21
September 2016 THE HORSE TheHorse.com
CHRISTA LESTÉ-LASSERRE, MA
O
uragan was in a critical state. Four days after colic surgery, the
regional show jumping champion was suffering from postopera-
tive ileus (a lack of gut motility) and facing a mere 5% chance of
survival. To make matters worse, Ouragan (French for "Hurri-
cane") reacted to his hospital surroundings with severe stress. The 12-year-
old half-Thoroughbred was naturally high-strung, and being confined to
an unfamiliar stall and surrounded by foreign sights, sounds, and smells
pushed him beyond his limits.
But one thing calmed him—his owner. Every day after work and on weekends, Claire Boil-
lin, of Auxonne, France, would make the 200-km (124-mile) drive to see Ouragan at the clinic.
It provided a moment of relief for the horse, as well as the staff.
"He wouldn't sleep and just kept refluxing (expelling fluid when veterinarians tubed him),
and I was sure he wouldn't make it through the night," she says of that pivotal fourth day in
his healing. "When I went in his stall, he was so exhausted, he just lay down. I sat next to him
CARING
FOR THE
COLIC SURVIVOR
Special maintenance and
nutrition can help your horse
get back to (and stay in) good
health after a colic episode
PAULA
DA
SILVA/ARND.NL