Newbie Question: What is Founder?

[FarmerChick]

oh wow colic is the worst.

I had a QH that when he hit like 28 would colic every 3 mos or so...mild and fixable fast, but it always scared me. He lived to about 32 years old. (I still miss that old bugger)

My last horse Peepers got twisted gut about a year ago.

so horrible it was unreal almost. vet tried but when he felt that twisted gut and said it outloud I knew it was a death sentence for her. She was about 22 then. UGH I never, ever want that to happen to me again with horses. I've had about 50 horses (we used to breed) over the years and only 2 horses have nailed me with colic. Willy not so bad, but that twisted gut took me where I never want to go again.

And thing is she was on retirement in the field basically....same feed, pasture, hay, same routine, etc. Vet said no telling why? One thing I sure hate is no answer as to why? UGH


I sure agree, closest you keep to natural feeding is best for any animal.

 

[Lil' Ramona]

Wow! Y'all have had some really horrible, scary experiences! Thank you for sharing them, although painful, and allowing me to benefit from your experiences!

Is twisted gut a result of colic... like a really, really bad case of it?

What causes colic?

 

[freemotion]

Colic is just a general word that means abdominal pain. It can be all kinds of things, but it usually falls into three categories: Gas, impaction, and twisted gut. The first is annoying, the second can be anything from annoying to serious, and the third is surgical and/or death. Anyone who has been around enough horses has seen all three.

If you are sensible about the horse's care and diet, colic will be a rare event, hopefully never.

First time I saw a horse with a twisted gut I knew right away the horse was dying. Had some difficulty convincing the boarding stable's staff at first. It turned out that several feet of intestine were necrotic and were removed. Amazingly (it was that horse's second colic surgery) he is still alive and well several years later!

Learn to take your horse's temp, pulse, and respiration and you could save his/her life. If you always have this info when you call the vet, you may be moved up on the list when two emergency calls come in at the same time. Pulse and respiration rates are an indicator of type of colic and degree of urgency.