Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlinsky
I was looking up some things about colitis and it was suggested that Swale actually may've suffered from that, but it sure sounds like he was struck more suddenly than Landaluce or Paynter. Would the effects occur that soon? You could gallop and then drop dead within 30 minutes? I'd always thought it was a heart attack, but apparently the autopsy didn't indicate heart damage.
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Yes. Colitis is nearly always infection (variety of agents), and the colon is a "shock organ" in horses. A fulminating septicemia originating in colon can kill very quickly, unfortunately.
With Swale, if that's what he had, the gallop didn't give him the colitis, but would have exacerbated it quickly and fatally.
FYI there are "heart attacks" that are caused by arrhythmia (irregular heart rhythm) that are not detectable on autopsy.