Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Vets and getting a second opinion (Pregnant mare post-colic followup)

From: Bonnie

Thank you very much for your extra interest in our mare. We would like to give you a little more background information and then update you on the latest events.

At the begining of last season (95 breeding) she was put on Regumate for I think 7 to 10 days, 10cc in feed. Sassy is a thoroughbred/paint mare 16 hands, 1,100#. We palpated her and felt a folicle of 30-35mm and gave her HCG and was live covered withing 6 hours of HCG injection. I left her and breeding farm 2 days after breeding. At around 40 days she had an exam (no twins) but uterus did not have proper tone (not sure if too firm or not firm enough) The Vet suggested that if I wanted a foal for 96 I should abort this and try again. With it being so late in the season I would just wait until next year and let nature take it's course. In August I again had her examined to make sure she had in fact aborted and I would have a healthy uterus for this next spring. To my surprise her uterus was over her pelvic bone at 8 weeks. The next exam didn't occur til November. All seemed normal. The Vet tapped on uterus and foal did respond with movement.

Now for the update. The next day after the colic symptoms, Sassy didn't want to drink water for 15 hours and to my knowledge had no other access to water. All of her vitals were normal, alert, active, looking to be fed, respiration, pulse, temp, and gut sounds normal. I put in a call to my Vet, she arrived at 8pm. Again all outward signs checked out normal. If anything seemed out of place it was the way she was swinging her tail which only occasionally occured during an hour period while waiting for the Vet to arrive. No rectal exam was done in fear of causing premature labor. We did tube 4 gallons of warm water into her with 1/2 light flake feedings every 3 hours as long as she was passing manure. I checked on her every 1 1/2 hours throughout the night. All was fine!! Resting comfortably. Next morning at 10:00am she went to the water tank and took 23 swallows of water, again light feedings, no grain. After colic symptoms stopped and no grain her bag did reduce in swelling. She still has a dripping clear yellowish fluid dripping onto her hind leg. Over a 12 hour period, approx. 20 droplets from each side of her bag.

That pretty much brings you up to date on how she is doing. Thanks again for your concern. We probably will get a second opinion from another Vet. It's hard because our Vet is also a close friend and we don't want to hurt her feelings.

Thank you,

Bonnie, Randy and Sassy (Bo Ran Farm)

Hi Bonnie and Randy! Since we're also discussing this via e-mail, I'll just add a few notes here for the benefit of other horse-sense subscribers. First, do NOT worry about hurting your vet's feelings, for several reasons. For one, your mare and the coming foal are most important, and your focus should be on them. For another, you need an equine specialist, and preferably someone with a lot of experience with pregnant and foaling mares. And finally, a good veterinarian will NEVER be angry or upset if you seek a second opinion.

In my experience, the best vets will urge you to get a second opinion, push you to consult with a specialist in the field, recommend the specialist, refer you to the hospital, and do just about everything they can do, short of driving your horse there! If anyone does deal with a vet who reacts angrily to such a suggestion, this is a strong sign that you need a different and more professional vet.

Don't take a chance with your mare and foal for any reason. If you have a bad vet, you need a better one. If you have a good vet, that vet will be GLAD to have another vet's support and input in the case. Your vet's wish is NOT to have you be exclusively dependent upon him/her, it's to see your mare deliver and raise a healthy foal. A good vet, like a good instructor, is results-oriented, not personal-ego oriented. NO good vet is going to be angry at you for being a good horse-owner -- your vet will probably be gratified to know that you take the mare and the situation seriously.

Think about the worst-case scenario: if something dreadful were to happen to your mare, and you told your vet "We didn't dare ask for a second opinion or take her to the vet clinic because we thought that you might be offended," how is this going to make him/her feel? Not good! On the other hand, if you ask NOW, "Whom else could we consult in this area -- whom would YOU recommend?" you'll be helping your mare and yourselves.

- Jessica

Materials from Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE, The Newsletter of Holistic Horsemanship® may be distributed and copied for personal, non-commercial use provided that all authorship and copyright information, including this notice, is retained. Materials may not be republished in any form without express permission of the author.

Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE is a free, subscriber-supported electronic Q&A email newsletter which deals with all aspects of horses, their management, riding, and training. For more information, please visit www.horse-sense.org

Please visit Jessica Jahiel: Holistic Horsemanship® [www.jessicajahiel.com] for more information on Jessica Jahiel's clinics, video lessons, phone consultations, books, articles, columns, and expert witness and litigation consultant services.