Maz's Colic Scare

Maz laying down after not eating on 9/13/25

On Saturday evening (September 13th) the horses came in to eat dinner around 8pm. Maz ran up drenched in sweat, he wasn't interested in his feed bag, he was pacing with his head low and pawing at the ground. Occasionally he would bite at his stomach and eventually he laid down. I had never experienced a horse colic before, but I knew he was displaying classic colic behavior. With it being so late on a weekend I called the Vet immediately. Dr. Nightingale at Hill Country Veterinary Hospital answered and Maz was in the stocks at the clinic 30 minutes later.

Dr. Nightingale got to work right away. He listened for gut sounds, there were none. He ran blood work, checked his gums and sedated Maz. The Doctor then began tubing, a procedure used to relieve pressure from the horse's stomach by removing fluid and gas. Maz had lots of gastric reflux, which was an indication of an obstruction in the digestive system.

Maz getting tubed (nasogastric intubation)

The Doctor told me that if Maz already had a small twist in his bowels, surgery would be necessary and could cost anywhere from $5,000-10,000. Unfortunately I can't afford that, and had to sign paperwork that if his condition worsened overnight he would be put down.

So I gave Maz a last hug and headed home.

The next morning I got confirmation he had made it through the night! Mark, Guinni and myself went to go visit him and bring some hay. He wasn't eating yet, but he would stay until the afternoon for observation.

Emily & Maz

Guinni & Maz

Guinni walking Maz

He definitely didn't like being away from his friends, so he was happy to see us. We walked him around and he sniffed the grass but didn't eat. It was hard to leave him but we had to get back to the ranch for lessons.

He was cleared to come home that afternoon, and by 2:30pm he was back eating hay with the herd like nothing happened. I still had to keep a close eye on him, we were concerned his melanoma was causing the issue internally. Dr. Nightingale had looked around with an ultrasound and didn't see anything, but it was still a possibility.

Maz back home eating 9/14/25

Maz got a low dose of banamine for the next several days. He had tested positive for ulcers during his hospitalization, in a Succeed Equine Fecal Blood Test, and started on Outlast in his feed. I also like to use this recipe for Ulcer Tea from Balance Through Movement Method. I use two ingredients in a 50/50 mixture. 1 cup soaked in their feed 2x daily.

• Throat Coat Tea

• Aloe Vera Juice

I started racking my brain to figure out what caused Maz’s colic. I had recently moved them to a new pasture that had a lot of weeds growing in it, so I got a plant identifier app and started cataloging the weeds out there. The first plant I checked up on was Silverleaf Nightshade and confirmed that it is toxic to horses. It’s not something they would normally eat if they have plenty of other food around, which they do, but it was a possibility. Another plant that was everywhere in their pasture and they avoided eating was Prairie Tea. A quick google search and talk with the Bandera County Extension Agent found that plant to also be toxic for horses. I moved the horses back to their original dry lot pasture to be safe.

Almost exactly two weeks later Maz was laying down after eating his dinner. I was sure it was happening again. He got up, didn’t shake and was just standing there. I gave him a 1,000 lb dose of Banamine and we started walking. He wasn’t interested in eating and I wasn’t going to let him eat at first. I walked him and kept him close for the next few hours. He started to want to eat and I heard gut sounds so I turned him back out for the night and prayed for the best. 

Maz laying down after eating 9/26/25

He was fine in the morning and hasn’t had a recurrence yet. Another thing I realized as I was updating our website and writing the horse bios, is that Maz has been on Equioxx since his Vet visit to Texas Equine back in early January. He also got steroid injections in his hocks and SI. January 14th he had a sore on his lip that took a couple weeks to resolve. By the end of March Maz had noticeably lost weight. I started feeding him more and doing exercises to build hind end muscle and he got better. 

Mouth Sore 1/14/25

Maz Weight Loss 3/28/25

There is a long list of side effects for Equioxx, especially with long term use, including mouth sores, ulcers and weight loss. I think for Maz the potential risks outweigh the benefits and I took him off Equioxx. 

I hope with the changes I’ve made that Maz continues to be with us for a long time. It’s made me appreciate him so much more. He was definitely worth it to save, everytime I see him I feel incredibly grateful.

Guinni & Maz

Below is the Vet bill from Maz's hospital stay, if you’re able to donate we would greatly appreciate it!

Donate to Maz's Vet Bill

Vet Bill Page 2