This is my first column for The Western Producer and by way of introduction, I offer a brief autobiography. I was born in North Battleford, Sask., and grew up near Radisson.
For me, the name Massey conjures images of farm equipment, not a series of lectures or a concert hall. Our spread, where the seeds of my chosen career were planted, was a funny farm of critters ranging from rabbits to Golden Retrievers.
After high school in Herbert, Sask., I headed to the University of Alberta where a fondness for animals blossomed to an infatuation with science. What better way to fuse these two passions than a career in veterinary medicine?
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I studied animal science before being admitted to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon. As a newly minted graduate, my perspective on rural veterinary practice is as new as my licence to practice.
I work at a mixed-animal practice in Crossfield, Alta., where I enjoy using my toolbox of veterinary skills. From surgery to post-mortem examinations at the feedlot, there has been a steep learning curve.
Just as farming has progressed from the horse-drawn, homesteading days of my grandfather to the GPS-guided implements of today, veterinary medicine has come a long way.
My goal for this column is to translate science in a palatable, portion-controlled ration that is relevant to everyday life.
THIS WEEK’S TOPIC: COLIC
Colic is the generic word for abdominal pain that drives fear into the hearts of horse owners the world over.
On a recent cold winter’s night, I responded to an emergency colic.
The mare had been off its feed all day, was passing only small amounts of manure and was acting strange. Other signs of colic in horses can include rolling, sweating, nipping at the flanks and abnormal postures such as dog-sitting.
A change in weather and the subsequent decreased water consumption were the likely culprits.
Seasoned veterinarians can almost set their clocks by the sudden increase in colics when the weather changes. As a professor once told me, “what do you expect from an intestine designed by committee?”
In horses, feed travels through a relatively normal (compared to humans) stomach and small intestine before segments of the large intestine balloon into large fermentation vats, similar to rumens in cattle.
Microbes convert nutrients from foliage into an available form. Food material can stagnate, dry out and cause blockages anywhere along the gastrointestinal system.
Most impactions occur where the diameter of the intestine decreases rapidly: the ilium of the small intestine, cecum or pelvic flexure of the large bowel.
Physical examination often reveals an increased heart rate and abnormal gut sounds. Sedation permits rectal exams, passage of a stomach tube and sometimes ultrasound to be performed safely. The passage of a stomach tube helps with diagnosis and treatment.
Other types of colic cause fluid to build up in the stomach because horses cannot vomit. Treatment in the form of fluids, mineral oil and other cathartics can be administered through the tube.
Intravenous fluids can be administered when oral rehydration is not enough. The goal with both types of fluid therapy is to hydrate the impacted, dry feed material so it can move along.
Food is often withheld until manure is passed and then slowly re-introduced. Severe impactions may require surgery to resolve.
Medication can be administered to dampen the inflammatory response, relieve pain and decrease the risk of the horse hurting itself from rolling.
As for the mare, luckily it had the simplest of the various types of colic and by the following day it was eating, producing manure and back to its normal self.
