I was the event veterinarian for a big horse show when my pager went off in the early hours of the morning. ‘We have a colicky horse,’ the message said. ‘We can’t keep him on his feet!’ It was a groom for a trainer I’d never met, and the owner was from a different state. I threw on my clothes and jumped in my truck, wondering how this story would unfold.
As I drove to the horse showgrounds, my brain clicked into overdrive. How bad would this horse be? Can we find the owner? Is the facility set up so I can get my truck in to the barn? And would I be able to perform an adequate exam in the horse’s stall? What about a truck and trailer? Would there be something available to haul the horse to a referral hospital if his symptoms were severe? And where is my stethoscope anyway? Did I put it back in the drawer after my emergency last night? By the time I arrived, I had planned for every possible scenario.
Are you surprised? Don’t be. Once you call your vet for an emergency and know that help is on its way, you might be
