A lesson for everyone

[linika]

for a while now I have been noticing my lil 2 yr gelding has not been right.

Most people just said it was from growing or just boared.
But I kept having a nagging feeling something was wrong.

Last week it became ver clear I was right.
My lil guy lost half his body weight in the span of 1 week, but he was still eatting.

I barrowed a rig and rushed him to a local vet with pictures of him the week before to show that I am not crazy, something is wrong.

He couldn't figure it out so I got him into a equine hospital, Loomis Basin Equine Hospital. Same place that lil horse paris went to.

They found 5 inches of sand/dirt in his colon. 5 inches. They think he got it durring the summer, and it was not emptying but his system coaped with it till now.

they put him on IV and meds, he perked up
3 days of Mineral oil and pslenium to pass the sand.

Todays update

He is not passing the sand fast enough.
The colon in so full it is displaced to the right side and it can't empty well enough.

Only 2 choices.
$4000.00 Surgury with about 90+% sucess rate
or
Say goodbye

I can't do payments on $4000 (sad)
I wish I could.
I need a miricle but I don't think there will be one soon enough. (sad)

Please everyone, even if you don't think your horse is in a sand place. PLEASE every once in a while give your horse sand clear or something before it gets so bad you notice, then it could be too late (sad)

PLEASE learn from my mistake so no other lil horse has to leave.
I don't know when I will have to make my choice.

I want a mirical but don't know how to get one

[gratefulknits]

Praying and jingling like mad that your little boy passes this sand spontaneously and has a full recovery. What is his name, so we can pray for him?

[linika]

Mischief

I don;t know what to go.

A surgery could save him and I can't give it to him.

Its not fair to him.

[halebop]

what are the best terms the vet is willing to extend to you on the $4000?

[pnp4kidz]

I read BAEN just yesterday and heard about this..
I'm so sorry Linika...
I wish I knew something that could help with the sand, or with the anguish... but I'm also at a loss...
I wonder where he got sand? We have sand in the arena here... but the pasture crowd didn't have access to that... otherwise we are on pure clay.... is it sandy in Galt?
I will keep you and him in my prayers... hoping for a miracle.
is he perky enough to just keep sand clearing with mineral oil for a time?

[linika]

he is on mineral oil and psylenium, sorry for spelling.
because the colon is displaced due to 5 inches of sand it can't empty well and thats why he started to go downhill fast.

unfortunatly that downhill spiral is what convicened many people that I was not crazy, that there was something wrong.

The vet explained that when you see sand colic it is not always sand as we know it.

All dirt has some kind of sand. so sand colic is really dirt like miterial, and some horses do not empty the dirt well without help. For 5 inches to get in there they said it had to have started in early summer and accumulated over time.

so thats why I think that everyone should once in a while treat thier horse for sand.. It couldn't hurt and the alternative is to find out your horse has a ton.

A lesson learned the hard way.

[quatzie]

I will be praying for him and you. I sure hope he passes the sand ...

God's Speed to recovery..

[caryn]

I'm soooo sorry linika. Poor baby. Will they give you a payment plan for the surgery? I would be happy to send a small amount to help Mischief. I can send you $20 now and more whenever I can. Wish it was more, but if everyone sends a little, it adds up quickly.

[caryn]

Another good practice, which I just started doing, is to check the manure for sand on a regular basis. It's really easy. You just take a latex glove and put 2 balls of manure ( fresh and from top of the pile) in it. Then fill with water. Wait a few minutes. Any sand/dirt material will sink to the bottom where you can see or feel it.

Ally ( my mare ) had a little build up, I could feel the grittiness in the finger of the glove, but could not see it. My vet did this for me as I was worried about her having lost some weight and he thought it could be a GI tract irritation, possibly sand. Luckily, not enough sand to do any damage, but I keep an eye on it and feed sand clear every couple of months. I'm making this a routine practice with my 4 kids.

[always4him]

So sorry linika. We are sending laymedowns to you and your baby, praying for miracles. One of the hardest things is trying to get vets to take payment plans, at least around here in my area of MN. We will keep you in our heart and minds and pray.

Hugs!

Shannon and the corgi trio in MN

[jenm]

Linika,

I too have been following your thread on BAEN. I'm so sorry about this. I don't understand why the vet won't let you make payments but I will pray they have a change of heart.

Is there any chance you could take him somewhere else where they would work with you on payment arrangements?

[linika]

jenm said:

Linika,
I don't understand why the vet won't let you make payments but I will pray they have a change of heart.

Is there any chance you could take him somewhere else where they would work with you on payment arrangements?

this place will let me do payments but the payments are high.
this is the only place that would let me do any payments.

we were hoping he would pass the sand without surgery.
they are very good people there.

[pnp4kidz]

Looks like you have about $750 in donations towards his surgery Leesha, I think I'd go for it.. .they will take payments....
at least you have a good job now...
but I know this hits hard...

[watermarkfarm]

So sorry, L. Sand is a big problem, and you are right, it doesn't matter whether you live in a sandy area or not, they still eat dirt and dirt contains sand.

Have you noticed him having intermittent diarrhea or loose stool?

It's tough, but it's also OK to let him go. It's a lot of money, and it's OK to think long and hard about it. $4000 for this surgery is about right on....and it is a fairly simple and low risk surgery.....but it might not be. It could end up being much more if there are complications after surgery. Before you proceed, make sure you are equipped to deal with that, and the 3 months layup afterward....You have to weigh everything out.

Hang in there. Such a heartache when you know it could have been prevented.

Katie

[lucy1994]

Here in washington, we feed daily sand clear or any type of product for sand. Lots of horses here in are area sand colic. It is very important to keep them on some type of product to prevent it . Also i never feed on the ground, i feed in feeders. Some ground here is really sandy and you can see it when you pull up the roots. Im sorry you are going through this. Hopefully he will pull out of it.

[figi]

Would the vet take the horse if you gave it to them? I could not afford a surgury on my dog and because he was young and the chance of recovery was good the lady ask if I would give the to dog to her she would try and save it and then rehome it. Happy ending for us we got the dog back. The vet could then recoupe some of the money but the horse would get to live.

I hope it all works out for you. Could you maybe get a loan from the bank with better payments?

[cybercat]

I don't know, but is it possible to do something like a colonoscopy on a horse? Could the mass be pushed to an area of the intestine where it can pass by itself? Or can laparascopy be done- I don't know if I spelled it correctly, but I was thinking about the type of surgery done through a tiny incision instead of something large and intrusive...it just seems like there ought to be something available less expensive...but I have never needed any type of surgery on a large animal, so perhaps I'm totally off base.

[wendyp]

In some cases I don't think sand colic is preventable...................

My draft cross mare had a couple of mild bouts of sand colic - she was in a corral, no sand anywhere. After the first bout, I started feeding out of tubs (they pull most of the food out of the tubs anyway, but hey, I feel better!). I put her on regular doses of Sand Clear.......she had a severe sand colic last April and had to be put down...... for her type of colic, there is a very small window of opportunity for the surgery to be successful. Hers was in the intestines. I wouldn't have done the surgery - due to cost and liklihood of success.

I have no idea why she consumed so much sand, but all the sand clear in the world could not have kept her clear...........

Sometimes we try to do everything right, and it still doesn't work................I hope you get your miracle!!!

WendyP/Bend, OR

[pnp4kidz]

Mischief went to surgery tonight... Leesha got quite a few donations to help with the bill, but I'm sure she can use more if anyone is so inclined...
her friend set up a myspace thing for donations... or you can call Loomis Basin Equine Hospital in Loomis CA and they will take money towards his bill... they are AWESOME...
Mischief obviously did well and is waking up...
that is all I know for now.
Leesha is on her way home, and we will know more in the morning!
just keep jingling!!!

[calypso]

I'm so glad! Jingling for Mischief!!

[caryn]

Wonderful News!!!!!! I'll be jingling and sending good thoughts too.

[jenm]

Saw on another board that Mischief is eating this morning and has a healthy appetite. Yay!!

[piopico]

That's great.........quite a relief. Good for you, little guy.

[chrisw]

My mare "Missy" had a sand impaction when she was 27 yrs old. The 1st vet tried all night to get things moving with oil etc. Just when everyong was ready to give up she passed one rock hard ball...like cement! Then the older vet arrived back in town. He started her on IV fluids non stop. We stayed up all night for 2 nights making sure that IV kept going wide open to get in fast. That is so the fluids dump in the small intestine where the impaction is. He also did a tap to let out gas....kept her on banamine and prayed. She made it and lived to be 35yrs old. She was the best and I had her from the age of 2. I still miss her and my others that have passed.

[linika]

ok so today I am so happy I could just cry.
when I came to visit he was bright eye'd, happy to see me and terrorizing his feed bucket lol

The techs pulled alfalfa leaves out of the flakes and filled a few buckets and they got a ton of freash long grass and soak it in water. Then the sprinkle the alfalfa leaves on top to get him to eat both. well hes wise to that and is picking the leaves out first lol...

my friend took the pictures, but she caught one of the rare moments when I was not grining ear to ear

[mykingdomforahorse]

What great news! I'll keep you both in my prayers.

Awwww, he is such a doll with that baby-face.

Em

[pnp4kidz]

Oh, I had forgotten he had that little hernia! They couldn't fix that when I had him gelded for you... did they do that with this surgery?
itty bitty favors, huh?
I hear they got 50 pounds of poop and sand/dirt out of him!
that must have been collecting for his whole life! he is not even three yet!
glad he is doing well... that is some incision... guess no riding in HIS future this year!
that is wicked long...
keeping him in my prayers...

[djrepp]

He looks really good. That is certainly a very long incision.

[linika]

vet told me that the timeline was more like it started over the summer.

she actually said it only takes a few months for a normal colic amount but this was at least 8 months

they were going to do the hernia at the same time but because it took so long she wanted to sew him up and get him awake.

I told them that I totaly understood and I was more happy that he made it ok.
I think its cute, he has an outy

[pnp4kidz]

guess I'd better sand clear the bunch then! haven't even had a colic here except for Sundance's gas colic last fall... which was VERY mild...
I certainly don't want any of them to store it up.

Did she give any other suggestions for prevention?
Obviously some are prone vs others, is there anything that helps?
How does it just sit there for a few months that large, allowing poo to pass.... the just suddenly close up?
it doesn't make lots of sense, it seems to me that he must have had continued ingestion after he left here or this would have happened sooner! That is so scary that they can ingest it then have the colic so many months later! He left here almost 6 months ago now! I guess I got lucky with my own... and didn't do you so big a favor taking care of them after all!!! Were there any enteroliths? why did the sand just sit in that spot together? or was it clay?
so many questions!!! Since it happened here, I just have so many questions so I can check all of my own out!
Hang in there Leesha, glad he is looking so good! when does he come home?