Re: Twisted gut?

[epicarab@micron.net]

I can't believe all of those people told you that they'd never heard of
a "twisted gut" (just lucky, I guess).  I lost a pregnant mare just this
spring to exactly that.  She was fine late the night before when I
checked her, but I found her dead and severely bloated early the next
morning.  Evidently, severe and quick bloating of the body is one of the
telltale signs of a twist.  My mare couldn't have been dead for more
than three hours.  For insurance purposes, I had a necropsy done and it
confirmed our suspicions - twisted gut.

There was nothing unusual about her diet (same as all of the other
horses) and it hadn't been changed recently.  Yes, colic can claim a
horse that fast.  My vet said she was probably dead within 1 to 1 1/2
hours.  Since it happened in the middle of the night, there was no way
we could have known or done anything for her.  In fact, according to my
vet, there isn't a very good chance she would have survived even if we'd
found her in time.

I have another mare who colics every year within one month of foaling.
We take all the necessary precautions regarding diet, exercise, etc. and
then some, but she still does it.  So far, it's never been too severe,
but it's an awful feeling just the same.  Pregnant mares and those who
have recently foaled seem to be more prone to colic than most.

Don't let this incident shatter your confidence.  All you can do is your
best and sometimes these things happen.  It's heartbreaking, yes, but it
can happen to anyone.

Tina

Horsmail wrote:

> When we talked with the vet, he just said "Sounds like a twisted gut.
> Not
> uncommon a few months after a mare gives birth."
>
> It sounded reasonable, but when I talked with my neighbor who has been
>
> breeding Arabians for over twenty five years, she said that she's
> heard about
> twisted guts but never knew any horse to actually have one.  As I
> checked with
> more folks - some ranchers with experience with hundreds of horses -
> everyone
> said the same thing  ---- they heard about it but never had it happen
> to them
> or anyone they knew.
>
> I'm now worried sick about the rest of the horses.  All seem fine but
> so did
> she.  I don't know if I was missing something or it's just one of
> those weird
> twists of fate (no pun intended).
>
> There was about 10 hours between when she seemed fine and I found her
> dead.
> She was quite bloated so I'm thinking she must have been dead for
> about at
> least 5 -6 hours before I discovered her.
>
> Has anyone else ever had something like this happen?  A twisted gut??
> Can
> colic claim a horse so fast? Could it be something else??

> Joe Z