Tuesday, January 11, 2011

War Eagle? Quack Quack?

So, I sat down with my husband last night to watch the National Championships between the Tigers and the Ducks.  I got about 6 minutes into the game and my phone rang...colic call. Great! Just what I wanted to do when it is 32 degrees outside!  But, it is my job, so when someone needs me, I must go. I took off my Snuggie, put on my thermal underwear, jeans and boots, left my husband snuggled up by the fire and headed out to the country.

Kenny was the horses' name and he was definitely colicky.  For clarity, colic simply means an acute onset of abdominal pain. Typical signs of colic in a horse are pawing at the ground, rolling, biting at the flank area, and sweating.  Kenny's only symptom was wanting to lay down and roll. Many owners will feel the need to see if they can wait it out and hopefully the horse will "work it out."  Let me give a little piece of advice... the earlier the call the cheaper the emergency fee. I would much rather be working on a colicking horse, or any other emergency for that matter, at seven or eight o'clock rather than midnight! And might I just add, if I have to get up out the bed and out of my pajama's, the emergency fee is much larger. Sorry, but that's just the way it goes.

So, I get out to the barn and treat Kenny as I would any typical colic.  He received intravenous pain medicine and a smooth muscle relaxer, some sedation and was tubed with some warm water and mineral oil and treated with Ulcerguard.  After talking with the owner this morning, he seems to be doing fine. 

The lesson here is that Kenny's owner did the right thing.  When she noticed he was feeling painful, she called the vet.  We were able to treat Kenny's pain while it was manageable.  Colics are medical conditions that can escalate very quickly and turn into a surgical condition in just a matter of an hour or so.  My advice...don't play the "wait and see" game.

Oh, and congratulations Tigers!

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