.  Colic.  I tried to contain my panic.

Quickly, I ran inside to Google flehmen, just in case it meant something other than abdominal pain.

It didn’t.  Not in her case.

When I ran back outside, she was down, again, but this time her head was flat to the ground.  I was so alarmed, I started to prickle sweat and I could feel myself losing focus in panic.

I ran to the refrigerator and got my Say Whoa!.  But how was I going to get it in her?  She’s totally not into syringes (no matter what I put inside) – and she is much taller than I am when she lifts her head.

I ran back outside with my loaded syringe and I prayed.  I knelt down next to her and prayed for help from Aladdin and Mama Tess.  “Aladdin, Tess, Please tell her that she needs to take this.  Please tell her to trust me.  Please help me get this into her.  What do I do?!  Just help me!”

Annie got up.  I was crouched on the ground like a monkey, trying to seem as non-threatening as possible.  I was offering the syringe.

She sniffed it.

I begged her, “Please baby, suck on this.  Please take this.  It will make you feel better.  Please just drink this… Trust me.  I promise you.  You need this.”

And I swear to Horsegods, she sniffed it – and sucked on the syringe tip.  I couldn’t believe it! I pushed!  I got about half of it inside of her mouth.

She stood there rock solid, like I had shot her.  She didn’t move.  I could see the wheels spinning in her brain.  She was trying to figure this new flavor… what just happened?  She thought about it for a second … and then she swallowed.

She looked at me as if she was totally surprised!  She smacked her lips a few times and rolled her tongue around inside of her mouth.  I offered her more, but she turned her head.

“Not just yet, ” she seemed to say.  “I’m thinking on this.”

She kept licking and swallowing… I just stood there,  still crouched like a monkey, continually offering her the rest of the syringe.

And then a weird thing happened. She lowered her head and put her lips on it again.  She let me gently push the rest in… except she opened her lips this time and some of it drooled out.

Again, she locked her lips and looked at me so perplexed.  It was as if the taste of the formula had completely calmed her.  Like she forgot what was agonizing her.  Or she forgot her pain… and instead was concentrating on the odd, sticky, savory flavor in her mouth.

It was like she was snapped out of it.  So odd.

I had previously brought out a bucket of very wet, soaked beep pulp, her favorite, and she had showed no interest.  But now, she saw the bucket again, and headed for it.  She took a bite.

Aha!  I had a plan!   I took the bucket away, ran into my garage/medicine cabinet, and got my last syringe of Say Whoa! – and I squirted it in.  After stirring and adding some of her favorite coconut feed (very wet CoolStance topped with a tiny bit of Renew Gold), I brought out to her the remedy packed, wet gruel.

She ATE IT – fast!  She now had approximately 1.5 doses in her… which I gauged was probably about right for her size.

AFTER THAT…

She was eating.  I didn’t see or feel like she wanted to go down.  I didn’t see the lip curl.

It was as if the episode passed right through her… I was gobsmacked.  I couldn’t believe it.  So, I decided to sit with her until she passed manure.  I had my phone – ready to call the nearby vet.

I sat with her for 2 hours. I groomed her and cleaned her udder (Thank you EquiSpa) and just watched her.  She seemed totally normal.  No sweat, no lip curl, no need to go down… And eventually, she pooped.

I have no idea what stopped the onset of the colic.

I never called the vet because she seemed to be past it.  When I went inside for the night, I felt confident.

And this morning, she was her same, pushy, nickery self.

Thank Horsegods.

IF I COULD PURCHASE SAY WHOA! FOR EVERY HORSE OWNER I KNOW, I WOULD.

I swear by this stuff.   I’m sure it saved us last night.  Or it did something.  Even if it just gave me the courage and calm to calm her…   I will never know.

But, If I could send a tube to every horse person I know and all of you readers, I would.  I believe in it so much.

If you want some to have on hand in case you ever need it, Horse Sense Solutions offer $10 off each order for Horse and Man readers (because I write about it) and if you buy more than one tube, it is free shipping.

I just ordered 2 tubes this morning to replenish my supply.  (I feel vulnerable without a tube in the refrigerator.)  I received a reply that my order had shipped right out today!

In the beginning, about 5 years ago, I wasn’t a believer.  One of the distributors sent a tube to me “to have onhand”.   I had my first tube in the refrigerator for 2 years before I needed to use it – and it worked!  I got another tube and held onto it for a while until I needed it.  It worked again!  My vet was astonished.  After that, I was sure it was a good product.  Since then, I’ve used it 5 times (Mama Tess, Dodger, Slick, Gwen and now Annie).  It has worked every time.

Last night, I didn’t call the vet immediately after I administered it.  Usually, I do.  When the vet have arrived in the past, they have confirmed that the colic has passed.  Last night, I already knew the episode was over.

If you want a tube, go to the Say Whoa! site linked here.  Coupon code:  HMFund.

*You can’t enter the code until the very end of the checkout procedure, but don’t worry, it is there at the end!

 

OUR JUNE BUCKET FUND HORSE:  SAMSON… BLINDED BY HIS OWNER AND STARVED, he was walked for 5.5 hours out of the Grand Canyon.  Can we help right this wrong?!  Click here to read his story.    Click here to donate!