Royal Kaliber Recovering from Colic Surgery in the Netherlands

Royal Kaliber, the stallion that took Chris Kappler to a silver Olympic team medal and an individual bronze medal in Athens last month, underwent colic surgery in Someren, the Netherlands late yesterday. He suffered a leg injury in the final

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Royal Kaliber, the stallion that took Chris Kappler to a silver Olympic team medal and an individual bronze medal in Athens last month, underwent colic surgery in Someren, the Netherlands late yesterday. He suffered a leg injury in the final round of the individual show jumping competition and he was being monitored in Europe before a decision was made to ship him back to the United States.


Jack Snyder, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, a professor in the Department of Surgical and Radiologic Services at the University of California, Davis, and a director of the Olympic Veterinary Clinic during the Athens Games, and Barry David, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, of Blue Ridge Equine clinic (Earlysville, Va.), who flew to the Netherlands from the United States, performed the surgery assisted by Edwin Enzerink, DVM, of Veterinair Centrum Someren (the hospital where the surgery was performed). According to Snyder, Royal Kaliber is doing well. He is drinking water, eating grass, and sleeping normally. He had been suffering recurring bouts of chronic colic since the conclusion of the Olympic Games. Fluid on the stomach was building up causing chronic gastric reflux.


“We don’t ever want to do surgery if we don’t have to, but in the last four days it did become apparent surgery would be needed,” said Snyder. “After viewing the ultrasound, which showed possible intestinal adhesion, we determined it was best to operate now, before he lost any significant condition. When we went in, the large intestine and small intestine had adhered together and to the spleen, which required removal of part of both the large and small intestine. He is critical but stable; the next five days are the most critical period.”


Snyder also said that Royal Kaliber’s tendon injury in his front leg was “doing great.” USEF team veterinarian Tim Ober, DVM, of John R. Steele & Associates, Inc. in Vernon, N.Y., has been with the horse treating him since the Olympic Games. On Friday Ober called in Snyder, a specialist in surgery and David, an internal medicine specialist. “I can say that the colic is not related to the leg. We will never know the cause and this type of problem is not directly stress related, it can happen at any time under any circumstances,” said Snyder

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