Now what?

I've spent the last couple days trying to see if there is anything at all I can do if anything were to happen to Duke or Lizzie now.  I felt so incredibly helpless when Bug went down.  I just want to be able to do SOMETHING if it ever happens again.

So first I got Duke insured so that if he ever does need surgery - for colic or any other reason - there will be $7500 available to cover it.  (At least I HOPE he has insurance - I sent in the application but have not gotten back a confirmation yet.) 


I can't find anyone who will insure Lizzie, though, given her age (20) and the fact that she has already been diagnosed with Cushings.  If anyone knows where I can get health insurance for her, even if it doesn't cover anything caused by the (pre-existing) Cushings, DO let me know.

In the process of looking at colic treatments, I read in an article about colic research done at UC Davis that the Banamine that horses are given for pain and inflammation reduction may keep part of their intestines from contracting and moving stools on through.  Although Bug was given Banamine, since the cause of her death was an intestinal rupture, not just a blockage, it didn't matter in her case whether her intestines were able to contract.  Still, if another horse were to have colic that was just a blockage, it would certainly be good to have some sort of medication that would not have that effect. 

Anti-Inflammatory Agents' Effect on Colon Motility.  Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as phenylbutazone ("bute") and banamine are associated with large intestinal impactions. NSAIDs are frequently used to ease colic discomfort due to their potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, their effect on intestinal motility is controversial. Recently, the Comparative Gastroenterology Laboratory's researchers determined that NSAIDs decreased muscle contractions in one part of the intestine. Currently, they are investigating the effect of these compounds on other areas of the colon.

So I ordered "ECR" (Equine Colic Relief) medication from Happy Hills Stables -- it's a medication that Dub Ivins, a gaited horse breeder/trainer over in Texas, recommends and sells.   I decided to get some after reading the reviews from people who had used it for their horses successfully.  They say it has a shelf life of 12 years, so what the heck -- if the time comes, I will definitely try that before giving anyone banamine.  Here's some information about it and some testimonials from folks who've used it:

So that's why I figured it would be a good thing to keep around "just in case."   If it doesn't work, the horse won't be any worse off -- but if it does . . . wow -- what a relief THAT would be!  When I called to place the order, Dub's wife Linda answered and told me they don't take credit cards, but only checks.  When I told her we had lost Ladybug over the weekend and I wanted the meds in case one of the others got colic, she said she would put the meds in the mail immediately and I should just mail her a check.  I told her how much I appreciated that.  It's going to make me feel a lot better just to have it available. 


The fact is, I've been a nervous wreck since we lost Bug. When I come home and drive in the driveway I look over at the barn and when I see Duke standing by his stall at the front fence (which he has been far more frequently since Bug died) I let out the breath I've been holding since I turned onto our road for fear one of them is down.  And normally Lizzie is over on the other side of the barn where I can see her as well. Today, though, she was not!  But when I got out of the truck and raced over to the barn, I found her standing in Ladybug's stall where she had turned on the water which was overflowing the water bowl while she stood there and watched!  No idea how long THAT had been going on -- guess I'll have a better idea when the water bill comes next month.  

But the good news is that it did prove that all that gravel that's underneath the barn to allow urine to drain away, actually DOES drain quite well -- there was no water to be seen anywhere except directly under the bowl. But I've locked up Bug's paddock to keep Lizzie and Duke both out of there until Mark gets home and fixes that float in her waterer so that it will shut off automatically. 

And for the last couple days (just in case Bug's disaster was caused by something she ate out there in the pasture that the others might also have eaten), I've put Duke and Lizzie on Psyllium three times a day until Thursday night.  And since I'm working, and they have to have it 3 times a day, I've been splitting their evening feed and giving them the first half as soon as I get home at 5 PM, giving them the second half at midnight, then their regular morning feeding just before I leave for work at 7.  Not QUITE evenly spaced, but the best I can do.  I can't be positive it's clearing everything out, but it's definitely causing some serious pottying!  Buddy and Lisa are REALLY going to have some cleaning up to do THIS weekend!  I'm hoping that it's clearing out those acorns I know they've both eaten - even though they haven't appeared to be affected by them.  (The vet said they wouldn't have caused Bug's problem, but it still scares me to see them eating them.)

Anyway, instead of staying up until Midnight, I'm going to go to bed for the next few hours and set the alarm for that midnight feeding, because sleeping for just five or six hours a night is definitely getting to me!  (Especially since I got absolutely NO sleep Sunday night.)