I was at work, getting ready for the first meeting of the day when JP called me at 830 a.m. with concern about Saumur. Saumur showed clear signs of colic, didn't want to eat and hadn't passed manure. Not good: Emergency call to the vet and heading home. By the time I got home Saumur was worse. I walked him and he tried to lay down. Remembering that if the horse doesn't thrash around it's ok to let them lay down I let him be, but it was a scary sight: Eyes rolled back and legs out stiff.
An hour later the vet-mobile rolled in and Saumur got the full work up: Sedatives, pain killers, stomach fluids, rectal exam. Still no movement or decent gut sounds, so the recommendation was to take him to MSU's (Michigan State University) Large Animal clinic in Lansing.
It was not easy coaxing Saumur on the trailer, and once we got to the clinic we discovered to our shock that Saumur had crashed and was laying in the trailer. I ran in for help, and by the short time it took to get the team out we discovered JP standing between Saumur's legs to get the center divider out of the way. This could have gotten from bad to worse in a heartbeat! Luckily we got JP out and Saumur up and in the clinic.
What a relief to be greeted by Dr. Nickels, a familiar and friendly face, and the heart and power behind the Equine Veterinary Program. Another myriad of exams, ultrasound, another tube down to his stomach, this time to get gas out. The lead veterinarian for our case, Dr. Schott, kindly and quietly explained everything, while one of the students was discreetly handing me some Kleenex. Surgery was recommended, but of course, first things first: Did we want to do it and could we afford it? A 22 year old retired Morgan, looking at about $8K (or more) of medical expenses. Of course, there was never a question what to do.
Saumur was prepped for surgery and we were offered to stay and observe. Mainly also in case things didn't turn out well and a decision would have to be made on the spot to euthanize him we needed to be there. It was gut wrenching to see Saumur propped up, and then all his intestines out. We received numerous updates during the procedure, and a student watching with us tried to put our mind at ease even though he admitted "I am really cattle man" - and eventually had to leave us to tend to a calf.
We breathed a bit easer when we saw the thumbs up from the surgeon. It turned out that Saumur had a fatty tumor called Lipoma wrapped around his colon. Luckily it was caught early, so there was no surgery to the colon required. Once the fistful of tissue was removed all the intestines were cleaned with saline, put back in place and Saumur's abdomen was sutured up.
We received carefully worded explanation that the next hurdle would be coming out of the anesthesia, and then the following 72 hours would be critical. Saumur will have to wear ice boots to prevent founder (as he is Insulin Resistant), and if all goes well he could go home in about a week. And from there 30 days stall rest, and another 60 days of limited turnout in a small area to give the incision time to heal.
As to the quantum of luck: We caught it early and made the right decision to heed the advise taking him right away to MSU and then agreed to have the surgery done as quickly as possible, thus preventing major damage to the colon. Saumur made it through the surgery OK, no problems coming out of anesthesia, the staff at MSU Large Veterinary clinic is incredible, and a lot of people are praying and rooting for Saumur. That is way more than a quantum of luck, for sure!
Be brave, big man, you can do this!!
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