DECEMBER 2021 NEWSLETTER
COLIC
The term colic refers to abdominal pain. Conditions that cause colic are gas, impaction, fluid on the stomach, displaced or twisted intestine. Laying down, rolling, pawing, sweating, inappetence, and looking back at their sides are common signs of colic.
Diagnosis is based on a physical exam consisting of checking the heart rate, temperature, intestinal signs, performing a rectal palpation and nasal gastric tubing (to check for reflux). Treatment is based on the type of colic presented. With appropriate and timely treatments, the prognosis for colic is usually good.
Some Do’s and Don’ts of Colic.
1. Do call the Vet immediately. The Vet can ask questions over the phone to assess what plan of action to do.
2. Don’t use the wait and see attitude. Even if symptoms appear very mild, they should never be ignored. If your gut feeling tells you the horse isn’t doing right, it usually isn’t.
3. Do have a dose of Banamine on hand. You may be instructed by your vet to give Banamine orally and wait 1 hour to see if the colic resolves. Don’t over medicate. If one dose of Banamine did not work, the condition is beyond what the drug can do. Take the horse to the vet.
4. Do look for the presence of feces and consistency.
5. Do walk your horse if possible. Walking can stimulate gut mobility, gas passage, prevents rolling, and may clear mild colic. Walk for 1 hour to give the Banamine time to work. Don’t walk several hours as it will exhaust the horse. Excessive and or aggressive exercise slows gut mobility and can increase dehydration.
6. Don’t give enemas or put the water hose in the rectum. The rectum tissue can tear very easily and this can be fatal.
7. Don’t feed or hay the horse as food can make the problem worse. Restrict water also, until the horse can be tubed or is better.
8. Do start thinking about trailering as soon as colic symptoms are observed. Is your trailer ready to go? If not, borrow one or have a hauler on standby. When hauling, move the trailer dividers to the side, so the horse doesn’t get cast underneath them. Most horses concentrate on riding in the trailer and won’t go down. Never ride in the trailer with the horse.
COLIC PREVENTION
1. Do maintain a consistent feeding schedule and feed more hay. Horse’s intestinal tracts are made to eat forage grass or hay constantly. Unless your vet has recommended a restricted diet, offer free choice hay, especially in cold weather. Don’t run out of hay and then days later put out a round bale. The horse will overeat and get impaction colic.
2. Do feed grain twice a day. Split the daily ration into smaller amounts, instead of one big grain meal. Large amounts of grain especially with no hay, cause gas colic.
3. Do encourage drinking, by adding salt to the feed. Provide cool water in the summer and warm water in the winter. Keep water containers free from ice during freezing temperatures. Most horses don’t drink as much in cold weather. Eager eaters on round bales may not stop and consume enough water. This is a recipe for colic. You can increase consumption by adding water to their grain ration or alfalfa cubes.
4. Do take steps to reduce sand ingestion. Feed grain in a trough feeder, rubber tub, or barrel. Placing a rubber mat under the feeder will decrease the sand consumed when the horse picks up dropped grain. Sweep the sand off the mat regularly. You can check your horse’s manure for sand by placing 2 cups of manure in a gallon zip lock bag and filling with water. Shake well until all manure is dissolved. Hold the bag by 1 top corner, tap the bag, and the sand will settle in the lowest corner. It there is ½ teaspoon or more, treat with psyllium or sand clear.
5. Do give gastric ulcer prevention products for stressed horses, performance horses, and horses that have a history of ulcers. Neighlox, U-Gard or Ulcerguard, given daily helps keep ulcers in check. We also have a Succeed fecal Ulcer test, to see if your horse has Ulcers.
6. Do consider programs or major medical insurance that covers colic expenses. Treating colic can be very costly. Some equine insurance policies cover only surgical colic, while major medical insurance covers both medical and surgical. Smartpack, Platinum supplements have surgical colic coverage benefits. Arenus Assure Gold supplement offers medical and surgical benefits. Refer to the manufactures’ website for details.
The good news in that most colics can be resolved 90% of the time. A phone call to your Vet is far less costly, than dealing with a worsening colic situation.
Recent Comments