nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429 
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Post by nhg on Apr 29, 2014 14:57:23 GMT
So I have yet another friend that has a mare that's just had a bad colic episode. I know of four mares that have died from it as well but I don't know anybody that's lost a gelding or stallion to it. I'm wondering if this is just an odd coincidence in my life or if anybody knows of any studies or anything like that that shows a difference in colic rates between the sexes?
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Lipizzan
Junior Member
Europe, Croatia
Posts: 2,572
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Post by Lipizzan on Apr 29, 2014 18:01:18 GMT
Over the years I had a lot of horses. Mostly mares, and only horse that had colics 5 times in few years were my stallion. So I think it depends on a horse. If he is more or less sensitive.
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Terry
Junior Member
Central Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,466
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Post by Terry on Apr 29, 2014 23:52:58 GMT
Interesting question! All but 1 of the horses I've had have been mares, so I'm not a good judge of the mares vs. geldings aspect of it, but of all the horses I've had, it was primarily only 1 of my mares that had frequent colic episodes, and she ultimately had to be put down due to an extremely bad colic. Based solely on my personal experience, I'd have to agree with Lipizzan, that it probably has more to do with the individual horse rather than if the horse is a mare or gelding. I'd love to know if anyone has done any actual studies on this topic, though!
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Post by horselady on Apr 30, 2014 19:31:10 GMT
Yes, this is an excellent topic. and perhaps i shall mention this to my vets the next time they are out. they are associated with New Bolton and cornell so i am sure they could help.
Now from personal experience, i have older horses that are retired so my feeling is that mostly geldings. only because that is what most people purchase to have as a personal horse. and as they get older they have these bouts of colic like symptoms that really is their systems beginning to shut down. either from cushings. or cancer or growths.
The last gelding that we had to have pts two weeks ago was only 22 or there a bouts. never sick a moment that we had him in the 10 years he was here.
he just did not eat and rolled. and look awful. vet said that a blockage was pulling his intestines and organs down towards his chest cavity. so we had to pts.
My stallion who was 23 had lymphnoma. a growth in his colon that was blocking the blood flow.
so my thought is, that the term collic, could be how he/.she is acting but what is causing those symptoms.
gas colic. walk the horse and give banamine or whiskey and use mineral oil with a tube as a drench and hopefully the horses is better.
if anyone can find a study on line than i would love reading it.
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on May 1, 2014 15:24:12 GMT
Horselady, that's what one mare had, a strangling lymphoma, I'd forgotten that. They're pouches of fat that hang like an orange in a nylon and they figured her mare had been lying down or rolling and this hanging sac can drop over the intestine and block it off. We walked her all day and she was finally put down that night. If we'd known what it was and that it wasn't a classic colic she could have had surgery if we'd taken her to the vet in the morning. I felt so guilty for making her walk all day when she was so sick, poor girl.
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Post by horselady on May 1, 2014 16:44:11 GMT
Mt stallion showed no symptoms prior to him refusing to eat that day, and was in pain. apparently the growth that he had just grew and grew until that fateful day., he was about 900 pounds and i gave him enough banamine for a 1200 pound horse and another shot 4 hours later (as per vets instructions) and an internal by two vets determined the growth was there the, and the operation would have been 1000 a day and a 30 percent chance he would survive the surgery. because of his symptoms. and the possibility of there being more. so do not beat yourself up. you did the best for her and provided the best life a horse could ask for. i have his portrait and a horseshoe on my leg as a keepsake and his mane in a braided bracelet that i carry everywhere.  |
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mingiz
Junior Member
Los Lunas, NM
Posts: 3,320
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Post by mingiz on May 1, 2014 18:11:01 GMT
I think it's an individual thing. Then I also think about the usage of the horse. Race horses, show horses, those type of horses that are under more stress of the job they do. Some colic over a weather change. I have never lost one due to colic. I have never really had a sick one either.. But I have seen some sad colic cases.. Some we think are regular colic. Then find out other things cause it that we couldn't see until it took over...  |
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