Written by Brittany Penebre, Volunteer, Western Cape Equine Trust
Professional photography by Boland Weddings
It was one of the worst calls we’ve ever received since our equine organisation began nine years ago.
On Sunday the 30th of April at 9PM, Newton Phillips of Western Cape Equine Trust (WCET) answered an urgent call from Amelia Louw, owner of Sivalé stables: her head groom, Gift, who lives on the property, had done his normal nightly checks on all the horses and found our beloved Douglas in terrible pain, rolling, kicking and battling to breathe, obviously suffering very severe colic. We needed to call the vet urgently.
He was rolling violently
In the interim, both yard managers, Ru-lé and Vanessa, alerted by Amelia, headed straight to the stables. Gift had managed to get Douglas up and out of the stable as he was rolling so violently – he was concerned he’d injure himself further.
As soon as he exited the stable, Douglas went back down in the stable block onto the bricks, rolling and thrashing, causing some really nasty lesions. Gift continued battling. He got him back up and moved him outside onto the soft grass and tried to keep him moving but he kept going down.
Dr Emilie from Vetscape Animal Hospital, after receiving a call from Newton, responded immediately and arrived in 15 minutes. She also tried to get Douglas up but to no avail. She had to inject him on the ground to relieve the pain. He was injected with a sedative, along with pain meds, to help calm him and control the rolling. They managed to get him up and take him into the crush in the medical stable where a rectal examination was given. Colic is a severe, painful and potentially fatal condition, and it was decided that Douglas needed to be taken into hospital urgently or he wouldn’t survive.
A difficult choice
The time was now around 10PM, on a Sunday of a long weekend. We needed to organise transport to Vetscape Hospital. Luckily, Ru-lé decided to try Ryno Verster from Ryno Equine Services, who’s just across the road from the yard.
He answered their call and arrived quickly with his horse box but ultimately decided a float would be a safer move for Douglas in case he collapsed in the box. Ryno made the change, came straight back and Douglas was loaded safely and on his way to Vetscape Animal Hospital. At around 11.45PM Newton received a call from Dr Emilie giving two options: the first was to operate, the second, to euthanise. We were faced with an extremely difficult decision…
Owners, trainers and donors who give us their horses expect the WCET to do their best for the horses in their care while being trained and finding a new home. In all the years the trust has been running this programme, the few colics the horses have suffered have all been treated at the yard, so this was the first hospital case. The operation was going to be very expensive and, as everyone knows, after-hours and weekend work is even more costly. We were assured by the vet that the prognosis was good for a full recovery and they’d check once they opened the horse and if the prognosis then wasn’t good, they’d get back to us for a further decision.
With all that in mind we made the decision to go ahead even though it was going to be an expensive procedure.
Saving Douglas
Dr Andrew and his dedicated team of vets who’d come in to the hospital for the operation started surgery on Douglas at around 1AM. It was confirmed that Douglas had Nephrosplenic Entrapment, which is the displacement of the colon into the nephrosplenic space where it was tightly stuck, which could only be resolved surgically. Although it was touch and go, the operation was successful.
At 7.15AM on Monday morning, Douglas finally woke up. He was very tired, sore and covered in hematomas and lacerations from the horrible night before. It took him four hours before he got up from surgery and walked to his recovery stable.
Newton and Ru-lé visited him throughout the week. It was a really worrying time waiting for a phone call to hear if he was eating and pooping. The first few phone calls weren’t that. The poor guy had to be tubed again after all he’d already endured. Finally, by Wednesday he was pooping and starting to eat and drink. Each day after, it just got better – all thanks to Dr Andrew and his team of dedicated vets for this life-saving operation and care, without which Douglas wouldn’t be with us.
We want to thank everyone from Sivalé stables for their prompt action in alerting us and the handling of all the logistics in such a caring manner, Ryno Verster for transport, and Vetscape Animal Hospital for all they did to save Douglas.
A happy home for Douglas?
Once Douglas arrived back with us we gave him a month of stable then paddock rest and he has now begun his gradual return to work. His rehab programme started with in-hand walks around the farm, gradually increasing from just a few minutes up to 20 minutes a day. He then began walking in the sand lunge ring, which allowed him to start bending through his body. We’re pleased to say his lunge work has been increased to trotting, making sure we keep him calm and breathing steadily after every session.
Once he’s back riding he’ll be looking for his forever home. He’s a super horse with a beautiful calm temperament and will make a lovely riding companion. Strict home checks will apply as we require at least a stable and separate paddock made of poles and/or electric tape, good-quality feed and proper supervision at the yard.
The WCET exists to give these Off-the-Track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) a chance for a second career, and this is only made possible by donations. Please consider supporting us, follow up at https://www.facebook.com/WCETSA/.
