Oil Treatment in Horses With Colic

A horse suffering from moderate to severe colic will display such symptoms as rolling and thrashing the legs, nipping at the abdomen, an increased heart rate, cool extremities and capillary refill time greater than three seconds. In such cases, an oil treatment treat this level of colic. A veterinarian should always be contacted when dealing with a moderate to severe colic. Oil is usually administered through a nasogastric tube, or stomach tube put in through the nostrils.

  1. Impaction colic

    • Oil treatments are normally used for impaction colic, a blockage along the digestive tract. The blockage can be caused by improperly digested feed or by foreign materials that have built up in the horse's body. Poor-quality feed often creates blockages, and horses with dental problems or who eat too fast are more likely to develop impactions. Mineral oil helps the impaction by causing the blockage to break up and move along the intestinal tract.

    Oil tubing

    • If your veterinarian decides the horse will be best treated with oil, he will insert the nasogastric tube. Do not attempt to insert a nasogastric tube into your horse's stomach yourself as it is too easy to accidentally put the tube into your horse's lungs instead, which will kill him. After the tube is inserted, there may be some reflux that comes up from the horse's stomach. When there is no more reflux, the vet will first try hydrating the horse with water, then will put three quarts of mineral oil into the horse's stomach.

    Syringing

    • If the horse is starting to work up an impaction, or the impaction is minor, you can give your horse mineral oil yourself by mixing mineral oil, water and powdered electrolytes in a clean bucket. Fill an oral syringe with the solution and administer to the horse through his mouth. This should be done several times, and your horse should be offered water after two or three syringes. Continue every half hour until the horse passes a large amount of manure and seems comfortable. Walk the horse between syringing, and if the horse still has not passed manure after an hour, contact your veterinarian.