Colic & Formula

When a horse colics, it means it has stomach pain. It will show signs of discomfort such as swishing its tail, lying down and rolling, pacing, sweating and not eating. Horses cannot regurgitate, so their stomach and intestines have to do the best possible job during digestion. Gas is a common form of colic, or impaction, meaning they are constipated. When a horse gets down and rolls, this can cause the stomach to twist or intestine to pinch, causing pain and possibly death. Below is a step-by-step formula of how to deal with a horse colicking.

  1. Prevention/Solution

    • To prevent colic in a horse, keep their schedule the same. Do not change feeding times, always have water and forage available for them to consume, let them have turn-out time and slowly get them used to travelling. Anything out of their normal pattern will cause stress, and some react through their stomachs. At the same time always check their food, hay and water to make sure it is fresh. Feed and water can get rancid, and hay can get moldy. Unlike cattle and other livestock, horses' stomachs cannot digest this.

    Identification

    • Begin to walk your horse once any stress or colic signs are shown. The signs are not eating, pacing, sweating, swishing their tail, pawing a lot, looking at their stomach, laying down and rolling. The last thing you want is your horse to do is roll enough to twist its stomach. Once this happens, it is not an easy fix. Take away all food and water, take your horse's temperature and then call your veterinarian. Be prepared to explain your horse's symptoms, give them the temperature and even the respiration rate.

    Considerations

    • Be prepared to give a shot of Banamine while waiting for the veterinarian to come. This is a good drug to keep on hand if you own horses. You will also need needles and syringes. Under the instruction of your veterinarian, give your horse 10 cc of Banamine once you notice signs of pain. Many times, this will ease the pain and allow the gut to relax. In most cases this is the cure for a simple gas colic, although it is still smart to have your veterinarian examine your horse. Some horses can take a lot more pain than others and will cover up signs of major colic issues until it is too late.

    Considerations

    • Once you have called the veterinarian, start to process how much money you are willing to spend if the colic is more severe than you might realize. Impaction and twisted guts generally require surgery. According to docstoc.com, surgery can range in price from $5,000 to $10,000 and can be done at major veterinarian medical institutes. When your vet arrives, tell him how much money you are willing to spend to give him an idea of how to tell you to treat your animal.

    Warning

    • There are many things that can cause colic and no two horses are the same. Also, some symptoms can occur that appear to signal colic but that may not, such as choking, high fever and unknown pregnancies. If these symptoms appear, the best person to talk to is always a licensed veterinarian. The best medicine is Banamine, no matter if it's colic or not: It is like Tylenol for horses, and can be given in the muscle or vein. Beware of phenylbutazone, also known as bute, an anti-inflammatory drug widely given for long-term pain management. It must always be given in the vein and can cause gastric ulcers or kidney dysfunction, but can be used in a worst-case scenario. And always walk the horse. That will never hurt the animal and will keep their mind off of rolling and the pain.