How to Heal Horse Colic

Colic in horses can not only be painful, but very dangerous as well. Many horses die each year from colic. A horse is considered to have colic if it has any type of abdominal problem. This can range from a case of worms to a twisting of an intestine. Treatment for colic should be administered as soon as a horse is diagnosed.

Things You'll Need

  • Vet
  • List of symptoms
  • Phenylbutazone tablets
  • Stomach tube
  • Mineral oil
  • Laxative
  • Antibiotics
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Instructions

    • 1

      Look out for common symptoms like loss of appetite, constipation, restlessness, biting the stomach, kicking the stomach, rolling on the stomach, moaning, and wandering around aimlessly.

    • 2

      Take notes on the symptoms that your horse is experiencing and call your vet to come out right away. Horse colic gets worse rather quickly and can result in death.

    • 3

      Walk your horse around the barn for 10 to 15 minutes, but no longer. This may help slightly with the pain, but walking too long will exhaust the horse.

    • 4

      Aid the vet in examining your horse. Do your best to keep your horse calm while the vet examines the abdomen and the rectum. The vet may then give your horse some Phenylbutazone tablets for the pain.

    • 5

      Give your vet permission to treat your horse with antibiotics and a laxative. This will clean out the horse's intestines and get rid of any bacteria that may have caused the colic.

    • 6

      Give your vet permission to insert a tube down into the horse's stomach. One gallon of mineral oil will be poured in to get rid of any impactions. It will also clean out the stomach if the horse ate something that was bad.

    • 7

      Allow your vet to perform surgery on your horse if the horse has twisted intestines. This is a last resort for when all other measures will not work. You must trust your vet to do the right thing for your horse to save his life.