Horseless

[Tdog]

Our horse colicked Saturday. She ate normally around 6 AM, but by 8 she was down in her stall. I got her up & walked her & walked her. I got plenty of exercise trying to distract her from the pain. The vet showed up in about an hour & did several things - - he injected mineral oil into her stomach thru a nose tube & gave her a sedative. And he came back later in the morning when she was obviously still in pain. She was up & down, & was pawing constantly. The vet recommended we get her to the Large Animal Clinic at the vet school in Baton Rouge. We got her up there by a little after 5 PM, watched them give her the once over, then we drove back home. The LSU staff hoped that she would stabilize; however, we got a call about 10 that nothing was working & that surgery was recommended.

Now colic surgery on a 22 year old horse does not make good economic sense; however, it made good sense for my marriage. It would not be cheap, but would be cheaper than a divorce. Whatever, it was all for naught - - got another phone call about midnight that there was a fatty growth around her intestine & in trying to free it, the colon ruptured. We had instructed them to euthanize her if they ran into complications like this - - so they did.

Life without a horse will be strange. We’ve had horses since ~~1977, but I’m not sure we will get another one.

 

[HammerFour]

My sympathies on the loss of your horse, but I do know what you mean about the decision on having more would be tough. We have a couple now that I think will most likely not be replaced when they are gone...

 

[riptides]

I am so sorry for your loss. It is a most difficult process to go through, as horses are both work animals and pleasure animals, they have quite a place in our lives.

Seems you did everything you all could do. Have peace with that. You have my thoughts moving forward.

-Regards.
-Mike Z.

 

[Wil]

I'm sorry for your loss.
Fathers day 5 years ago I had to put my 34 year old Appaloosa down. I bought her when I was 16 and she was 18 months. So I know the since of loss you are experiencing. I will never own another one, she was priceless and I could not go through that again.

 

[Tdog]

Thanks all. Wow, 34 years old. That was a significant part of your life.

We got this mare when she was 4 months. And yes, she was spoiled & one of the family. The empty barn is tough to look at - - although, as one of my buddies pointed out, I just acquired quite a bit more workshop space.

Jack

 

[Sigarms]

I'm sorry for your loss.
Fathers day 5 years ago I had to put my 34 year old Appaloosa down. I bought her when I was 16 and she was 18 months. So I know the since of loss you are experiencing. I will never own another one, she was priceless and I could not go through that again.

Please don't take this the wrong way.

Work with the local humane society, and come across people the same way they feel about thier dogs or cats who had to be put down after being with thier owners for a signifficant amount of time. Owners feel that they could never "replace" that one animal that they loved so much.

The greater the loss, the greater the love as I like to think of it.

These people often make the absolute best pet owners. I explain to them that they don't want another pet due to the loss they feel, but the reason I see that "loss" is for the love they felt. You gave that animal a great home and love, and the sad fact is that there are so many animals out there that will never, ever feel that love that can be bestowed upon them. The love you had for a particular animal can never be replaced, but it can live again in yet another animal. You could give another animal a life that it could never expect to have, and that is one of the things that makes life worth living for.

I just see so many animals abused or neglected, apologies for the rambling.

 

[dubba]

Sorry for your loss

there was a fatty growth around her intestine

So it wasn't colic after all?

 

[Tdog]

Yeah, it was colic. Colic, as I understand it, simply means pain in the abdomen - - usually due to some sort of blockage. Blockage is what we had. I think if the growth had been easier for the vet to get at he could have done some good, but he said it was not very accessible.

Jack