#horses - #Questions about colic (situation already over)

Questions about colic (situation already over)

Yesterday after returning home from a doctor's appointment we found my horse laying down in her turnout.

This is completely off behavior for her of course, head on the ground and everything. She could have been like this for up to 4 hours. Was completely fine when we left.

I immediately got her up and started walking her, she pooped but I had still called the vet immediately. I really thought she would be fine.

Vet gave her pain meds, banamine, did an exam, tried to flush her, got nothing. Stomach was very distended, her eyes were cloudy and she kept going down.

We had to wait about 40 minutes for a trailer and she took 2 more rounds of pain meds.

At the emergency vet they did an ultrasound, belly stick, medical management to see if they could help relieve some of the gas, IV fluids, and pain meds every 20-30 minutes. Every once in awhile she would seem to come back around and then go back.

I was given the option for surgery and trying to scrape together the funds. She went down in the stall again. When I mentioned her old hip injury (she is an OTTB rescue and we think she flipped in the starting gate) the vets started to change their minds and advise against surgery thinking that even if she made it through, which wasn't looking good, she would brutally injure herself in recovery.

I made the decision to euthanize her but it is tearing me up. I feel like I should have tried everything even if it was throwing money away. Like if I had gotten home and noticed sooner I could have saved her. She was my first and only horse. I am so torn with guilt and sadness I don't know what to do.

Do you think it was possible to save her? Have you had a similar situation?

The hospital happens to have a rescue that needs a home who they think would be a good fit but it seems way too soon. I can't even look at the barn without bursting into tears. I want to help the other mare but I don't know how to get over these feelings.

Submitted November 16, 2018 at 09:44PM by puppies_and_unicorns
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