About this Blog

Meet my very 1st horse, Lazarus.
I couldn't wait for Santa anymore or ask one more time for a pony for my bday (after age 30 it got embarrassing). I took matters in my own hands and I finally decided to pick a pony that needed a new home. Laz found me as I contemplated with this idea. He was sweet yet very sassy, fresh off the track, Thoroughbred (OTTB).
Join us for our re-training, rehabbing from laminitis and testing all parts of mixed up horsemanship and partnership, and luck...

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Colic scare getting better?

I don't want to jinx us...but I think Lazarus is on the mend! :)
This was taken today in the grass hay field, look at that mouthful!!!

After Vet came back out (visit 3?4? loosing count), he tubed Laz down his nose into his stomach, but instead of pumping in water, he actually opted to pump OUT his stomach juices. 2-1/5 five gallon buckets of bile, acid, tiny looking coffee grinds (indicating ulcers), green juices from his belly, etc...Laz started feeling better. The latest bloodwork indicated that he has a bacterial 'something' going on, not viral. Originally, as a preventative, Laz was given an antibiotic yesterday (Tex? Something..I'll clarify this once I have my bill listed out what is what..and more sleep) that didn't really help him out. Today, the vet did a two part (one in am, one in pm) shot of penicillin which Laz will be on for the next five days, as well as Gastrogaurd for his stomach ulcer that we've confirmed. He may be on Gastrogaurd for a while..couple weeks? He's been off grain for a while now, but officially especially off. Vet encouraged me to hand graze him, which I did and Laz thankfully, was hungry now with his stomach empty of the most stomach turning acidic smelling acid. He grazed eagerly for 5 hrs. Yea!!! Nature's remedy according to vet and my 'google' research. Moisture in grass helps replenish, etc...thank god it's not in the middle of winter.
Vet assured me that he thinks that Lazarus is through the worst of his colic and it's now fighting the fever which is cause by this ulcer and "P" something diagnosis. The "P" something name I can't quite remember, I'll get it from him again, but it basically means that his colon was probably punctured by something Laz ate and it seeped the bacteria into places it shouldn't have, one being the stomach. The good bacteria we have in our stomach wasn't able to work against the bad bacteria, therefore causing discomfort. The question is, did the ulcer come before the colic, or after? Was the colic brought on by this maybe puncture? We don't quite know. Laz's fever has gone from 105 this morning (oh god, the tears) to 99 and vet assured me it will take another few days of possible spikes in his fever and low. He does not want him on any more banamine and if fever gets to be 105, he'll come back out. With Lazarus eating grass, and hay now, drinking a bit more, we are all hopeful he will start his recovery!
My main concern is, will his body digest normally or will he have to have his stomach pumped again for relief? The next few days will indicate a lot.
Again, to all my friends, family and blogger friends...thank you SO much for the prayers, thoughts of concern and advice!!!

3 comments:

  1. Hooray!!! Relief! What good news!

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  2. That is good progress! Still keeping my fingers crossed for luck. The Gastrogard should make him a lot more comfortable - ulcers can cause all sorts of problems, including colic due to pain and stress.

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