Home Current News News Archive Shop/Advertise Ridecamp Classified Events Learn/AERC
Endurance.Net Home Ridecamp Archives
ridecamp@endurance.net
[Archives Index]   [Date Index]   [Thread Index]   [Author Index]   [Subject Index]

RE: [RC] vets?--colic - Bob Morris

First go back to "cause and effect" We know the effect but
are pondering the cause. Colic, an all encompassing term
that describes the symptoms. Even human babies are described
as having colic at times. They seldom die from it though.

It is time that we dropped this vague term and settle for
the facts of what the cause is. Facts couched is basic
physiologic terms that are definitive. We can be sure that
the ultimate cause is because the heart and brain stopped
functioning but what was the proximate cause that brought on
the final stage. In the Sept. EN Laura did a fine job of
describing the events and symptoms leading to a fatality.
But no proximate cause was determined for the event. We can
have hundreds of such cases but with out the cause we do not
have the entire story. We do not know what phase of the
underlying incidents was the determinant.

All the schemes put forth regarding mentors, restrictions on
new riders, stricter vetting, longer and more stops are just
schemes based on little or no determined fact. Is there
knowledge that any two of the fatalities, this year, are
related by similar cause diagnosis? I would like to hear if
there were.

Should our Veterinary Committee, with all their endurance
competition experience, not be capable of explaining the
underlying cause then they should so state and promulgate
research into the problem. I would support them to my
fullest ability and I am sure that most other concerned
riders would also.

Bob

Bob Morris
Morris Endurance Enterprises
Boise, ID

-----Original Message-----
From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of terre
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2003 3:27 PM
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; AERCMembersForum@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [RC] vets?--colic


   Haven't heard a definitive answer back from any vets yet
re: whether
stomach ruptures can occur other than as a result of an
impaction
colic--but several people have posted me privately with
examples
indicating that they can.
   So here, in a very convoluted way, is what I am
interested in:
   The most frightening thing, to me, is the horses that
suddenly get
into trouble, or even die, for no apparent reason.  These
would be fit,
experienced horses ridden well within their capabilities
that give no
notice to their highly competent riders and vets that there
is anything
wrong--pass all parameters, etc--and then just suddenly
crash.  It is
frightening because we don't know why it happens, and so we
have no way
to prevent it; and it does seem to be able to 'happen to
anybody'.
   At least some of these horses seem to be presenting a
ruptured
stomach, which apparently does not produce the kind of pain
an
intestinal colic does, and so is harder to detect.  We may
be diagnosing
them better because it is easier now to ship to clinics,
etc; perhaps
riders are more inclined to ask for necropsies...But even
when the cause
of death is 'ruptured stomach', we still don't know   WHY it
ruptured,
especially in the absence of an impaction colic.
   So, my question is: could this be the result of a
cumulative
effect?  Perhaps many small colics, or episodes of stomach
distension
that may not even have been noticed?  We know that some
things--especially tying up--can have a cumulative effect.
Each episode
causes a little more kidney damage until the result can be
renal
failure.  Many times, once a horse does something
once--thump, for
example--they are more prone to do it again unless the rider
makes
heroic efforts to prevent it.  Could this also be true of
'colic'?  How
could we know?  Are "colics" at rides identical with
"colics" at home?
Do they/can they produce cumulative damage that can rise up
and bite us
without notice?
   The GI tract is the horse's "weakest link".  (to
disagree with
Howard that it is poorly designed; we are just not using it
in the way
nature intended).  I wonder if many horses don't "die of
colic" because
the heart is simply too strong to fail them, and something
has to give...
   What do you all think?

terre


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
=-=-=-=-=

Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net,
http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer:
http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe
http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
=-=-=-=-=



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


Replies
[RC] vets?--colic, terre