C.O.L.I.C… COLIC- a dreaded word in a horse owner’s vocabulary. And for me, it invokes some PTSD as well.

December started out with a bang for us. Sunday afternoon I dropped my truck at a repair shop 30min away to have the exhaust manifold checked/repaired, and have the battery issue – which reared its head again with not starting that day – looked at as well starting on the First, which had been planned since earlier in Nov. I picked up my rental car that evening for my day-long work trip on Monday, which I got a nice parking spot for as apparently everyone had come home from flying for Thanksgiving at the airport.

I left early Monday for another trip to Danville and all was well for breakfast. I was back in the area, headed to the rental car company to swap cars back, trying to find the best way through the traffic, when Skyler called to tell me Breeze was laying down and unwilling to get up to come in for dinner. She had seen him not an hour before at the hay with the other two, but now he was laying down, at least he was not flat out. Ugh!
I ran through some questions to get an idea of what it might be – Choke…or…Colic. Soon after we were on the phone he did stand up on his own, but refused to move and had his head lowered to about 2″ off the ground. Nothing she could particularly do but stay with him as I made my way straight home, which she did.

I pulled into the pasture driveway and saw the two of them up near the hay, just standing. I checked his neck and for swallowing first, but quickly noted his hind legs ‘trembling’ – he was definitely not feeling well. I went for a stethoscope and a thermometer out of the trailer first aid bag, but the latter had a dead battery. I tried to hear gut sounds, but none were audible either because they didn’t exist, or I couldn’t hear it over the trembling. I sent Skyler for my First Aid bag in the house, and then back a few times to find the other thermometer that I had apparently moved. We locked up the other 2 horses so they wouldn’t harass him/us and offered a warm soup. No interest still. I had already called our regular vet for an emergency reply and dosed with banamine paste on a trip down to house to change my jacket and boots. So, I waited outside for their arrival using the car lights to keep an eye on him when my first headlamp’s battery gave out. While I waited, I reached out my local FB group because I now in situation that I have a trailer and no way to haul if he needed to be transported! I got several leads and responses ready to come at any time of the night should the need arise.

The vet was about 45min out and came with a tech. They did the standard… gut sounds – diminished; tubed – no reflux; rectal – soft moist manure, didn’t feel an impaction within her reach. Ok, maybe a gas colic? More meds on board, instructed to keep him separated with sweet tea and check in a few hours and hopefully he will have drunk & pooped by then and ready to go back out for the impending storm to be able to move and keep warmer (in addition to his blanket). If he was not feeling better at that check, then the likelihood of referral to the equine hospital was very high and to be prepared to send him.

And that means thinking about the ugly “what-ifs?” Is he a candidate for surgery if it came to that?

So, I grabbed a few bites to eat, then ran off to the airport to return the rental and pick up the Explorer. I got some time to warm up inside for a bit, and then prepped myself for a cold 10pm check. As I was walking up I could see he was very still, standing in that same head lowered position, just not as far down. No poop in his pen. No water touched. I took him for a short walk, to just to see if movement might be needed. I brought him back to his pen, which he didn’t object to and didn’t care much about the other 2 now up at the hay away from him. I checked his temp again, went inside for a few min of warmth and now the 3rd headlamp to use. I rang the vet and contacted my leads for a trailer ride to BRE in the near future.

Vet visit #2 was about 11:30pm, this time she was alone. A repeat of the assessment: Gut sounds – none on one side; rectal – nothing felt; tubed – no reflux, however he ended up with a nose bleed this time. Our trailer ride was in route to us about midnight for his transfer to BRE. Except… 15min from me, her truck overheated! On to her backup and friend, who lived a little further so got to me about 1:15am – Mind you it is Tues now… My vet stayed with me till about 1230am or so, and had to dose him with a little more meds when he suddenly decided he needed to walk and started pawing thinking to lay down. Other than when Skyler found him, Breeze never laid down or thrashed around rolling, but she wanted to make sure he was comfortable for getting to the hospital.

Our ride arrived, and Breeze loaded up in a large 2+1 with a ramp like a champ. I followed them to BRE, but alas still no poop when we opened the trailer. He had some stumbling backing off the ramp, but did well as he is used to step up! This time I was able to stay with him for the complete check-in process and initial intake eval. Prepped for IV fluids, vitals, bloodwork and he had an ultrasound of both sides, with no remarkable findings, so that was good.

My prior experience, and the last time I was at BRE, was when Tesla colicked 9yrs ago. I recall handing him off to the tech upon arrival, not being allowed to be with him, and watching through a grated window as they tried to do an ultrasound, but he wasn’t cooperative due to pain.

Breeze was a good patient for everything – the tubing was the part he hated most but still wasn’t horrible with a little something to take the edge off. He was gentleman for everyone. He did have to get tubed again once settled into a stall of his own and was drenched with some Epsom salt to try to get things moving. I finally left him about 330am, just as the sleet was starting. I arrived home about 4am and attempted to go to sleep for a few hours – but knowing that phone can ring at any moment, sleep didn’t come. Then the school called at 6:30am to announce the cancellation due to the weather. The good news was I hadn’t heard from the vet yet, so that meant if all was “OK” enough, the first update would be at 8 or 9am Tues. The first update came, he didn’t need any more pain meds but things weren’t moving yet. I never managed to fall asleep and just worked from home waiting on the evening update at 6 or 7pm… It came a bit later (almost 8pm) but I kept telling myself no-news is good news and that they would have called if something had taken a turn. Alas he had finally pooped – a little! Of course, not completely out of the woods but moving the right direction with fluids, sweet tea and electrolytes. I took a hot bath and went to bed about 9pm Tues… It worked out to about 38hours of being awake and I was feeling it!

Wednesday I went off to work and awaited his morning update – they had tubed him again to get him more hydrated, but he was eating and drinking on his own well and pooping more. If all went well, he’d get to come home Thursday! His evening update was good and they continued to increase his food, did some hand grazing and gave small amounts of hay. So, now I got to work on getting him his ride home! This time I was able to get with my hay guy (who really helps with anything and everything farm related) who would be able to just grab my trailer for his truck and haul using that.

Thursday morning’s update came and they were kicking him out (thankfully for my wallet, lol). He was still being a good boy and was doing well enough to come home. His “Uber driver” picked up my trailer and met us at BRE to haul home. His discharge discussion had many comments from the techs and vets that hand-grazed him talking about his trick – which by the way he taught the other two at home – He can stand and pee and graze at the same time. I guess they don’t see many geldings do that!

He traveled well home, came off the trailer and rolled… many times. Drum chased him some, but not horribly. I was out there for a bit with them to make sure things were settled and Breeze made his way back to the hay area. I have a camera stationed near the water to monitor them, but now I turned on the notifications so I can be alerted when they come to the tanks. Mid-afternoon came and I hadn’t seen him drink much so I decided to run home and get him some ‘sweet tea’. Of course shortly before I arrived he was caught taking a good drink! I felt better being around. Another round of sweet tea with dinner and a blanket change for all because we were getting snow again!

Friday school was cancelled again, so we did some tea for all at lunch then too. Definitely relieved to have him home, but always worried. He is normally a good drinker and not one I worry about. I went back to the camera recordings for that Monday and he only came up once mid day. Of course an impaction probably starts in the days before, but that was definitely less than normal. We do “all the things” to try and combat this – they get mashes 2x day, with salt in them. They have choices of water tanks – 3 at the moment! one heated, one double wall insulated with aerator balls, and one just a regular tank with a kickball floating in it. The latter freezes first, but seems to be their favorite. They also have a block of salt to gnaw at if they like and of course free-choice hay. So… as the saying goes, you can lead them to water (or offer it in this case), but can’t make them drink! Just dumb luck (?) that he decided not to drink for whatever reason.

So this whole thing was trying in many ways… No truck = no ability to get him to help easily (truck finally home on 12/10!). Then the other person’s truck breaking down too… just nearly comical. And the timing too for me was ironic… I had literally just signed him up for his own AERC # and decided to “commit” to getting to rides in 2026 and use the tools we’ve been developing the past almost 3 years together. Then Bam… I could lose him. Not just lose him, but to the same thing I lost Tesla to.

I’m very grateful it turned out different this time. I never saw Tesla again after leaving him in the care of BRE – I would be lying if I never said to him “You can’t leave me” (several times over).

My life with horses hasn’t been easy… The losses great, and on this “National Horse Day” I can’t help but think on all the horses that been in my life in such a short time. I’m holding hope that Breeze is my rainbow, that we’ve come out the other side of something major to have sunny days ahead.