Anyway as I may have mentioned, I have been on a drug trial for my dodgy lungs and dicky ticker. Having spent a week in Papworth ( our number one heart and lung hospital in this country) I found out I have been on the Placebo! So Phase Two begins....the real drug. OMG the side effects have knocked me on my ass. Each time they up the dosage the side effects kick my butt. A few days of blinding headaches and sickness. It only lasts our hour or two, after the dose, but that means for 4 hours each day at the moment, I am confined to the bathroom floor!! Taking Co-codemol helps, but it also mongs me out, so I am next to useless at the moment.
This has coincided with the bad weather and an influx of children from a nearby barn conversion to "help". While they are lovely children, its a little like baby sitting and hope that they don't get bowled over by a pony! Still yesterday I brought Dora down for them to groom and plait etc. Slightly worried that she may be over-whelmed by four of them crowding around her, I still left them, desperate to take advantage of the nicer weather and do a little clicker training with Charlie. Thankfully Dora loved the attention, and Charlie remembered everything he has previously learnt.
Jo went to take the kids home, and I started filling the water. I noticed Lu scenting. I thought she was smelling the water. But she continued to do it. I then noticed she was standing uncomfortably. Alarm bells started ringing as the pieces clicked together in my somewhat slow brain. She wasn't eating the hay. She hadn't mugged me when I brought Charlie in. As I watched she pawed the ground. That was enough. My Colic Radar went off loud and clear.
I had just brought her in when Jo got back, possibly somewhat surprised to find me holding her pony down by the tack-room. Everything screamed colic, except the constant scenting. She refused a bran mash. I half thought she had something stuck up her nose, so had a good poke around.....the fact that Lu just accepted my rummaging fingers was a bad sign in itself. Jo phoned the vet. Apparently scenting constantly is a sign of colic!!!
I have seen many colics in my many years. I have a highly sensitive colic radar, but I have NEVER seen a horse scenting when it has colic. So I have learnt something here. Jo too had never seen it like that. Something else to add to the knowledge disc in the brain.
Luckily there was no impaction, and a shot of Buscopan did the trick. We put it down to the frozen grass, coupled with sunshine. So, if you see your horse constantly scenting, now you know it IS a sign of colic. A rare one maybe, but added to the other symptoms......Definitely worth knowing.
Poor Lulu
Dora Having a rest after all the attention.
Target.
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