Posts Tagged ‘equine colic’

A diagnosis of equine colic is a situation that worrries any horse owner. So what is equine colic? What indicators should you be aware of?

Colic in horses refers to pain originating in the abdomen. Normally horses will not handle pain of the abdomen very well. So if there is any abnormality in gut functioning they will usually show signs of discomfort.

Signs of irritation could be stretching, a stance as if to urinate, and hoofing the floor. If the pain is greater the horse will get up and down, and roll to try to become more comfortable.

It will likely start to sweat. In more severe cases it will stand up and lie down and continuously roll.

What Should You Do?
If you believe your horse has colic, it’s best to call an equine vet immediately. They will be in a position to supply emergency pain relief and make a decision whether additional treatment is necessary.

What should you do while waiting for the vet to arrive? Taking your horse for a walk sometimes helps. It may encourage his guts to work ina normal manner and surpress any discomfort. It could also further prevent him lying down and rolling. However if he is currently lying down quietly then you should let him stay lying down.

It was thought that a horse could twist its gut by rolling. That has been proven to be probably not true. But it is preferred to stop him rolling over if possible. This way you can stop your horse causing injury himself by knocking himself on the stable walls. But be careful that you don’t get injured yourself. It’s likely horses will forget all their normal manners if in pain.

There are many different reasons as to why horses get colic. But often the signs look the same regardless of the cause.

How does the vet investigate the problem? He or she will have a listen to the abdomen with a stethoscope to show them if there is more or less activity in the gut than normal.

Monitoring the heart rate gives a good indication of the severity of the discomfort and the seriousness of the issue. A horse with a normal heart beat does not have a sever case. Whereas fast heart rates are not such a promising sign.

A really helpful part of the examination will be the examination of the rectum. By physically feeling the intestines, vets could be able to find the cause of the issue. It goes without saying that this is a very complicated procedure, that is potentially hazardous for both the horse and vet. However for an experienced equine vet the feedback it gives is invaluable in concluding the nature of the issue. Helping to discover a blockage, or a swollen area of gut as a result of a twist or another problem with the intestines.

In all but the simple cases vets may inset a tube through the horses’ nose into the stomach. It sounds uncomfortable but often may make your horse comfortable by releasing the pressure from the stomach. Doing this can also give the vet useful feedback about whether the stomach is functioning correctly.

On occasion a horse is in so much pain that it isn’t possible for the vet to diagnose properly without first applying a dose of sedative.

Only by considering all of the information provided by a careful examination is the vet able to make an initial diagnosis. Though it might not be possible to tell exactly what the problem is.

Occasionally, after the initial inspection, the horse needs surgery. But more usually the vet will decide to treat the horse with a fast-acting painkiller and monitor his condition after a few hours. Most examples display a quick improvement. However others will show no response to the treatment, or they will respond at first, then start displaying signs of pain again later.

In preference to having to call the vet out multiple times, it is normally better to move these cases to a specialist equine practice where they can be closely monitored and surgery can be performed if necessary.

Conclusion
Luckily the vast majority of examples respond to medical intervention. However if surgery is necessary – it is important to operate early. The likelyhood of a successful outcome is much better if the surgery is carried out before too much damage has occurred.

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Colic is the single most important horse disease. It causes more horse fatalities than any other illness and even when horses fully recover it is the single biggest cause of major veterinary expenses. It can also cause other illnesses such as lminitis or founder.

There are douzens of different types of colic and just as many causes. However, the primary causes have been identified by research which has spaned thousands of colic cases. Following is a list of what one should do to avoid these primary causes and thereby minimise the risk of horse colic, as well as being generally good horse health practices.

1) Feed Frequently. Horses have evolved as foragers, eating throughout the day. The more often your horse eats, the healthier its digestive system will be. Try to replace a few large meals by more but smaller meals.

2) Grass before Grain. The equine digestive system is designed for ‘high volume, low calorie’ food such as grass or hay. Energy-dense foods such as grain or musli have insufficient volume and fiber. Consequently, the diet should have as much grass or hay as possible. If one feeds both hay and grain, one should feed the hay followed by the grain rather than the reverse order, as this results in better digestion and less bolting.

3) Soak Food Pellets. Food pellets (such as pelleted hay) should be soaked. Unsoaked pellets can greatly expand upon entering the stomach, resulting in bloating. Also, both choke and bolting are more likely to occur with unsoaked pellets.

4) Secure the Feedroom. The feedroom should be locked or have a horse-proof latch to prevent horses from getting in and gorging themselves. Excessive feeding, especially on grain and similar foods, can result in colic. It can also cause laminitis or founder.

5) Bolting. If your horse bolts (swallows before chewing) its food, discuss options with your veterinarian. You may need to change its feed or feeding regime (e.g. soak pellets, feed hay before grain, feed more often) to correct this habit. Also check if there are dental issues which require corrective work.

6) Dietary Dirt and Sand. Horses that eat dirt or sand in large amounts can develop impaction colic. Avoid putting your horses on over-grazed pastures as they are likely to eat earth when they pull up the remaining grass with attached roots. Do not feed them on a sandy or dirt surface.

7) Sufficient Water. A horse needs to drink adequate water througout the day. During winter their water should be warmed as horses often don’t drink sufficient water if it is too cold. After exercise, let them drink but limit the quantity until they have cooled down.

De-worming. Horses should be de-wormed regularly (every 3-4 months). All the horses which share a pasture should be de-wormed at the same time to prevent cross-infection. If a horse has not been de-wormed for a long time, use a laxative a few days before to clear out the worst of the worm population before administrating a de-wormer medication.

9) Regular Exercise. Horses with insufficient exercise are more prone to colic. When starting an exercise regime, start gradually as rapid changes in the amount of exercise can result in colic.

10) Bedding. If your horse eats its bedding, especially in large quantities, consider changing to a bedding type which it does not eat.

11) Temperature. A horse that becomes chilled is likely to develop colic. This is particularly true if there is a sudden drop in temperature. If a horse is likely to be chilled (e.g. old, weak, sick, shaved, short coat, unaccustomed to cold) then they need to be protected during extreme weather. The use of a rug should be considered. During extremely cold weather, especially if wet and windy, it may be adviseable to confine weaker horses to their stables.