Poorly Munchkin

Poor Munchkin has been feeling very poorly today...he wasn't right this morning, much quieter than usual.  This morning he laid down in the yard on the concrete for a while, which is very unusual, but he got up again and so we kept an eye on him whilst we did the morning chores.  All the haynets were out and usually he'd be munching away, eating everyone else's ration as well as his own...but today he just stood by the net with his eyes half shut.  It just wasn't Munch's normal behaviour.  Whilst we were discussing next steps and whether to call the vet, he started kicking his belly...so that was it confirmed...Munch had colic. 

We called the vet and they said they would be at the yard within an hour.  Munch was presenting mild symptoms of colic, no rolling as such, but he would lie down for a while and then get back up again.  He had passed manure twice during the morning, and his stomach was gurgling away, which are good signs, but colic is a painful, and sometimes fatal condition, and has to be taken seriously.  As the hour progressed, he laid down flat out in the barn with one back leg in the air (not a nice sight!), trying to feel more comfortable and showing us that his tummy hurts.  A lovely vet, Neil, came to the rescue, braving the appalling weather and floods to get out to us.  He assessed Munch and was very quiet and understanding with him.  We just can't work out a cause for the colic.   The vet was happy with Munch's daily routine and management.  Neil was able to confirm (by listening to Munch's tummy) that his gut is still working and he also checked Munch's manure, which all looked normal.  Munch had to be brave to have a needle inserted into his neck to administer some pain relief and anti-inflammatory.  Munch wasn't best pleased about that, but did feel a bit better once the drugs were in.  Volunteer Mel was great and helped with Munch all morning.

Now we're just observing Munch...he's in the stable and we're checking him every hour to make sure he's still ok.  His tummy's still sore but he's not colicking (touch wood)...so lots of positive, "get better" thoughts for Munch please!

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