So tired of vet bills...

[BrittanyG]

So, you all might remember that I was having issues with both of my horses colicing about a month ago. Pixie went to the vet and was tubed, but Baby was the one who was doing a little bit better and the vet talked me through his over the phone. He was doing wonderful, until about last Tuesday. Starting last Tuesday, his water intake was slowly decreasing. I was a little worried, but not too much, figuring it was the weather change (rain). He had his dentist appointment on Thursday, and had a bad reaction to the anestesia (sp). He was a little hard to sedate, so they gave him more during the procedure. Then, after they were done, they gave him the wake up drug that they gave to all of the other horses. The other horses woke up within about an hour or so, but Baby would not wake up. After about 2 1/2 hours after they gave him the first dose of the wake-up I asked her if that was normal, and she said the some horses just react differently to the drugs, but that she would give him another dose of the wake-up drug. I waited another hour, and he was still not acting right. He had his balance back, but he seemed REALLY lethargic. He seemed like he was high. I took him home, put him in his stall with water and his hay net. I went and checked on him later that night, and he still hadn't drank anything, and was still really tired acting. He had normal poop and urine at this time, and was eating almost his normal amount. I came back Friday night after work, and he drank a little bit of water, not much, but more than the day before, so I thought he was maybe coming out of it, but I guess not. He continued to act lethargic all weekend, but was drinking a little bit, and still pooping and all that, but when I came out on Sunday night, he only went to the bathroom one time all day. He had not drank any water, and he was not eating. His temp was 101.5, so I called the vet and they had me give a 1000 pound dose of banamine, wait an hour, then offer him hay. All the while try and encourage him to drink and give him bran mash. He was semi interested in the mash, but would not drink (tried apple juice water, peppermint water, sweet feed water). After the hour, he was kind of interested in hay, but not really. I hand-walked him for about 45 mins to see if that would encourage him to drink, but nope. So I went home and had my hubby check on him this morning. He was laying down peacefully, but did not want to get up. Tommy got him up after prodding him a bunch, and said that he looked really bad (lethargic and tired, just looked really unhappy).

So, needless to say, I am leaving work early today and taking him in. Lucky, lucky me. I am so so so tired of vet bills. I am ready for all of my animals to be healthy again. Ugh.

Oh yeah, I forgot to say that he is EXTREMELY drawn up. He looks like he has lost 50 pounds in the past 3 days. Not good.

[Vegashorselady]

Good luck at the vet today Brittany, I hope they can get Baby feeling better. I'm really curious what is causing this, if it's just a reaction to the sedation drugs or a combination of weather change, low water intake, sedation etc.

Go figure that Blue was the horse everyone was worried about on Thursday. My drama queen stole the spotlight from Baby who needed it more!

[missyfritz]

Good luck at the vet! I'll keep Baby in mind and hopefully he'll get to feeling better soon.

[Beausgirl]

That's horrible! I hope your little guy is feeling better by the time you get back to us. I'm concerned about all the drugs - "sleep drugs", "wake up drugs" - whenmy horses get their teeth floated, they get a sedative to relax them, but nothing is needed to "wake" them. The sedative they get is mild enough that they are able to stand throughout the float, but they're ..."heavy", you know? And it starts to wear off within about 1/2 an hour after it's administered. What are they sedating your horses with?
Vet visits seem to come in groups. You can go for years with healthy horses and then all of a sudden - your spending thousands at the vet. Hope it all gets better for you and your horses soon!

[lovesfortune]

Hoping for a good update

[oursarge]

That's horrible! I hope your little guy is feeling better by the time you get back to us. I'm concerned about all the drugs - "sleep drugs", "wake up drugs" - whenmy horses get their teeth floated, they get a sedative to relax them, but nothing is needed to "wake" them. The sedative they get is mild enough that they are able to stand throughout the float, but they're ..."heavy", you know? And it starts to wear off within about 1/2 an hour after it's administered. What are they sedating your horses with?
Vet visits seem to come in groups. You can go for years with healthy horses and then all of a sudden - your spending thousands at the vet. Hope it all gets better for you and your horses soon!

This is what they used on Sarge when he had his teeth done and it still freaked me out. He's usually so friendly and bouncy and to see him like that just sort of dopey was scary, he was normal in about 1/2 an hr.

I had my other horse 15 yrs and hardly had an issue but with the ones I have now there is always something wrong with one or both of them. I have more salves and medications for them, Dommie only had hoof stuff, Swat and Cut Heal, it looks like a hospital here with all the junk we have for them. Delta isn't too bad, she's had leg issues twice. She lives with my friend and my friend takes care of her.

This is scary though, I sure hope the baby is OK.

[cheval]

I know what you mean. Our BO has two mini donkeys and two full size horses. It seems like here horses are always sick or injured. I mean ALWAYS. She told me yesterday she paid her 1000.00 director fee she gets every year directly to the vet and that her vet bill was now paid down to 8900.00. I about pooed my pants. Mine is only 450.00.

[Vegashorselady]

[QUOTE=Beausgirl;278978]I'm concerned about all the drugs - "sleep drugs", "wake up drugs" - whenmy horses get their teeth floated, they get a sedative to relax them, but nothing is needed to "wake" them. The sedative they get is mild enough that they are able to stand throughout the float, but they're ..."heavy", you know? And it starts to wear off within about 1/2 an hour after it's administered. What are they sedating your horses with? [QUOTE]

The horses were standing during the procedure. There were 8 horses that got their teeth floated that day, including my 4 and Brittany's 2 and Baby was the only horse that had a bad reaction to the drugs. If his water intake was low the day before he could already been on his way to a colic and the sedation could have made it worse. The vet did warn us that the drugs could advance symptoms in an already collicy horse. The drugs administered for sedation were .7ml Dormosedan, 1.2ml Butorphanol and 1ml Acepromazine. Then the horses were given 6ml of Yohimbine to reverse the effects of the sedatives.

This vet is great at what she does and practices dentistry in Nevada, California and Utah.

[gaited07]

Hope all went well with the vet and baby is doing better.

[BrittanyG]

Ok, I got him to vet yesterday afternoon. They took his blood to check his hydration level, and it was not good. They told me a normal horse's hydration is 30, 40 is dehydrated, and 45 is severe dehydration. Baby was at 44. They did the rectal, and she could feel a lot of really dry poop, and took out as much as she could reach. She said that she thinks he has an impaction colic. They tubed him with water, electrolytes and mineral oil while I was there. I decided to leave him there (very glad I did). They took his blood this morning and he is worse than he was yesterday. They tubed again this morning with epsom salts and water. He did not drink anything all night. He went poop twice, but both were VERY dry and small piles. He is, however, more alert, acting fairly normal, and very hungry, which is good. They are going to give him the morning to see if he will start drinking, and if not, they will give him IV fluids this afternoon. I am really hoping he starts drinking. My bill is already over $400 and they said the IV fluids will be about another $600. Ugh. My hubby is being very supportive and said that he is ok with doing whatever it takes to get him better, but I still feel guilty about spending all of this money. We really want to start having a family, but I think it will be hard with having two horses to provide for. Tommy is a little nervous about it, and has mentioned me having to sell one of them. I really don't want to. I love my baby's, but I also want a human baby. Hopefully I can convince him that we can make it work. Thanks for letting me vent! I will keep you all updated on his progress.

[natisha]

Ok, I got him to vet yesterday afternoon. They took his blood to check his hydration level, and it was not good. They told me a normal horse's hydration is 30, 40 is dehydrated, and 45 is severe dehydration. Baby was at 44. They did the rectal, and she could feel a lot of really dry poop, and took out as much as she could reach. She said that she thinks he has an impaction colic. They tubed him with water, electrolytes and mineral oil while I was there. I decided to leave him there (very glad I did). They took his blood this morning and he is worse than he was yesterday. They tubed again this morning with epsom salts and water. He did not drink anything all night. He went poop twice, but both were VERY dry and small piles. He is, however, more alert, acting fairly normal, and very hungry, which is good. They are going to give him the morning to see if he will start drinking, and if not, they will give him IV fluids this afternoon. I am really hoping he starts drinking. My bill is already over $400 and they said the IV fluids will be about another $600. Ugh. My hubby is being very supportive and said that he is ok with doing whatever it takes to get him better, but I still feel guilty about spending all of this money. We really want to start having a family, but I think it will be hard with having two horses to provide for. Tommy is a little nervous about it, and has mentioned me having to sell one of them. I really don't want to. I love my baby's, but I also want a human baby. Hopefully I can convince him that we can make it work. Thanks for letting me vent! I will keep you all updated on his progress. I hope he gets better soon.

Many people, including single Moms, have horses & babies. Don't jump the gun, wait & see how it all pans out. Less regrets that way. Good luck.

[BrittanyG]

I hope he gets better soon.

Many people, including single Moms, have horses & babies. Don't jump the gun, wait & see how it all pans out. Less regrets that way. Good luck.

Thanks! That is kinda where we are at right now. Taking it one day at a time!

[vicklynn]

Prayers up for everything working out and healthy horses!
((HUGS))too!!

[missyfritz]

Hope everything ends up working out for you! :grouphug:

[Vegashorselady]

I'm sorry to hear he isn't back to normal yet. I hope he starts drinking too, it would be much better than them having to run the IV fluids. Poor Baby's had a long week!

You husband is being very patient about all of this. You are lucky to have a good situation for the horses (the base) where your expenses are relatively low. If you sell Baby you'll just have to replace him a few years later when you want your kiddos to start riding. Wouldn't it be better to just hold on to the horse you already know and trust? LOL, try that one on Tommy! ;)

[BrittanyG]

I'm sorry to hear he isn't back to normal yet. I hope he starts drinking too, it would be much better than them having to run the IV fluids. Poor Baby's had a long week!

You husband is being very patient about all of this. You are lucky to have a good situation for the horses (the base) where your expenses are relatively low. If you sell Baby you'll just have to replace him a few years later when you want your kiddos to start riding. Wouldn't it be better to just hold on to the horse you already know and trust? LOL, try that one on Tommy! ;)

He is being very patient, lol! Trust me, I have tried it all on him! I think he will eventually come around. I think he is more attached to both of them than he thinks he is.

Baby certainly has had a long week. I feel so bad for him! He was supposed to be seen by the chiro today, but I guess that is out of the picture for now. I am still going to have him work on Pixie so that she can be ready for the show....NEXT WEEKEND!!! AHHH! Holy crap, I forgot it was coming up sooo soon! Lol. Lots of things to work on the next two weeks, lol!


Thank you to everyone with the good wishes. I am praying and hoping constantly that this will all turn out ok. I found out today though, that one of the other boarders at the barn noticed that he has been laying down for two and a half days straight, but she didn't say anything (she doesn't like me for some reason...rumor has it, it is because I ride western? What the hell is that about? Who knows). I thought I was done with that crap when I left the other barn, but I guess there are crappy people everywhere you go. UGH.

[miatapony]

well if you only knew some of the crap that went on there before you ever got there.... this is nothing ... i havent been around the stables much to tell you anything about your pony .. im very sorry he is sick and i hope he gets better ..

[AUEquine]

I'm not a huge fan of the reversal drugs. Most vets use them as a money maker. I sedate horses daily for student learning labs, we usually use .5mL Detomadine or 2mL xylazine, and they never need a wake up drug. Or labs usually last about an hour and at the end they're mostly awake. If they're not fully awake they just go back to their stall with a muzzle on so they don't eat and choke. I have some drug addict horses myself. To have his teeth done Cash needed 1mL Detomadine and 1.25mL Butorphenol, but still did not need a wake up drug.

But sounds like maybe he was building up to his colic before hand. Hopefully he will get through this! Have they been giving him consistant oral fluids? Or just the fluids when they gave the oil/salts/elecs? Giving consistant oral fluids through the NG tube is a great way to get fluid to the impaction, and works better than IV because it's a more direct route! We usually give about 6L every 3 hours via the tube. However if his PCV is on the rise he does need IV fluids. Oral fluids can't do that much to correct that.

Good luck and lots of good vibes for you guys!

[BrittanyG]

I'm not a huge fan of the reversal drugs. Most vets use them as a money maker. I sedate horses daily for student learning labs, we usually use .5mL Detomadine or 2mL xylazine, and they never need a wake up drug. Or labs usually last about an hour and at the end they're mostly awake. If they're not fully awake they just go back to their stall with a muzzle on so they don't eat and choke. I have some drug addict horses myself. To have his teeth done Cash needed 1mL Detomadine and 1.25mL Butorphenol, but still did not need a wake up drug.

But sounds like maybe he was building up to his colic before hand. Hopefully he will get through this! Have they been giving him consistant oral fluids? Or just the fluids when they gave the oil/salts/elecs? Giving consistant oral fluids through the NG tube is a great way to get fluid to the impaction, and works better than IV because it's a more direct route! We usually give about 6L every 3 hours via the tube. However if his PCV is on the rise he does need IV fluids. Oral fluids can't do that much to correct that.

Good luck and lots of good vibes for you guys!

The wake-up drugs were not a money maker (at least not this time) as it was a flat rate for the dental procedure.

I think he was building up to it as well. They have been tubing him consistantly with water and the last time with water and epsom salts. 3 times total today (every 2 hours since 8 am). They were considering giving IV fluids because his PCV jumped from 44 to 46 over night. They are still waiting on that, though. I just talked to the vet tech, and she said that he has gone to the bathroom 3 times today, and that each one is getting wetter and wetter. She thinks the next one will be the oil, because when she took his temp the thermometer came out pretty oily. He is acting VERY normal, and is very hungry. He seems to be coming out of it. The plan is to tube him with more water at 2 pm Pacific time, and then take his blood and test his PCV again. She thinks he is coming out of it on his own, but said only time will tell and that they can get worse real fast. So, I am just hoping and praying that he can make it through. He has not needed any Banamine and has not shown any signs that he is in any pain at all. He is not stomping, laying down, or rolling. All in all, he seems to be improving, but we will see what the blood test says a little later.

[AUEquine]

The wake-up drugs were not a money maker (at least not this time) as it was a flat rate for the dental procedure.

I think he was building up to it as well. They have been tubing him consistantly with water and the last time with water and epsom salts. 3 times total today (every 2 hours since 8 am). They were considering giving IV fluids because his PCV jumped from 44 to 46 over night. They are still waiting on that, though. I just talked to the vet tech, and she said that he has gone to the bathroom 3 times today, and that each one is getting wetter and wetter. She thinks the next one will be the oil, because when she took his temp the thermometer came out pretty oily. He is acting VERY normal, and is very hungry. He seems to be coming out of it. The plan is to tube him with more water at 2 pm Pacific time, and then take his blood and test his PCV again. She thinks he is coming out of it on his own, but said only time will tell and that they can get worse real fast. So, I am just hoping and praying that he can make it through. He has not needed any Banamine and has not shown any signs that he is in any pain at all. He is not stomping, laying down, or rolling. All in all, he seems to be improving, but we will see what the blood test says a little later.

Sounds great! 46 still isn't making me jump up and down with worry. And 2 points overnight isn't scaring my either. If you've seen how this is run and the scale it's measured on 2 points is easily reader error. I was thinking he'd jumped into the 50's... that would be very bad! Glad to hear he's pooping, and it's nice and moist!!! Hopefully he'll be good as new when he gets back! And just keep pushing the water drinking, soaked food a a great way to do this!

[Vegashorselady]

I'm so glad he seems to be doing better! Hopefully it will continue. I can't believe somebody noticed your horse was down and didn't say anything...ok, wait, yes I can because it's happened before, what the heck is wrong with people? Even if she had a REAL reason to dislike you why would she make your horse suffer? Whatever, people suck!

[natisha]

I'm so glad he seems to be doing better! Hopefully it will continue. I can't believe somebody noticed your horse was down and didn't say anything...ok, wait, yes I can because it's happened before, what the heck is wrong with people? Even if she had a REAL reason to dislike you why would she make your horse suffer? Whatever, people suck!That shocks me too & as a barn owner if that happened here I would be having a little chat with the offender & asking her how she would like it if it were her horse.

[BrittanyG]

Sounds great! 46 still isn't making me jump up and down with worry. And 2 points overnight isn't scaring my either. If you've seen how this is run and the scale it's measured on 2 points is easily reader error. I was thinking he'd jumped into the 50's... that would be very bad! Glad to hear he's pooping, and it's nice and moist!!! Hopefully he'll be good as new when he gets back! And just keep pushing the water drinking, soaked food a a great way to do this!

Thank you so much! That really does make me feel better, and that is exactly how the vet tech felt. I will definately start soaking his hay for extra water intake! Thanks for the tip!

[Beausgirl]

I'm so glad he seems to be picking up. And I hope that your 4-legged babies give you a break financially so that you can start your 2-legged family! The financial stress with horses seems to come in waves...maybe you'll be vet-debt free for a couple years now??!

[BrittanyG]

I'm so glad he seems to be picking up. And I hope that your 4-legged babies give you a break financially so that you can start your 2-legged family! The financial stress with horses seems to come in waves...maybe you'll be vet-debt free for a couple years now??!

You are sooo right! That is what I am totally hoping for! I have had Baby for 7 years and never had issues like this, so I really hope you are right!