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  Independent Cuss
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Location: Dearing, GA | I just left my mare at the vet with a large impaction in her colon. Hoping she pulls through and passes this. For those who have experienced, what was the after care and return to work like after an impaction? | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 885
| I can't answer your question but I just wanted to say I'll pray for your horse & you.  | |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | If its a simple large colon impaction, like a pelvic flexure impaction, you pretty much just try to hydrate the horse and give laxatives to encourage the impaction to moisten and soften enough to be passed. It's very rarely a surgical colic. Once they start passing manure and show no more signs of colic pain, we start to refeed them slowly over the next couple days, depending on severity. Once they go home.. it's probably another week of slowly transitioning them back to their normal diet. Once they are eating their normal food amount theyre usually OK to go back to work. But quick reminders- horses can poop and still colic. There's a ton of intestines and lots of poop in their GIT so there could be several BMs that are left to be passed that are down stream of the impaction. So you can't ever say well my horse is better just because he pooped.. gotta go in and rectal and make sure the impaction is gone. Sometimes oral fluids and electrolytes are enough to get the impaction to pass, but in other cases IV fluids are required. The vast majority of large colon impactions resolve on their own medically. Unless theres a foreign body like an enterolith or fecalith, thats when things go surgical. And on the rare occasion, especially in older/senior horses, I have seen where the colon wall breaks down and perforates, which is fatal. But, that's really rare. An unlikely but possible complication.
Edited by casualdust07 2020-09-29 4:06 PM
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 Expert
Posts: 1515
Location: Illinois | I used to have 1 or 2 calls for impaction every year. But mine cleared out just fine with a gastric tube and a bucket of mineral oil. Soemtimes vet does banamine and/or buscopan. I've rarely had to tube more than once. I just give them the next day off and back to work from there. No food the day off except around 5 minutes of green grass if available, it helps start moving things through. Half a meal the next day, then full meal the next day. My occurneces have significatly decreased since I started soaking their grain and adding soaked alfalfa. It's 1/2 scoop of pellets and 1/2 scoop of grain, with around a gallon of water to soak in a bucket. It seems to keep things moving nicely, especially days where they don't drink as much. Might try soaking feed in the future. I also out all of mine on Gastro-Plex daily to reduce colic risk Hopefully yours comes out ok!
Edited by JLazyT_perf_horses 2020-09-29 4:07 PM
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Go Get Em!
Posts: 13503
Location: OH. IO | Prayers for you and your mare. | |
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Independent Cuss
Posts: 3977
Location: Dearing, GA | casualdust07 - 2020-09-29 5:03 PM
If its a simple large colon impaction, like a pelvic flexure impaction, you pretty much just try to hydrate the horse and give laxatives to encourage the impaction to moisten and soften enough to be passed. It's very rarely a surgical colic. Once they start passing manure and show no more signs of colic pain, we start to refeed them slowly over the next couple days, depending on severity. Once they go home.. it's probably another week of slowly transitioning them back to their normal diet. Once they are eating their normal food amount theyre usually OK to go back to work.
But quick reminders- horses can poop and still colic. There's a ton of intestines and lots of poop in their GIT so there could be several BMs that are left to be passed that are down stream of the impaction. So you can't ever say well my horse is better just because he pooped.. gotta go in and rectal and make sure the impaction is gone.
Sometimes oral fluids and electrolytes are enough to get the impaction to pass, but in other cases IV fluids are required.
The vast majority of large colon impactions resolve on their own medically. Unless theres a foreign body like an enterolith or fecalith, thats when things go surgical. And on the rare occasion, especially in older/senior horses, I have seen where the colon wall breaks down and perforates, which is fatal. But, that's really rare. An unlikely but possible complication.
Thanks everyone. I was told by the vet that she had some grain/fluids in her small intestine, indicating that things had quit moving; therefore, they couldn't tube her. She just called with an evening update and said that she was standing quiety and bright eyed and was not presenting to be in pain anymore. She gave her sedation for her initial visit, and she's on IV fluids but hasn't had to have banamine or additional sedation since. She hasn't pooped since about 1:30 pm, but she's not in pain. I only happened to notice this because her belly looked a little distended and she was cinchy. She was still pooping normally! | |
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 Lived to tell about it and will never do it again
Posts: 5408
| Just went through this with our granddaughters little horse. He also had a 104 temp. After two oilings lots of pain meds to keep him upright and IV fluids he started to pass the oil then the poop started to come out. After that got taken care of he wasn't urinating, they finally had to put a cath in him to drain him. Took about 4 days but got him back on track. Prayers for your horses full and complete recovery! | |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | Just Let Me Run - 2020-09-29 4:40 PM
casualdust07 - 2020-09-29 5:03 PM
If its a simple large colon impaction, like a pelvic flexure impaction, you pretty much just try to hydrate the horse and give laxatives to encourage the impaction to moisten and soften enough to be passed. It's very rarely a surgical colic. Once they start passing manure and show no more signs of colic pain, we start to refeed them slowly over the next couple days, depending on severity. Once they go home.. it's probably another week of slowly transitioning them back to their normal diet. Once they are eating their normal food amount theyre usually OK to go back to work.
But quick reminders- horses can poop and still colic. There's a ton of intestines and lots of poop in their GIT so there could be several BMs that are left to be passed that are down stream of the impaction. So you can't ever say well my horse is better just because he pooped.. gotta go in and rectal and make sure the impaction is gone.
Sometimes oral fluids and electrolytes are enough to get the impaction to pass, but in other cases IV fluids are required.
The vast majority of large colon impactions resolve on their own medically. Unless theres a foreign body like an enterolith or fecalith, thats when things go surgical. And on the rare occasion, especially in older/senior horses, I have seen where the colon wall breaks down and perforates, which is fatal. But, that's really rare. An unlikely but possible complication.
Thanks everyone.
I was told by the vet that she had some grain/fluids in her small intestine, indicating that things had quit moving; therefore, they couldn't tube her.
She just called with an evening update and said that she was standing quiety and bright eyed and was not presenting to be in pain anymore. She gave her sedation for her initial visit, and she's on IV fluids but hasn't had to have banamine or additional sedation since. She hasn't pooped since about 1:30 pm, but she's not in pain.
I only happened to notice this because her belly looked a little distended and she was cinchy. She was still pooping normally!
Prayers and please keep us updated | |
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Independent Cuss
Posts: 3977
Location: Dearing, GA | Thanks for the well-wishes. The vet called and said overnight she passed 5 huge manure piles. She was able to stop IV fluids this morning. We are going to have her scoped while she's there, and then start feeding her slowly again. If she continues to progress and has a clear rectal exam this afternoon, she'll come home tomorrow! | |
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You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | Just Let Me Run - 2020-09-29 4:40 PM casualdust07 - 2020-09-29 5:03 PM If its a simple large colon impaction, like a pelvic flexure impaction, you pretty much just try to hydrate the horse and give laxatives to encourage the impaction to moisten and soften enough to be passed. It's very rarely a surgical colic. Once they start passing manure and show no more signs of colic pain, we start to refeed them slowly over the next couple days, depending on severity. Once they go home.. it's probably another week of slowly transitioning them back to their normal diet. Once they are eating their normal food amount theyre usually OK to go back to work. But quick reminders- horses can poop and still colic. There's a ton of intestines and lots of poop in their GIT so there could be several BMs that are left to be passed that are down stream of the impaction. So you can't ever say well my horse is better just because he pooped.. gotta go in and rectal and make sure the impaction is gone. Sometimes oral fluids and electrolytes are enough to get the impaction to pass, but in other cases IV fluids are required. The vast majority of large colon impactions resolve on their own medically. Unless theres a foreign body like an enterolith or fecalith, thats when things go surgical. And on the rare occasion, especially in older/senior horses, I have seen where the colon wall breaks down and perforates, which is fatal. But, that's really rare. An unlikely but possible complication. Thanks everyone. I was told by the vet that she had some grain/fluids in her small intestine, indicating that things had quit moving; therefore, they couldn't tube her. She just called with an evening update and said that she was standing quiety and bright eyed and was not presenting to be in pain anymore. She gave her sedation for her initial visit, and she's on IV fluids but hasn't had to have banamine or additional sedation since. She hasn't pooped since about 1:30 pm, but she's not in pain. I only happened to notice this because her belly looked a little distended and she was cinchy. She was still pooping normally! yeah it is contraindicated to stomach tube oral fluids to a colic if the small intestines are distended with fluid or feed material since horses cant vomit. so IV fluids is the only way to go in that case.
Edited by casualdust07 2020-09-30 3:45 PM
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You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | casualdust07 - 2020-09-30 3:44 PM
Just Let Me Run - 2020-09-29 4:40 PM
casualdust07 - 2020-09-29 5:03 PM
If its a simple large colon impaction, like a pelvic flexure impaction, you pretty much just try to hydrate the horse and give laxatives to encourage the impaction to moisten and soften enough to be passed. It's very rarely a surgical colic. Once they start passing manure and show no more signs of colic pain, we start to refeed them slowly over the next couple days, depending on severity. Once they go home.. it's probably another week of slowly transitioning them back to their normal diet. Once they are eating their normal food amount theyre usually OK to go back to work.
But quick reminders- horses can poop and still colic. There's a ton of intestines and lots of poop in their GIT so there could be several BMs that are left to be passed that are down stream of the impaction. So you can't ever say well my horse is better just because he pooped.. gotta go in and rectal and make sure the impaction is gone.
Sometimes oral fluids and electrolytes are enough to get the impaction to pass, but in other cases IV fluids are required.
The vast majority of large colon impactions resolve on their own medically. Unless theres a foreign body like an enterolith or fecalith, thats when things go surgical. And on the rare occasion, especially in older/senior horses, I have seen where the colon wall breaks down and perforates, which is fatal. But, that's really rare. An unlikely but possible complication.
Thanks everyone.
I was told by the vet that she had some grain/fluids in her small intestine, indicating that things had quit moving; therefore, they couldn't tube her.
She just called with an evening update and said that she was standing quiety and bright eyed and was not presenting to be in pain anymore. She gave her sedation for her initial visit, and she's on IV fluids but hasn't had to have banamine or additional sedation since. She hasn't pooped since about 1:30 pm, but she's not in pain.
I only happened to notice this because her belly looked a little distended and she was cinchy. She was still pooping normally!
yeah it is contraindicated to stomach tube oral fluids to a colic if the small intestines are distended with fluid or feed material since horses cant vomit. so IV fluids is the only way to go in that case.
That is awesome news!!!! Don't be shocked if she has stomach ulcers... the stress of the colic could set them off, or they could have been there before. kind of a chicken or the egg scenario. | |
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Independent Cuss
Posts: 3977
Location: Dearing, GA | casualdust07 - 2020-09-30 4:45 PM
casualdust07 - 2020-09-30 3:44 PM
Just Let Me Run - 2020-09-29 4:40 PM
casualdust07 - 2020-09-29 5:03 PM
If its a simple large colon impaction, like a pelvic flexure impaction, you pretty much just try to hydrate the horse and give laxatives to encourage the impaction to moisten and soften enough to be passed. It's very rarely a surgical colic. Once they start passing manure and show no more signs of colic pain, we start to refeed them slowly over the next couple days, depending on severity. Once they go home.. it's probably another week of slowly transitioning them back to their normal diet. Once they are eating their normal food amount theyre usually OK to go back to work.
But quick reminders- horses can poop and still colic. There's a ton of intestines and lots of poop in their GIT so there could be several BMs that are left to be passed that are down stream of the impaction. So you can't ever say well my horse is better just because he pooped.. gotta go in and rectal and make sure the impaction is gone.
Sometimes oral fluids and electrolytes are enough to get the impaction to pass, but in other cases IV fluids are required.
The vast majority of large colon impactions resolve on their own medically. Unless theres a foreign body like an enterolith or fecalith, thats when things go surgical. And on the rare occasion, especially in older/senior horses, I have seen where the colon wall breaks down and perforates, which is fatal. But, that's really rare. An unlikely but possible complication.
Thanks everyone.
I was told by the vet that she had some grain/fluids in her small intestine, indicating that things had quit moving; therefore, they couldn't tube her.
She just called with an evening update and said that she was standing quiety and bright eyed and was not presenting to be in pain anymore. She gave her sedation for her initial visit, and she's on IV fluids but hasn't had to have banamine or additional sedation since. She hasn't pooped since about 1:30 pm, but she's not in pain.
I only happened to notice this because her belly looked a little distended and she was cinchy. She was still pooping normally!
yeah it is contraindicated to stomach tube oral fluids to a colic if the small intestines are distended with fluid or feed material since horses cant vomit. so IV fluids is the only way to go in that case.
That is awesome news!!!! Don't be shocked if she has stomach ulcers... the stress of the colic could set them off, or they could have been there before. kind of a chicken or the egg scenario.
Funny you say that! I had her scoped today, and she looked great- no ulcers. I still plan to keep her on a preventative supplement and probably push some extra probios through her to protect her hindgut, especially after this event. | |
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Expert
Posts: 1515
Location: Illinois | Just Let Me Run - 2020-09-30 4:26 PM
casualdust07 - 2020-09-30 4:45 PM
casualdust07 - 2020-09-30 3:44 PM
Just Let Me Run - 2020-09-29 4:40 PM
casualdust07 - 2020-09-29 5:03 PM
If its a simple large colon impaction, like a pelvic flexure impaction, you pretty much just try to hydrate the horse and give laxatives to encourage the impaction to moisten and soften enough to be passed. It's very rarely a surgical colic. Once they start passing manure and show no more signs of colic pain, we start to refeed them slowly over the next couple days, depending on severity. Once they go home.. it's probably another week of slowly transitioning them back to their normal diet. Once they are eating their normal food amount theyre usually OK to go back to work.
But quick reminders- horses can poop and still colic. There's a ton of intestines and lots of poop in their GIT so there could be several BMs that are left to be passed that are down stream of the impaction. So you can't ever say well my horse is better just because he pooped.. gotta go in and rectal and make sure the impaction is gone.
Sometimes oral fluids and electrolytes are enough to get the impaction to pass, but in other cases IV fluids are required.
The vast majority of large colon impactions resolve on their own medically. Unless theres a foreign body like an enterolith or fecalith, thats when things go surgical. And on the rare occasion, especially in older/senior horses, I have seen where the colon wall breaks down and perforates, which is fatal. But, that's really rare. An unlikely but possible complication.
Thanks everyone.
I was told by the vet that she had some grain/fluids in her small intestine, indicating that things had quit moving; therefore, they couldn't tube her.
She just called with an evening update and said that she was standing quiety and bright eyed and was not presenting to be in pain anymore. She gave her sedation for her initial visit, and she's on IV fluids but hasn't had to have banamine or additional sedation since. She hasn't pooped since about 1:30 pm, but she's not in pain.
I only happened to notice this because her belly looked a little distended and she was cinchy. She was still pooping normally!
yeah it is contraindicated to stomach tube oral fluids to a colic if the small intestines are distended with fluid or feed material since horses cant vomit. so IV fluids is the only way to go in that case.
That is awesome news!!!! Don't be shocked if she has stomach ulcers... the stress of the colic could set them off, or they could have been there before. kind of a chicken or the egg scenario.
Funny you say that! I had her scoped today, and she looked great- no ulcers. I still plan to keep her on a preventative supplement and probably push some extra probios through her to protect her hindgut, especially after this event.
MVP Gastro-Plex covers the hind gut if you were interested in a preventative that does that as well. Then you don't need probios | |
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Expert
Posts: 1694
Location: Willows, CA | If your mare is eating grass hay it is vital to keep teeth up to date. If it is uncomfortable to chew, they will only chew enough swallow and not break it up enough. This allows longer strings of the grass hay to wrap around each other, starting what will eventually be an obstruction.
I hear a lot of people say that they will not feed coastal Bermuda because of impaction. I really do not see this with horses that have timely dental care. | |
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Independent Cuss
Posts: 3977
Location: Dearing, GA | winwillows - 2020-10-02 12:12 PM
If your mare is eating grass hay it is vital to keep teeth up to date. If it is uncomfortable to chew, they will only chew enough swallow and not break it up enough. This allows longer strings of the grass hay to wrap around each other, starting what will eventually be an obstruction.
I hear a lot of people say that they will not feed coastal Bermuda because of impaction. I really do not see this with horses that have timely dental care.
Thanks! She has had her teeth done twice this year actually, and I try to be vigilant with them. Bloodwork indicates that she stopped drinking what she should, especially with the weather flip-flopping. I will get her teeth done again in January and make sure I stay on top of it. | |
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