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  Discussion on Two horses colic at the same time
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Member:
juliem

Posted on Friday, Mar 20, 2009 - 11:35 pm:

Dr. O, Long saga follows and it's not critical, so if you're short on time, this isn't urgent.
On Monday night just before dark, I noticed my Shetland mare trotting, DrOpping, rolling and immediately went out to start walking her. When I got to the barn, I put feed in the stall for my 8 yr old paint gelding to get him inside. He turned, trotted out and immediately laid down. He stayed quiet, but VERY atypical behavior for him. I see the horses from my kitchen, and I'm pretty confident this started no more than 15 minutes before I saw them at 8:25pm. Earlier that same day, at about 2:00pm I had taken delivery of a load of wood chips (mostly locust) to tame the mud in my dry lot and both of these horses, as well as two yearling colts had picked and pawed at them off and on for about five or six hours, but mostly out of curiosity. I have had wood chips in the dry lot since last fall, these were just "new". I haltered and started to walk the pony while I dialed my vet. They agreed to meet me at the clinic, so I loaded both horses and was there in twenty minutes. The pony by now was parking out and the gelding was just lethargic. The gelding's HR was 46, pale gums, CRT 2 with no progressive gut motility. His rectal was abnormal: "doughy, enlarged pelvic flexure, distorted small bowel and taught bands." He recovered two mucous covered manure balls. His temp was 104.4 "Lots of sour gas on stomach." He was tubed with oil and water, and got banamine IV. After two five minute walks and rechecks, his HR came down to 44 and his temp to 104.
The pony presented with no progressive GM, normal temp, HR 32, pale pink gums , CRT 2, depressed and dull. She was tubed with H2O and oil, got banamine and xylazine IV. Her signs of pain stopped and GM started on right, but still quiet on left. After two walks and rests, we discussed keeping them overnight for observation or my doing it at home, which I elected to do. Instructions were to walk them both five minutes, rest ten for two hours and then walk five minutes, rest 25 for two hours. Of course you know it's 10pm by now and RAINING. I was then to offer them each one handful of hay per hour until 8am and return to the clinic. The pony passed some heavily mucous coated manure during the night and the gelding a few small piles of dry manure at about 3:30am. At the clinic, the geldings HR was 60 and his temp 101. Poor GM in all four quads. Still depressed. Rectal was improved and still found hard, mucous covered manure. He was becoming more dehydrated so we decided to run fluids. The pony was brighter, hungry and had oil coming through with good gut sounds. It was decided to leave her tied to the stocks to keep the gelding quiet while he received fluids--35 liters. Later that day, I took them both home with instructions to monitor and restrict hay to small frequent feedings. The pony seemed fine by Wednesday, but only this afternoon did the gelding seem less depressed, although his temp had been normal since Wednesday morning. If you're still with me, here's my concern: Two horses who have never coliced, colic at the same time, EXACTLY--was it the wood chips?? My vet seems fairly certain it wasn't as he said the mucous covered manure and the abnormal findings on the rectal had to have started much earlier than that same afternoon. His reasoning sounded solid, but what a coincidence??? He loaned me a meter and I checked all my waterers for stray voltage--negative. He felt they both stopped drinking sometime Sunday, or earlier, and we definitely needed to find out why. The two colts have been fine. I'd sure hate to have to haul all those wood chips out and have no idea where I'd put them, but I can't shake the fear that's what caused these two colics. Neither horse has any history of colic. There had been no change in feed or management. They don't get the same hay-- very mature grass for the pony and alfalfa/grass for the gelding. We did have a stormy weekend, but they've lived their whole lives in this area and storms in the spring are normal. Do you agree this sounds as if the impactions got started earlier than Monday afternoon? Whew, sorry this has been so long and tedious!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 - 8:48 am:

Julie black locust when ingested can be poisonous to horses and colic is a reported symptom. In bad cases there can be death:

Horses that ingested black locust leaves, sprouts, and bark were poisoned and died. Symptoms are similar to those of cattle and include anorexia, weakness, posterior paralysis, nausea, coldness of the extremities, and pupil dilation. Symptoms of colic also occur. In severe cases, death occurs. Postmortem findings showed mucous inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and occasional severe gastroenterititis. In some cases a yellowish pigmentation of the membranes occurred (Hansen 1924, Kingsbury 1964).

Did you notice the finding of a mucous exudate interesting, a finding in your two cases.
DrO
Member:
scooter

Posted on Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 - 10:26 am:

Julie I have had problems with black locusts and my horses. I know it's probably a pain to remove but I wouldn't risk it. Mine love to eat black Locust they must have sweet sap or something. Hope your horses recover well.
Member:
juliem

Posted on Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 - 11:13 am:

I think these chips came mostly from honey locusts and no leaves or sprouts--too early. So you don't feel the timing---less than six hours to onset to be too soon for these symptoms to appear?
Member:
juliem

Posted on Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 - 12:11 pm:

Ooops--I just called the arborist who brought the chips and they are black locust, so I know what I'll be doing today. Thanks Dr. O for pointing that information out and appreciate your quick response. I just felt it to be too big a coincidence, but I will certainly get the chips out of there before letting in horses get at them again!
Member:
scooter

Posted on Saturday, Mar 21, 2009 - 12:30 pm:

Julie JFYI I don't think Honey locust are the best for them either..
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