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  Discussion on After surgery
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 25, 2001 - 11:02 am:

Hi,
I'm considering buying an 8 yo mare that had surgery for sand colic about 2 years ago. She's fully recovered and is competing again, and it sounds like it was an isolated incident. Where she lives now is very sandy, so they've put stall mats down in her paddock to keep her from eating sand. My paddocks are too big to put mats down, but we don't have sand here like she has at her place. We have dirt/clay. My questions are: 1) if she eats the dirt, is it as bad as eating sand? 2) what risks/complications might I face buying a horse that's had colic surgery? thanks. Laura

Posted on Thursday, Jul 26, 2001 - 6:24 am:

Hello Laura,
Taking your questions one at a time:
1) if she eats the dirt, is it as bad as eating sand?
Only to the degree that the dirt has sand in it. All dirt is a combination of organic material, clays, and tiny bits of mineral (sand). To see how much sand it has you could place a handful in a jar of water and shake it vigorously.

2) what risks/complications might I face buying a horse that's had colic surgery?
Probably the most prevalent complication of colic surgery is adhesion formation between the segments of bowel making future food impactions more likely. By 2 years post surgery you should have an idea if this is going to be a big problem.
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Jul 28, 2001 - 11:04 pm:

Thanks. That helps. Also, one other question: Are there any risks/complications with breeding a mare that has had colic surgery?
Laura

Posted on Sunday, Jul 29, 2001 - 3:30 pm:

I have not seen any figures on this and it certainly depends greatly on the individual case, the problem, its severity at the time of presentation , complications during and after surgery. I think this is best answered by the surgeon who did the surgery but if all went well with no complications during or after surgery I would think the increase risk for the most likely complication, impaction colic, would only be slightly greater.
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