Costly Colic

Pyper Tucker had found her dream horse in Burger. The 16.2hh 12-year-old thoroughbred was the perfect companion that would allow Pyper to take the next step in her passion of horse riding. 

The advertisement for Burger had been sent to Pyper’s mum, Melissa, on January 8. “They all knew we were looking for that perfect all-round schoolmaster that would allow Pyper to take the next step in her riding.

“I rang and we organised to drive the five hours to Koo Wee Rup to have a look that night.”

Arriving late to view Burger, he licked Pyper’s arm and it was love at first site. The gentle giant settled Pyper’s nerves from the moment she hopped on him, she did not want to ever get off.

As a bonding experience Pyper and Burger had been booked into a four-day Alycia Burton clinic the following Wednesday. The family arranged to pick Burger up on the Tuesday afternoon and take him to the clinic. From leaving his former owner’s property at 5pm it was less than two hours to Elcho Park where the clinic was being held.

Burger arrived safely and settled in well, but by 8pm the horse began to look unwell with colic. 

After a few hours walking the horse, the decision was made to call the local vet. The attending vet provided medication, thinking it was a mild case of colic and it would pass by the morning.

Unfortunately, after a very long night of unrest, Burger was starting to display discomfort again. The next step was the Werribee Equine Hospital, 40 minutes away. The initial consultation by the vets indicated Burger had a minor large colon impaction but they would be able to clear it with electrolytes and medication for 24 hours, quoting $3,500.

With Burger in good hands, Pyper and Melissa headed back to the clinic to wait for some news. “All the other girls at the clinic were amazing, allowing Pyper to borrow horses to complete the clinic, but it wasn’t the same,” said Melissa.

A call came at 10am, Burger had deteriorated and needed emergency surgery if he was to have any chance of surviving. The new quote was between $8,000 and $15,000, depending on the length and complexity of the surgery.

After a sleepless night, the report was not good. The surgery turned lengthy and complicated – the blockage was not where the vets expected it to be and its location provided a whole new set of obstacles.

Burger is a fighter and is slowly and steadily making his way back to a stable condition.

Pyper and Melissa are hoping he might be able to come home later this week, with strict movement restrictions, regular medications, and a feeding routine.

A GoFundMe campaign was set up by the former owner to help with the large vet bill; the campaign title is ‘Help support colic surgery for Burger’.