Andrea,

I am so, so sorry for what you and Homer are going through - I too went through exactly the same thing with my Icelandic at the end of September - I was able to take him to surgery at Liphook, and when they operated they found a pedunculated (spelling?) lipoma, which had grown from a stalk on the gut mesantry, the stalk of which had then wrapped around the gut and caused the colic. The surgeon said that too much damage had been caused to the gut for them to be able to save him, and so we had to let him go on the table. He was my heart horse and I miss him so so much, but I try to be thankful for the time that we did have together, even though it doesn't feel like long enough.

They told me afterwards that that tumour had probably been growing for most of his life - and that the stalk can wrap around the gut just from the normal gut movement, so the final colic could have happened at any time. They also confirmed that all of the symptoms I had been battling in him for the previous few years - the laminitis, the allergic COPD symptoms, the hind-gut bloating - were all more than likely being triggered by the toxins/hormones coming from this tumour. He also had a slightly high ACTH test result a week or so before he died, which also seemed to have been triggered by the activity of the tumour.

I wish you much strength to make the decision that you think is best, and I send healing to both you and Homer from me and my boy. Much love.

Tam/Marco

UK 2012




--- In EquineCushings@..., "andrealefley" <androbjon@...> wrote:

Homer has had colic all day,

Vet back after 2 hours, gut sounds had improved slightly, gave him 2nd rectal exam and found a mass that he described as being like a strawberry and bigger than a baseball deep inside him, it didn't show up on external ultrasound, it wasn't inside the intestine.

Surgery probably isn't an option, partly because this is rural France, partly because vet said this query tumour is very deep inside him. Vet gave him 15 L of fluid IV as said this might get things moving, and finally gave him Finadyne. That was about an hour and a half ago and he's shown no improvement. Blood tests were apparently ok, but I'm not sure exactly what was tested.

I think we're going to have to let him go as he seems to have given up and I can't let him suffer, I just want to make sure I haven't missed anything.

Sorry to post on here, it's not laminitis this time, I'm desperate.

Andrea
France/UK Jan 2010