STAR Tasmanian galloper Geegees Blackflash is again fighting for his life after a routine exploratory examination revealed the horse had a huge abscess in his bowel that threatened to kill him unless it was fully drained or removed.
Geegees Blackflash underwent surgery last Sunday week to attend to a lump in his bowel that was half the size of a basketball but the equipment used for that procedure wasn’t good enough to reveal the full picture.
Melbourne vetrinarian Tom Russell flew into Launceston last Sunday with some new exploratory equipment which was going to give them a better view of the problem area in the horse’s gut.
Trainer Leon Wells said what they found was a huge abscess that had formed in the bowel and unless it could be fully drained or removed the horse would stand the risk of septicaemia setting in from which he would surely die.
“We all know this horse s tough because of what he’s been able to do on the racetrack but the vets are absolutely amazed at his courage in the way he’s trying to get through this ordeal,” Wells said.
“Our local vet Mike Morris who assisted the Melbourne vet said most other horses would not have survived two major bouts if surgery in the space of a week.”
“Geegees Blackflash is literally fighting for his life but the vet says that if he can get through the next two days and all of the much from the abscess is discharged through his bowel then he is likely to survive,” he said.