EVERY once in awhile, a case comes along that is out of the ordinary. These cases require the veterinary surgeon to pool all resources and think outside of the box.

Recently I was at the end of a busy day when the phone rang and straight away I knew my evening plans were about to change dramatically. The person on the end of the phone sounded quite distressed. They asked if I could come immediately to a stallion that was throwing himself around in the back of a transport lorry on the side of a very busy main road. Quickly I gave them instructions to drive to a nearby yard where it would be safer to examine the horse.

When I arrived at the yard, the stallion was being walked (with difficulty) around the yard and was constantly trying to get down on the cement. In this situation, pain-relief for the animal is the first priority as it was not safe to try to attempt a physical examination. From what I could see, I presumed that the horse was suffering from a severe form of colic. Colic is a general term for abdominal pain and can have many different causes. When the symptoms are so severe (as in this case), the cause does not initially matter. The horse must be sedated and given pain killers so that the animal does not do further injury to himself or his handlers.

A few minutes after giving the injections, the horse became quiet and I was able to complete a physical examination including a rectal exam. While unpleasant to perform, it is possibly the only examination without the aid of ultrasound that allows the practitioner to get an actual feel for what is happening inside the abdomen. The exam revealed an obvious displacement of the large intestines that would most likely require surgery.

At this point it was important to have a serious discussion with the owner of the horse to determine the next course of action. Colic surgery is very expensive, often costing a minimum of €5,000. For it to be successful, time is of the essence. The longer the gut is compromised, the less likely it is to recover after surgery.

In addition, the circulation of the horse is also affected and slowly, the circulation shuts down. This has the effect of stopping the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the outer tissues so eventually the entire body is in trouble. Hence, time is of the utmost importance if we are to have any chance of saving this animal.

In this case I did not know anything about the horse or its owner. The owner, when contacted, was abroad. We outlined to them the gravity of the situation and we were immediately told that the stallion was extremely valuable and that no expense was to be spared.

So as quickly as possible, a plan was put into action. Living in Wexford means that surgical facilities for a horse with colic are not on our doorstep. While the horse had responded well to the injections, I knew there was a two-hour journey ahead before reaching the hospital. I decided that I would travel with the horse in the back of the lorry to allow me administer fluids to the horse throughout the journey. I could also administer further sedation if the horse became uncomfortable during transportation. I also brought an injection to put the horse to sleep if the worse came to the worse.

I realised then that I did not have enough fluids in the van so I rang my practice manager who also happens to be my husband. Fortunately he was able to drop everything and meet us on the road with the fluids. With the enormity of the situation starting to set in, I knew that I needed more help and so he joined me in the back of the lorry. As we have two children, a neighbour was called to come make dinner and be prepared to stay the night.

Somehow we managed to get to the Curragh in an hour and 45 minutes during which time 17 litres of fluids were given. The stallion had remained quiet for most of the trip which was a great help but started to get up and down as we neared the hospital.

SURGERY

On arrival at the hospital, the horse was down and I think the nurses and referring vets thought we were in a losing battle. However, the horse got up and walked off of the lorry and after a quick blood test was sent straight to surgery. The blood test was done to measure electrolytes and lactate. Lactate is an enzyme that builds up when circulation is compromised and can quickly become toxic to the horse. In this case the lactate level was half of what can be expected for a horse that has been in colic for a couple of hours. This meant that the fluids had done their job. We then gave a sigh of relief as we knew our part of the job was done, but knew that the next couple of hours would be the most crucial for the stallion.

It was now in the hands of those specialist colic surgeons at the equine hospital. They really are a marvellous crew and we wished them the very best as they set about the next phase of the case.

My husband and I then hitched a ride home with someone who had just dropped a sick mare up to the hospital and was heading back to Wexford. We arrived home at 1am and fell into bed. The next morning a phone call from the hospital revealed that the stallion had had a 360 degree twist of the large intestine which had been successfully operated on. I was also told that another hour or two and the horse would not have survived the surgery.

Unfortunately many owners are not in a financial position to make colic surgery an option for their horses. Therefore everything must be done to prevent colic from occurring in the first place.

It is not the purpose of this article to list every cause of colic, but following basic principles of good horse management will prevent the most common causes. These include appropriate feeding for the horse’s stage of life and use. Avoid sudden changes in amount or type of feed. Always ensure continuous access to water and hay or grass. Only give food or water when the horse is properly cooled down after exercise. Observe that the horse is not eating its bedding especially when there is straw being used. Finally a good worming regime is used that incorporates pasture management and faecal egg counts.

If you suspect that your horse has colic, ring your veterinary surgeon straight away. They can advise you on what to do until they arrive. Early diagnosis of whether the colic is medical and will respond to injections and oral treatment, or whether it is surgical will give the best possible outcome. Even if there is no money to be spared, going to surgery once the horse becomes severely debilitated often results in a bad outcome.

Thankfully in this case, the outcome was excellent and the stallion made a full recovery. What a great feeling that gives when it all comes right in the end. Maybe my husband or my children don’t quite agree, but as veterinary surgeons in busy equine practice, we find that all the haste and hurry is worth it once the animal makes a full recovery. It puts a big skip back in our step.

Veterinary surgeon Rosalinda Devereux is the chairperson of the Veterinary Ireland Equine Group and is in practice at Wexford Equine Veterinary Practice.

Email: hq@vetireland.ie

Telephone: 01-4577976