Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jan Jollymour on August 16, 2009 at 2:54pm

Hi, Carol:

We went through major colic surgery with one of our GP horses on April 28th. He had a double twist (torsion) of the caecum, and the caecum was flipped over upside down and on the other side of his body. He did very well for the first 10 days post-op, and we were ready to move him to a post-op care facility, when suddenly his kidney function was compromised and his electrolyte levels went completely out of balance. A month later, after more testing, meds, workups etc., things returned to reasonably normal levels of function and we brought him home (we live 5 hours and two mountain passes from the surgical facility).

He'd had a month of stall rest post-op (which he would have had to have had at home if he'd been discharged when planned), so he went on a further 60 days of paddock rest. HIs paddock was 12' x 24', but out in the sunshine. He was on free-choice hay, hay cubes, a high fat supplement, and Total Equine, a vitamin/mineral supplement. In addition to that we hand-grazed him on lush grass for 2 - 3 hours per day with minimal walking in the hand-grazing sessions. Following that 60 day period (he was then at 90 days post-op) we started walking him for 20 minutes per day (under saddle, as he's an idiot to talk in hand), and at 105 days post-op he was turned out in 5 acres with two other geldings. He's now, as at August 16, back in work, and we expect to be able to compete at the small tour level at the end of September.

We did weekly urine and blood tests to monitor his kidney function, electrolyte levels etc. for the first month, but they continued to normalize without difficulties so we stopped that after the first 30 days at home. He's now on the feed schedule listed above plus Body Builder and DMG, to maximize muscle function and his return to pre-op strength.

Good luck with your guy, Carol. We were conservative with our approach, and we're glad we stuck to it.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Lallanslover on August 21, 2009 at 10:54pm

Horses that have had colic surgery will not be fed for at least 24 hours and then only when there is good evidence of returning gut motility. Availability of water to drink depends upon the nature of the colic problem. Many horses will receive intravenous fluids post-operatively in order to keep them hydrated.

Frequent examination of post-operative colic patients, checking for signs of complications, is essential. Most hospitals will institute a regimen of checks every 2-4 hours for the first 24 hours post-operatively. Some horses are very ill as a result of toxins absorbed from dead intestine (endotoxaemic). These animals will require more intensive monitoring and treatment and are likely to have a delayed recovery from surgery.

Healing of the abdominal incision is an important part of recovery from surgery. It has been recognised recently that bandaging the abdomen of post-operative colic patients is a cost-effective method of decreasing the risk of wound infection and hernia formation. Many hospitals in the UK now do this as a matter of routine. Another area of concern is the presence of intravenous catheters. These need careful management to prevent them from becoming blocked (jugular thrombosis)or from infection developing at the site of insertion. Keeping a close eye on this area is important even once the catheter has been removed.

Once gut motility is present, the post-operative colic patient can be re-introduced to feed slowly. Grass is usually the first food that colic cases are offered. Between 24 and 48 hours post-operatively many cases will be walked out to graze "in hand" for a few minutes several times per day. If all goes well, small quantities of forage will be re-introduced with the aim of getting the horse back onto full feed by 4-5 days post-operatively. A slightly different protocol might be adopted following some surgical procedures. It's best to discuss your individual case with thte operating vet.

Management regimens differ between hospitals but many colic patients that are recovering well will be discharged to their owners between 5 and 10 days post-operatively. Endotoxaemic horses or those that develop complications may be hospitalised for longer.

In the cases I have been involved with, most of the horses have required a minimum of 2 months box rest (with walks in hand to pick at grass), with a further 4 months of gentle recuperation, before they can be ridden again. This is because of the time it takes the abdominal wall to regain strength after surgery. With any horse who needs to be confined, I like to make time to give gentle all over body massage as part of their daily routine.

Good luck, and please keep us updated with your horses progress.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Carol Whitaker on August 23, 2009 at 12:02am

I sincerely appreciate your informative replies, thank you. I'm glad to hear that your horse had a full recovery Jan that gives me comfort knowing a full recovery can be accomplished in under a year. Flash actually had intestinal stones, two were very large and he had a dozen small ones. Apparently he cannot process the calcium in the alfalfa. He is now on grass hay & supplements.

I'm happy to report that Flash is recovering really well. He's 7 and full of himself so it's been difficult for him to be on stall rest, he's use to training 3 times a week and going on hacks often. I walk him daily but it doesn't seem enough for his energy level. He also has arthritis in one hock, standing still doesn't help his discomfort; that is also a concern for me.

It's been 3 weeks and his swelling is almost completely gone. He has a little bit of drainage, but not much at all. I clean his incision daily with warm water & Betadine followed with fly spray. He's full of life and is acting like his happy, go-lucky self which is very exciting to see. He does not show any signs of discomfort, he just wants to get out and play with his stall mates.

I look forward to the day I can ride him again… I miss our rides & schooling very much and I know he does too.

Thanks again...

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kevan on August 23, 2009 at 1:51am

Glad to hear Flash is on the mend Carol!
My guy, Kooter (QH gelding, 13 going on 2) twisted a while back (he colic's at everything but the colour green ... ), & underwent surgery to correct the torsion. Because he's a zipperhead, he had to stay in his stall for 3 months (we couldn't let him out into even a small paddock as he would try to rear, flip, crow hop & generally behave like an idiot)
We spent a lot of time with him during the day, trying to keep his mind occupied. Clicker training, silly little tricks, lots of ground manners, desensitizing, etc ... it all paid off in the end as he became more relaxed with novel items/tasks & we enjoy a deeper understanding of each other as a result of the extra time spend together.
He came out of his recuperation period just fine; the only "side effect" was that it took nearly a year for his poops to return to a normal consistency.

• ▶ Reply