CMC Mustang Training: That dreaded "C" word....colic!

That dreaded "C" word....colic!

Testing manure for sand to check for sand colic.

Day 78/79:

First real nice day since it rained, and boy, were all the horses happy to get out. After some time to stretch and graze, I worked with Opal on being around clippers. She tolerated it alright, letting me trim a few of her whiskers, but not totally thrilled with the buzzing sound still.

Opal started laying down in her pasture, what I thought was sun bathing. She would get up when I came into her pasture, eat her carrots, greet anyone who came by to say hi to her. After getting home a few hours later, I received a call that Opal was laying down again and not acting like herself. Sleeping bag, blankets, and jackets packed I headed out to the barn to take care of my sick pony.

After giving Opal some medicine to start helping her feel better, she laid down again. I sat with her, right next to her head and massaged her ears. This was the first time she let me sit right next to her while she was laying down, I'm glad she felt comfortable enough with me to let me be that close to her even while she wasn't feeling good. A hour after giving her meds, she got right up and started moving around, then started wanting food. After talking with my vet, I started with a bran mash, and eventually gave her some of her hay. She ended up with one pile of poop before I went home, which I put in a ziplock bag with water to see if there was any sand in it. Happily, there was very little.

When I left at 1am she had been spending time sleeping and acting normal. At 6 a.m. she was given her breakfast and was hungry.

Opal last night (top) and this morning (bottom).

When I arrived at 10 a.m. she had 3 piles of poop, YAY! This morning she was moving around, searching for more food. I fed her the remaining of her breakfast and more mash between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Her mash was mixed with nearly a gallon of water and her hay was sprinkled into water, I wanted to make sure she had a good amount of water before I went home for the day. Opal was definitely feeling like herself, looking all over for more food and treats. I'm keeping her in the green pen one more day to monitor her intake and output so I can make sure things are moving along still.