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  Discussion on Multiple colics in 19 mo filly
Author Message
Member:
36541

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 24, 2004 - 7:02 pm:

Hello to all. I have a 19 mo old Connemara filly who colicked for the first time mid-December '03. She recovered in 90 min while I was walking her waiting for the vet. Since then, she has had 3 more episodes, 2-3 weeks apart, all mild and self-limiting excepting today when she had symtoms for 4 hours. During these episodes she will pass manure that is just a little looser than normal, and the stomach looks mildly distended. She has never had a rectal exam when she is symptomatic because she recovers too quickly. I'm getting tempted to do it myself.
Since the very first episode, she has been getting a cup of wheat bran twice a day, a little bit of corn oil, and only a handful of whole oats. She is on 40 acres(10 of it winter rye) and has two flakes Bahia if I keep them in at night.
I have two questions. I spoke with my vet today and asked about causes of recurrent colic in this horse(who is wormed q 2 mo). He said there was nothing that came to mind, would I like to bring in a stool sample? I read the site article and it sounds as if the nephrosplenic entrapment is a possibility. Do I need a new vet - he didn't mention this entity although he knows I am a human doc and would understand it. Second, today I found a piece of clear plastic sheeting in the pasture that appeared to have been chewed on. Could undigested plastic in her gut be the culprit? Thanks for any info or related cases. Stacy Upshaw
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 25, 2004 - 7:52 am:

Hello DrU.
Of course ingesting anything that might impair gut transit could cause colic: do you see any evidence of plastic in the stools?

It does seem like your vet could have done a little better job communicating with you on this but he is right about the fecal: the number one preventable/treatable culprit would be parasitism. Though rare I have also seen a enterolith in a horse less than 2 years old not on alfalfa. Take heart, many of these mild recurrent problems do go undiagnosed and simple disappear with time.
DrO
Member:
36541

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 25, 2004 - 10:20 am:

Thanks for the positive vibes. The filly colicked again 2 hrs after I put in the first post. I gave the banamine and she was better in 15 min but I pushed for an exam and got it. We sedated her for a rectal and my doc said everything felt in place(I had raised the nephrosplenic possibility). He took a stool sample and some blood to the office this am. After watching her q 2hrs last night, she was perky this am. She had two stools, the balls smaller than normal, almost like a 2 or 3 mo old would have. I turned her out and so far she is acting normally this am. At what point would you take her to a big center for a colic w/u? Another episode? There has never been any f/b in the stools, and I am the only manure monkey I have! Thanks, Stacy
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Feb 26, 2004 - 8:52 am:

The decision to refer is based on many factors I do not have access to but since we do not know the cause and if dollars are not an issue, now is good. Perhaps most important is do they have a very experienced palpater that can detect unusal subtle changes and that they may be able to get a radiograph of the abdomen. However there is a fair chance that you will put forth a lot of effort and they will not find a cause.
DrO
Member:
36541

Posted on Thursday, Feb 26, 2004 - 10:10 am:

If we went, it would be to Auburn, Alabama which is four hours away. Cost is not the issue really, more the question of the time invested for possibly no pay-off. When a horse has a colonoscopy, how far into the anatomy can be seen, on average? My vet said f/b often hang up in the fermentation part of the colon - is it visible in any non-operative way? Stacy
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Feb 27, 2004 - 6:30 am:

I have not heard of colonoscopy being used in the diagnosis of chronic colic other than inflammatory colitis where biopsy of inflammed areas is aided with endoscopy. I suspect the problem is that the scopes do not move far enough anterior and rarely would the cause be evident endoscopically but I don't know what type equipment they might have at Auburn but calling them might be helpful.
DrO
Member:
36541

Posted on Friday, Feb 27, 2004 - 8:19 am:

Dr. O., thanks for the support as always. The filly is back to normal but I am going to investigate the details of a chronic colic work-up before it happens again. I now have this ongoing vision of a colon full of plastic when ever I look her way! Regards, Stacy Upshaw
Member:
Canyon28

Posted on Friday, Feb 27, 2004 - 2:29 pm:

Have you investigated the possiblity that tape worms are causing these bouts of colic? there is a blood test for them, they are usually missed in any type of 'settling" test that most vets do to find parasite eggs or larve. so a traditional fecal exam almost always misses them. In the eastern states tapeworms are found to be in a marjority of horses blood that was also tested during routine coggins tests. Tape worms are the main cause of certain types of colic. I would not discount them. I had a mare that was acting colicy off and on for several weeks, even had the vet out to tube her, etc. Finally he suggested the equimax or ivermectrin gold as a last resort, and I had to order it to get it, but as soon as it came, I gave this mare and her foal the medicine and she has not had another episode since. That was over 8 months ago. Before getting into expensive tests and surgery I would try the wormer.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Feb 27, 2004 - 3:22 pm:

Hello Christine,
This point about tapes and other possible causes of chronic colic is covered in the article that Stacy has read, but a reminder never hurts.
DrO
Member:
36541

Posted on Friday, Feb 27, 2004 - 7:11 pm:

DrO,
the bloodwork for tapes is pending but I have not wormed specifically for this. Depending on the results, I will(thanks Christine). My question is: do the tapes that infest dogs and cats cross-infiltrate equines or are they an entirely different mob? SU
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Feb 28, 2004 - 7:37 am:

Entirely different, we have an article on them at Equine Diseases » Colic and GI Diseases » Parasites and Worms » Tapeworms, Cestode spp. I agree with Christine, there is absolutley no harm in going ahead and using one of the praziquantel combination products.
DrO
Member:
36541

Posted on Friday, Aug 6, 2004 - 2:00 am:

Update to all on my Connie filly. She has hit 24 months with no colic in the last 5 months. The episodes stopped after a worming with Zimecterin Gold, and now my herd has this wormer in their cycle. Coincidence or not - who knows?! I am always grateful for this site, for Dr. O and everyone who participates. My large animal vet retired from the field last month, so I will continue to value you all... Regards, Stacy Upshaw
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Aug 6, 2004 - 9:42 am:

Great to hear it Stacy. The key to good health from proper deworming is not dependent on a single dose of dewormer but the routine good practice. See the article on deworming and deworming schedules for the only programs worth considering.
DrO
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