    
Barbara Lewis
Weanling
Username: Baraka
Post Number: 28
Registered: 06-2008
| | Posted on Saturday, March 28, 2009 - 02:10 am: | 
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I have moved this from another section.
My mare, due to have her first foal on April 12,
is having some unusual problem. Six days ago (Sunday) she was mildly colicky, so was given Banamine. She would not eat or drink, and only picked at a few bites of hay after the Banamine took affect. She would, however, graze.
I assumed it was just the baby making her uncomfortable, and expected her condition to improve as soon as the foal shifted positions. At feeding that evening, she didn't eat, and seemed uncomfortable. You could hear her stomach rumbling from several feet away. More Banamine was given.
The vet was called the next morning. Temperature was slightly low, everything else checked out okay (ample poops, etc.), baby was active, stomach was still rumbling, and she was diagnosed with a hyperactive gastric tract. (Yep!). Treatment recommended was 5 cc Banamine 2x per day.
By the next day, she was eating better but not cleaning up her food, and drinking very little water - yet poops were ample and moist. She didn't start eating much until yesterday, except to graze, but her symptoms remain. After eating this morning, for example, she seemed hungry, cleaned up her food, and immediately showed colic signs in her body language. I gave Banamine. With that and some other distractions, she seemed to feel better.
She has seemed to improve daily, however tonight she seemed worse. She was down, had rolled, but stood up when I came into the barn. Her body was arched and stretched until a new dose of Banamine took affect. Oddly, even when uncomfortable, she nibbled at her food. After the banamine, she ate well. She hasn't been breathing hard, nose is not pinched, she's just very uncomfortable without the banamine.
I'm concerned that there might be something else going on. The only thing I can think of is that new green grass is coming on like crazy. We've had lots and lots of rain, so it's full of moisture - hopefully explaining the noticeable drop in the amount she is drinking.
I'm giving her Probio, and may start Zantac, unless you recommend against it. She's being kept in tonight, off the grass, to see if that helps.
I acknowledge that you are not a veterinarian, and ask your advice as an experienced horseman and reproduction expert. Is there anything about a normal pregnancy that might cause this problem? She still has gastric noises, although not as much as that first night - normal activity, I would say. At least you have to now use your ear on her stomach, or a stethoscope. What would you do if a veterinarian were not available? We have 1 equine vet within 80 miles, and he is out of town. |
