Mocha not acting right..

[horsecrazymom]

So, my newest horse Mocha has not been acting right since at least Wednesday.

I was out there, and he was just acting.. depressed. He was eating a little hay, he was drinking a little water.. he just seemed very off. I went to put the halter on him and he ran off, so I assumed he did not feel THAT BAD. He also spooked when I tried to take him into the newer run in...

His CRT was a little slow but not that terribly bad. I have been having my brother offer warm water to him instead of the cold to get him to drink more.

My mom told me tonight he is still a little.. off. He will go off into the opposite end of the pasture from his pasturemates and just hang out all droopy and depressed like. My brother said he saw him on the pile of hay earlier but he has not been on it all the time like the other horses.

The thing is (and really hoping not too many people will judge to harshly..) but I cannot have the vet out right now.. If he is sick (if he is DOWN with colic and we know he is sick) maybe, but I just cannot afford a $500 plus vet bill on a horse I got free who is pretty wild.. =(

He has been laying down but not a lot. He was laying in the sun the other day when it was so bright and warm, but I went over to him and he got right up no problem. Mom says she has not seen him laying down in the pasture just standing by himself.

I am going over there tomorrow to check on him personally. I was thinking of giving him some psyllium and some electrolytes if the local vet is around. Also gonna get some powdered Gatorade to have my brother add to his water to get him to drink more.

Other horses acting fine. I know NOTHING of this horses health history other than he was nearly starved to death 4-5 months ago living on donuts and stale bread. He has been fine up til now.

Do horses get stomach viruses (yes I feel stupid for owning horses since the age of 9 and not knowing the answer). Can they just feel blah? Could it be because of this crazy weather we have been having, the ups and downs in temperature?

Any advice would be appreciated.. and I know I will get someone saying that I should not own horses if I cannot call the vet but right now I just can't justify it...

[Lonestarchickypoo]

hey instead of the antibiotic go to your local dollar store and get some malox if they have the cherry flavored they prefer that so I have noticed with mine.. if hes belly achin just a tad that will help somewhat... I really dont think its colic he would be showin signs of somthing... my horses tend to lay in the sun constantly.. my filly im always worried shes down and out but she lays flat out if the suns out and everyone literally walks right over her and she dont move.. lol.. he just sounds like hes a loner and just takin it easy really.. even if you give him the malox its not gonna hurt him... I used one of them big surgines I think its 20cc you give them... I would keep that on hand just in case anyways...

if you havent had him long he just probably hasnt figured out how and where he fits in the herd yet... if hes somewhat dominate and you have one that already is he maybe just waiting for his opportunity to have his spot...or just adjusting to his low man status lol

[pinkhorselady]

Just wondering if possibly he had been with a long-time pal when you got him & is now depressed from being separated...? Maybe nothing to do with it. I just know that I have a couple that would be devastated if they were separated from one another (they've been together all their lives, and they're now 25 & 26), & I think it would take them a long time to adjust (& find their place in the herd, as lonestar suggested).

[horsecrazymom]

I will try the Malox for sure tomorrow! Thanks for the tip! Do you just give it once or more often?

He was an only horse when I got him, so no buddy issues there. I am thinking of putting him in with my gelding tomorrow as a test to see if they are any more compatible. My gelding likes to chase Rain and the cow around, but I have not seen how he is with Mocha. I will watch them for several hours, but I bet he will start tossing his head around like a stallion within 5 minutes of being in the same pasture.. he is ridiculous!!

I am a little worried about his drinking, but at the same time, his eyes are nice and shiny and his coat is. A pinch test shows he is well hydrated too...

[renegadespiritcat]

Add a couple shots of whiskey to that Maalox and dose him with a oral dose syringe. The whiskey helps calm and relax him while the Maalox will help settle the belly issue. Old timers used whiskey and kaopectate for colicing animals. Horses can get depressed and anxious same as people. So spend a bit of 1 on 1 time with him and perhaps that too will help him snap out of this slump.
Good Luck ~Cat~

[SunshineAcres]

If you ever suspect colic, you should get some mineral oil in him. Give orally in a big syringe just how you would give dewormer. It helps keep the bowels moving.

[chambe94]

It's actually really dangerous to syringe mineral oil to a horse. If they accindentally inhale any of it even a little bit can cause a FATAL pneumonia. I know it's considered an "old stand by" for colic, but the new research shows it doesn't really help that much, so the risk isn't really worth the benefit. Something like Malox, vegetable oil, or a bran mash would be a safer way to help move things along.

Can you take his temp (I know you said he's a little wild, so dont get hurt!)? If he has a virus or something he'll probably have a temperature.

Also, you mentioned putting gatorade in his water, that's a good idea, but be sure to have a bucket of plain water too, as some horses are disgusted by anything flavored in thier water (I own one!), so you want to be sure he has the option of either kind of water.

[SunshineAcres]

So inhaling vegetable oil would be better? Can you tell me where you are getting your research from?

[chambe94]

Yes, vegtable oil can be degraded in the lungs because it is an organic molecule (fat) (it CAN cause pneumonia, but it's usually a pneumonia you can treat and overcome). Mineral oil is an inorganic molecule and the body cannot break it down, so it gets stuck in the lungs and causes a horrible pnemonia that is very rarely survivable in horses. If you google it you will see tons of cases about problems with it in infants (people can survive it, but that's with lots of specialized medical care).

As far as minreal oil not being that helpful in horses with colic, the only true use of mineral oil is as a laxative (again see the human literature, it doesn't have any magical intestinal stimulating properties, it just doesn't allow things to be absorbed, so it softens stools), or to absorb toxins (again because the minearl oil can'tbe abdsorbed, so it sort of "scoots" toxins along with it as it passes thru. In a 1000 lb horse the laxative dose of mineral oil would be 50 oz. which is almost a half a gallon (and that's a low dose, to bind toxins you would actually want to use 1-2 gallons). SO unless you have a tube to run down into the stomach, trying to get a horse to take a half a gallon without inhaling it would be quite the daunting task.

[sam]

How is Mocha doing?

[horsecrazymom]

Thanks for asking Sam.

He was looking a lot better Friday and Saturday but he had a terribly snotty nose but was eating and drinking and running away when I tried to catch him. He did not have any swollen anything under his jaw so not strangles or anything like that. Sunday afternoon he was 100% better, no snotty nose or anything!! So, he must have just had a cold!

[sam]

glad he is doing better!

[pinkhorselady]

It's good to hear that he's recovered.