Owner praises Rainbow Equine Hospital for saving Flair

Parlington Flair, a seven-year-old pregnant mare, was rushed to Rainbow Equine Hospital in Malton suffering from life-threatening sepsis triggered by an infection in her abdomen that was so severe it had spread to her eyes.

Flair was referred to Rainbow, one of the biggest veterinary centres in the north of England, when she stopped eating and showed signs of being in discomfort.

A peritoneal tap, where a sample of fluid is taken from the abdomen, had been performed by her usual vet and revealed she was suffering from bacterial peritonitis which led to sepsis.

Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection and causes the body’s immune system to attack its own tissues and organs.

Rainbow vet Lizzie Cullen, a European specialist in equine internal medicine, said when Flair arrived, she was seriously ill and had to be carefully guided off the horsebox because the infection in her eyes was affecting her vision.

Due to how poorly she was, the veterinary team could only give the pony a very low chance of survival and, even if she recovered, she was in danger of losing her foal.

However, thanks to intensive treatment and round-the-clock care by the Rainbow team, Flair has made a full recovery and is still carrying her unborn foal.

Lizzie said Flair was a particularly challenging case because as well as peritonitis and sepsis, she had uveitis affecting both eyes, inflammation in her colon (colitis) and high levels of fat in her bloodstream.

“When Flair arrived at Rainbow she was very ill and the odds were stacked against her. She had a number of complications and the fact that she developed septic uveitis is very unusual.

“Flair was at Rainbow for 10 days and our focus was on giving her the best possible supportive care. She had vets, nurses and the yard team monitoring her every day and throughout the night, and it was a real team effort to save her. Everyone was absolutely delighted when she turned a corner and felt well enough to eat again.

“We’re still not sure what initially caused Flair to fall ill, but she’s incredibly lucky that her condition responded to medication. We don’t know if the foal has been affected by the medication Flair received, but when we gave her a final check before she left the hospital it had a strong heartbeat, which is positive.”

Flair is now home in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, with owner Di Johnston of Parlington Miniature Shetland Stud.

Di said when she was told how ill the pony was, she was faced with the difficult decision of putting Flair to sleep or transporting her two hours to Rainbow for treatment.

Di said: “I decided that I had to do what I could to save Flair because she’s only seven and she’s extremely special to us. We bred her, as well as her mother, grandmother and great grandmother and her line goes back six generations.

“Everyone at Rainbow was amazing. It’s due to their care that she’s still here and I can’t thank them enough. Lizzie was great and explained everything clearly, so we understood what was happening and could make informed decisions, and we were sent regular updates on how she was doing. We breathed a huge sigh of relief when they sent through a photo of Flair eating a bowl of grass when she started feeling better. It was my mum, Barbara Johnston’s 95 birthday, and she set up our stud in 1956, so hearing that Flair was getting better made it an extra special day.

“I’m also very grateful to our usual vet Ellie Keightley of Bainbridge Vets who saw Flair when she was first unwell and diagnosed her quickly and referred us to Rainbow.

“It’s so lovely to have Flair back home with the herd and she’s been out grazing happily and even had a buck in the field, so she seems to be feeling well. It feels like a miracle that Flair is still here, but it will be the perfect ending if she gives birth to a healthy foal next spring.”

As well as caring for horses in North Yorkshire, Rainbow Equine Hospital's team of highly qualified specialist vets also treat horses that have been referred from veterinary practices all over the UK. Rainbow Equine Hospital is part of VetPartners, which owns some of the UK and Europe’s most respected and trusted veterinary practices and associated animal healthcare businesses.