No stones unturned

Kaffi colicked on Sunday.

It wasn't an extreme colic, but it was bad enough to merit calling the vet. She came out, administered some meds and ran an NG tube. Within an hour, Kaffi was back to his usual bright, cheerful self.

No big deal, except Kaffi has done this so many times.

This was the third episode in less than six weeks, and at least the tenth since Karen has owned him. Truth be told, the number is probably a lot higher than that. There have been so many, spread out over the last two years, we've kind of lost track.

Karen has done all the obvious management and dietary things a good owner does when presented with a colicky horse. None of them have helped, so today, Kaffi went to Littleton Equine for a full diagnostic work-up.

To prepare, he had to fast overnight.

Kaffi was really hungry when I arrived at the barn this morning. Normally, I give him a treat when he flaps his lips at me.

"Not today, buddy."

Kaffi loaded easily and rode well in the trailer.

After Olive died, I said I never wanted to come back here again. I meant it wholeheartedly, but eleven months is a long time. I needed to be there for Karen and Kaffi, and honestly, it was fine.

After a basic health evaluation which included drawing blood for a CBC, the first order of business was checking for ulcers.

Kaffi was sedated, a tube with a camera was placed in his nostril and then passed through his esophagus, stomach and duodenum.

This was really fascinating. The photo quality was amazing, and the vet was really good about explaining the entire process. 

No one was surprised to learn that Kaffi has ulcers. It's one of the first thing you suspect with a colicky horse.

We could have stopped there, but Karen wanted to leave no stones unturned. The next step was an ultrasound.

Kaffi's thick winter coat proved to be a problem.

Out came the clippers!

Not exactly Jillian, the Clipper Queen, but it'll do.

Even without the hair, Kaffi proved to be a difficult ultrasound subject.

That's... something.

Again, this could have been a stopping point, but no stones unturned. The vet team took Kaffi to another room for an X-ray, and after that things went sideways. One of the views showed an obstruction, and as if to show the medical team exactly why we were here, Kaffi went into a full blown colic. He was taken to the ICU barn for treatment, and we went home with an empty trailer.

None of us saw that coming.

Fortunately, the reports from Littleton have been positive. Kaffi seems to be through the worst of it and - fingers crossed - is scheduled to come home on Sunday.

This was a long, hard, expensive day. Jingles for Karen and Kaffi. They both need relief and answers.