Monday, June 2, 2008

Another Day, Another Distress

Raven had another colic episode this afternoon, though not severe enough to require Banamine. Dr. Schwichtenberg and I agreed by phone to let her tough it out, and she settled right down after twenty minutes of acute distress. The only commonality between both colics is their occurrence immediately following Raven's return from the pasture to the paddock. I let the horses graze for an extra hour this morning (it has been cloudy for the past few days, meaning less sugar in the grass), which may have been a factor. David also cut the pasture on Saturday, exposing all of the young growth -- another possible factor. We have a locum vet coming on Wednesday to take a closer look at what might be happening here, and there are many possibilities. Fermentation of fresh grass in the gut? Sand buildup? Parasites? Gastric ulcers? A side effect of her heat cycle? Some or all of the above?

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