Was looking back through my photos and found the most difficult case for me last year - my own horse hospitalised for impaction colic!
This is Samson, my paddock pet due to an injury that only left him paddock sound. He is a 10 y/o standardbred gelding. Before I worked in small animals I used to be an equine nurse; of course my horses have only ever needed hospitalisation once I moved to smallies!
We have had a pretty rough drought here in Aus, so our paddocks are very bare these days. We also live on the coast so our soil is quite sandy. Due to this I always take my boys out to feed on rubber to avoid sand ingestion; unfortunately unbeknownst to me a well meaning older lady in the next paddock was throwing scraps of hay over the gate and right in to the sand - which Sam was eating.
The first photo is the evening I found him with first colic signs. We had a long night of mild colic - pulled him into a yard and stayed there through the night to monitor him. I found sand in his poo upon rectal exam and my heart just sank 😔 After some oil drenching, flunixin and buscopan he was much brighter and improved eating eating and passing poop. Unfortunately in the morning he started to deteriorate again so vet came out, repeated my above treatments and we waited. Had the same scenario where he improved, then went downhill again in the afternoon. I knew at that point we needed imaging and hospitalisation so was ringing around for a truck to get him to the referral equine hospital. Finally got one who came at 10pm - by this point Sam was laying down in the rain refusing to get up 😔 finally got him up and on the truck - and off we went.
Got there at midnight and ultrasound confirmed my fears - sand impaction. He was tubed again and put on fluids and more medications and we waited to see if he would respond to treatment.
We had days of back and forth - just when he looked like he would be able to get ready to come home we would take 10 steps back and be thrashing around on the ground. We almost had to make the call between surgery or euthanasia, but luckily he managed to pull through thanks to the incredible team at Newcastle Equine.
After a week, $7000, plenty of tears,and sleeplessness he finally came home! Now a bit skinny but otherwise back to himself.
It was very difficult for me being on the other side - I’m so used to being part of the team. Taking the tests, discussing the plan, doing the treatment. Having to hand all of that over and be the client was very hard to do but luckily he had a great team who I trusted and who were amazing. It was a good reminder to me how clients feel when I am taking care of my patients - the helplessness they feel as they wait for strangers to fix their precious baby. Nothing to do but trust these people to do everything and hopefully save their life. It is good to have a perspective reminder now and then!
