Valentine seemed uncomfortable, but I didn't think the pain was too extreme. However, I was scheduled to head down to Salt Lake after lunch to take Kid 1 for a college visit and I didn't have time to just wait for the colic to see if itwas going to get worse. That meant a trip to the vet, who diagnosed Valentine with mild colic. She got a shot of Banamine for pain and then the vet pumped a gallon of mineral oil into Valentine's stomach to try to loosen things up.
By the time we got home, Valentine had recovered enough to attack her hay. I left detailed care instructions for the rest of the Crew, crossed my fingers, hoped for the best and departed for Utah with Kid 1.
By 10:30 pm, the pain medicine had worn off and Valentine was hurting again. I had purchased a tube of Banamine paste ($40 for 3 doses!), figuring the Crew would be more comfortable squiting the paste into Valentine's mouth than giving her an injection.
Kid 2 drew the short straw. Medicating a horse was a new experience for Kid 2 and she was still pretty uncomfortable about it, even with the paste. The phone converstation went something like this:
Me: Put the tube in the corner of her lips and insert most of the tube into her mouth, then push the plunger in.
Kid 2: She's going to bite me!
Me (soothingly): No, she's not. Make sure the tube is in most of the way, because if you squirt it near the front of her mouth, she'll just spit it all out.
Kid 2: She's going to bite me!
Me: No, she's not. Valentine is the calmest, gentlest horse we have.
Kid 2: Are you sure she's not going to bite me!?!
Me (exasperated): She's not going to bite you. Shove that thing into her mouth and get it over with!
Kid 2 (after a moment of silence): That wasn't so bad.
The paste is a 24-hour pain reliever, so it kept Valentine comfortable until I got home about 10:30 pm Friday. Unfortunately, she had stopped eating and looked in pain again. I gave her another dose to get her through the night and called the vet in the morning. They said to bring her in, but by the time we got to the vet, she had finally managed to poop. Yeah! I felt like I was potty-training a toddler again! They sent me home with some pro-biotic and instructions to keep an eye on her.
Thankfully, that seemed to be the start of her full recovery. She seems to be doing fine now!