|
|
 Firecracker Dog Lover
Posts: 3175
   
| I am so sorry for your loss. Just out of curiosity - what kind of grain was your horse on? Do not second guess yourself - you did the best you could. |
|
| |
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 380
| This is just one of those things in life that is not in our control. All you can do is your best and what will be will be. It's not your fault but it doesn't make it suck any less. |
|
| |
|
 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| I am so sorry for your loss. I have lost several horses throughout my lifetime and some of it just cant be prevented. I am a big control freak person because I never want bad things to happen but they still do. Most recently, I bought a mare with a recently repaired hernia (NBD right) well got her off the trailer and was down in an hour. Thought she was colicing. Had vet out and watched over night, back the clinic in the morning, IV's you name it for the next day. Come to find out her intestine somehow got stuck in her surgery site. Freak deal. The hernia was repaired because of my purchase and I always wondered if it hadn't been repaired aka if I hadn't bought her.. if she would be alive today. It doesn't help to go there.
I too have been overwhelmed with feed/nutrition but I try to remember to use common sense. Use whats worked for you or someone you respect. I personally just bought my own farm and have always been very involved with care and doing chores, etc but at the end of the day what they fed was not my call. So when I got this "power" I was overhwhelmed.
I feed a mill mix that my farm growing up has fed for 30 years. It was designed by a vet but many would gawk at it. It has corn and soy bean meal, yadayada. BUT it has worked for all the horses I grew up running and so I use common sense. Horses have always eaten it, looked good on it and majority lived longer than most. Yes, horses have colicked and died but as others have mentioned, you never know what the cause was.
I keep it simple, I feed a good mix hay, full water tank at all times, mineral block, salt block and good exercise program. My horses seem to feel and look great. Do what you can, that's literally call you can. Sometimes the answers are listening to your gut and using common sense.
Again, so sorry for your loss. |
|
| |
|
 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| TheDutchMan01 - 2017-09-07 12:47 PM rodeomom3 - 2017-09-07 11:46 AM Mighty Broke - 2017-09-07 10:24 AM SKM - 2017-09-07 6:33 AM You can't think like that. It sounds to me like you did everything right. There's more than one way to feed. Sometimes things just happen and we have no control over it. Looking back, could you have done something different? Maybe. But at THAT particular time with THOSE circumstances, you did what you felt was right and that's all any of us can do. Hugs and I'm sorry for your loss. I know what you are going through. I've been there myself. Sorry for your loss but read and reread the above statement cuz it is absolutely correct.
I am so sorry for your loss. I thought bling tied up? Back on subject...all you can do is the best you can. At the end of the day they are animals and we can only do so much for them. They are just like people...certain ones can eat junk and others can't. And sometimes it just happens for no reason.
I think you are correct. |
|
| |
|
 Guys Just Wanna Have Fun
Posts: 5530
Location: OH | We are having to put down a 3 month old foal today---he was on our keeper list. We threw everything but the kitchen sink at him and it hasn't worked. Sometimes you can do all you can do and it is not enough. This horse biz sure can be heartbreaking. |
|
| |
|
 Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
| Mighty Broke - 2017-09-07 3:26 PM
We are having to put down a 3 month old foal today---he was on our keeper list. We threw everything but the kitchen sink at him and it hasn't worked. Sometimes you can do all you can do and it is not enough. This horse biz sure can be heartbreaking.
Yes it can. Sorry |
|
| |
|
 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | Turnburnsis - 2017-09-07 3:09 AM
My horse colic the other day and I lost him. Vet sweats that it was nothing that I did or didn't do. But I still cannot help if there was something I could have done or shouldn't have done. Maybe Google at fault lol well me bc Im the one googling. Nutritiion: I have researched and researched and trial and error. I tried to stay as clean as possible. I tried to make sure they have the vit and minerals they need. Hay and so forth. But there is so much out there and I tried to use common sense. What is really the balanced diet of the horse??? Track people I have heard and seen that feed oats a lot of oats and sweet feed. along with alfalfa not saying all I just know of one that does this and horses look amazing. I know a roper that has lush grass and feeds shuck corn a lot of corn too his horses are fat and built like tanks and I have seen horses on other different feeds and look amazing too. and I've seen some friends try to feed clean and they also look amazing. So how you supposed to pick for your horse? You google ingredients what supposed to be bad and good and how much of a good thing supposed to have and on and on and my head just goes in circles!!! just example of what going thru my head I don't think it was nutrition that got my horse but who knows? and I will probably never know. Then I think is there a test I should have had done just as a precaution Like check for tumors or blood disease or something. God put this horse in my care I have failed big time failed! and I don't know how to deal
No mam you did not fail. Don't think that way. God gave him to you and it sounds like you did everything right. You did your best for him and that's all anyone can do. I've not lost a horse yet, but I am in the process of losing my 14 year old dog. She's a rescue and I've had her for almost 14 years. I keep telling myself, "Debra, it's time to let her go." Then the next day she's a little better, so I tell myself don't do it too quick because that's like killing her. . . . That's always my fear when the end is near----am I timing it correctly FOR them. I know your situation is different, but sounds like you're a wonderful horse momma who loved her boy and have nothing at all to doubt yourself for. Unfortunately, it was just time for him to go home. . . . Hugs and prayers for you. |
|
| |
|
My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | Mighty Broke - 2017-09-07 3:26 PM
We are having to put down a 3 month old foal today---he was on our keeper list. We threw everything but the kitchen sink at him and it hasn't worked. Sometimes you can do all you can do and it is not enough. This horse biz sure can be heartbreaking.
So sorry for your loss;things have been tough for y'all lately  |
|
| |
|
 Lived to tell about it and will never do it again
Posts: 5409
| Very sorry for your loss. Please don't second guess yourself. Colic is caused by so many different things that you may never know what caused it. Sometimes it is even caused from a change in the weather. |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 889
Location: on the fine line between insanity and geniusness | I don't want to sound cliche, but I am a believer in Gods timing. It was your horses time. Had it not been colic, it would have been something else. Many years ago I had a horse die in the alley with me at a major barrel race in LA. He had a heart attack. I did the same thing you did... I questioned for weeks what I could have done different. Maybe had I not have ran him that day he would still be alive. Finally one day a good friend of mine told me it was his time. He was going to die that day whether I ran him or not. God k we the day he was born. I was just lucky I was with him when it happened and he went it doing what he loved! Don't question yourself, it sounds like you did all you could for him! Hugs for you and your broken heart! |
|
| |
|
The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| If you are second guessing yourself get a necropsy done. We all have the shoulda coulda woulda moments.
The necropsy can tell you if there was a Tumour, if it was diet related, if it was a worming issue, etc |
|
| |
|
Guys Just Wanna Have Fun
Posts: 5530
Location: OH | Chandler's Mom - 2017-09-07 10:15 PM Mighty Broke - 2017-09-07 3:26 PM We are having to put down a 3 month old foal today---he was on our keeper list. We threw everything but the kitchen sink at him and it hasn't worked. Sometimes you can do all you can do and it is not enough. This horse biz sure can be heartbreaking. So sorry for your loss;things have been tough for y'all lately
Indeed it has. This boy is out of our matriarch mare and she is 22 so our time is getting limited which makes it tougher to swallow. He was gonna get the chance to keep his cookies---he was that nice. Stinks. |
|
| |
|
Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| Mighty Broke - 2017-09-08 7:28 AM Chandler's Mom - 2017-09-07 10:15 PM Mighty Broke - 2017-09-07 3:26 PM We are having to put down a 3 month old foal today---he was on our keeper list. We threw everything but the kitchen sink at him and it hasn't worked. Sometimes you can do all you can do and it is not enough. This horse biz sure can be heartbreaking. So sorry for your loss;things have been tough for y'all lately
So sorry, that is just so hard |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1409
Location: Oklahoma | Thank you all ! A little update: Gonna check my soil bc heard rumors that we have a lot of lead in our area. We believe it was toxic related. I checked with my extension office bout 6 mths ago and was told we have high selenium. I did a blood test on my horse that I was running barrels on and his blood work showed high selenium but not toxic or any thing else toxic. So I changed turn out for both horses and always made sure that I didn't feed anything with sel. My huge mistake was I didn't test the second horse. I just treated the same as the first. Bc the blood work showed on the one horse and they are on the same pasture but a fence runs in the middle. So one horse on ea side. Since the one with the blood work didn't show the signs the second one did I assume that I was ok.as far as pasture. Bad thing is now looking back 2nd horse shows the symptoms of slowly toxic but you know what, bout the same symptoms for pssm, too much iron, not enough iron, mag. defiency, bone/pelvic injuries, allergic to certain grains. I had pulled him off oats completely and he was getting better and was putting on weight, but at the same time he wasn't getting better. (no I didn't do any changes abruptly it would be too long story if I told you every step I took) I knew it wasnt nutrition I was just using that as an example in my first post. I look back and realized where I should have done more research on my place especially in flood area and by a smelter place that was reclaimed, even tho we only flooded 4 times in the 8 years I was there. I am posting my stupidity hoping this will help someone with their horses. of course my other horse is penned up and will stay that way til I get more answers. Whoever that posted when you know better you do better, you are so right! I will definitely look at things differently. I have had horses all my life, and Ive had colics and lost one before to colic. But this colic was so different than I had seen. I know that I am not the only one that had colic and lost one, but it still hard no matter what. And I cant even imaging what the northern states and the southern states going thru! and maybe florida! I wish I could so rewind time and had the blood work done on the second like I did on the first horse (I have had blood work done on 2nd horse but not for toxic like I did for the first) Again thank you all for responding! and I will let you know when I get the results back on the soil. It may not even be lead poisoning but by golly Im gonna find out bout my soil! Before anything goes out on my pasture!  |
|
| |
|
My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | |
|
| |
Folks on-line