“What are the symptoms for Colic?”

How do you treat them before the vet gets there to do the real work? And what would a vet do to treat them?

Dr. Cheryl Rahal’s Answer:

Nakita,

Colic is abdominal pain. There are more things that can cause colic than founder, and there are different types of colic, such as gas colic, sand colic, spasmodic colic, impactions, obstructions, displacements, strangulations and torsions. The symptoms range from lack of appetite, depression, flank checking or pawing, to laying down, rolling, and thrashing. It is best to treat colic early on and avoid progression of the disease. So call your veterinarian as soon as possible and obtain advice on what to do while you wait for their arrival. If your horse is rolling and thrashing, its best to get them up and walk them to prevent self-trauma, however if they lay down quietly, there is no need to walk them. It is very helpful to your veterinarian if you can learn how to take a heart rate or pulse. A normal heart rate is 36-44 beats per minute. A higher rate is indicative of level of pain.I hope this answers your questions. Good luck.

 

“Since I have had him, he has had two cases of colic,...?”

I have a 7-year-old Thoroughbred that I got from the racetrack this past November. Since I have had him, he has had two cases of colic, neither very severe, but enough to cause me concern. I lost my old horse to colic and really never want to go through that again. I spoke to my horse’s old owner, who told me that every once in awhile, my horse would go through little bouts of colic (or “upset stomach”) where he just didn’t feel right. He said it was never anything serious and a shot of Banamine always did the trick. The last time my horse colicked, it began at 8 in the morning (just with him pawing and wanting to lie down…vitals were all normal), lasted for about an hour with Banamine being administered. He settled enough to go back outside, and then when he was brought inside around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, he was acting funny again. Now I work hard to keep my horse, and I can’t afford to have him colicking, however unserious it is. My question comes down to this: what supplements can I feed him to help him with this slight colic problem? The products I have been most seriously looking into are UGard 2X and TractGard. My vet recommended NeighLox, but I just can’t afford to spend that much. My horse is also very skinny, and we are trying to get him to put on weight without upping his feed too much, since we are afraid that too much grain will make him colic. I understand that ulcers may be a cause, so that is also the reason I am looking into those specific supplements. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and I’m sorry if this is long-winded and/or hard to understand. Thank you for your patience.

Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:

Libby:

It is unfortunate that your horse colics a lot. There are numerous, too many to list, causes of colic, and your horse may have any one or a combination of those causes that cause him frequent colic. The premise your veterinarian recommending Neighlox is that he or she’s presumably treating him for ulcer-related colic, which the Neighlox should help prevent. I am not familiar with the products Ugard or TractGard, but from their names I would guess are similar (ulcer-preventatives). I realize that Neighlox may be (relatively) expensive, but you also need to consider all the scenarios. If each time your horse colics you call your veterinarian out, your cumulative spending could add up to be (again, relatively) a significant amount of money. Conversely, if you started your horse on Neighlox, it would be a large initial expense, but in the long run may ward off future colic episodes. This is all an assumption that your horse is colicking from ulcers. You could have your horses? stomach endoscoped to see if he indeed does have gastric ulcers, before starting the Neighlox treatment.

Alternatively, you must consider the ramifications of frequent or repeated use of Banamine. While it is a great drug, one of the potential complications is that it may actually contribute to the formation of gastric ulcers. It is also a good enough drug that, in the face of more serious problems, it can mask the pain while the horse is deteriorating. You should work in close association with your veterinarian and discuss this with him or her before repeating Banamine doses.

A suggestion to (perhaps) your shorter-term dilemma would be to run a 30-day course of Gastrogard (or other ulcer preventative), and then stop.

If your horse has complete resolution of all colic signs during this time, and resumes once treatment is stopped, then it is more likely that this is his problem. However, it is not a guaranteed diagnosis, rather by doing this method, it becomes more of a rule-out diagnosis.
Please let me know if I can be of any more help.

 

“What would cause a mare to lose her appetite and want to lie down…?”

Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:

Hi Della,
When a horse looses their appetite and begins wanting to spend a lot of time laying down, you might suspect an illness such as colic or some other illness that would cause a horse to be uncomfortable. You should take the mare’s temperature and check her pulse. Rectal temperature should not be over 101, and her heart rate should not be over 45 beats per minute. If you are not comfortable checking her vital signs, it would be wise to have a Veterinarian check her out. Although mild colic is one of the most likely causes, it could be any number of illnesses that could be bothering your mare. I hope this helps.

 

“A week ago he came down with bad colic, his temp was under 33.9 celsius and his legs felt like ice…?”

Hi I really need help, I have a yearling colt that was given to me about 4 months ago due to the owner not being able to feed him, he was very skinny and full of small redworms, about 35% of his manure after drenching was worms, I have drenched him every 6 to 8 weeks relentlessly since I got him. A week ago he came down with bad colic, his temp was under 33.9 celsius and his legs felt like ice, my vet was called and we treated him for colic, we didn’t expect him to make it through the night however he did pull through, he picked up 11 hours after treatment, didn’t pass manure for over 18 hours. Thinking he was over it, 5 days later he was ill again, not rolling around just standing in a corner thumping his head into the wall at times, we had full control over the food he ate between colic bouts, once again the vet was called same treatment but he gave him a gut drench for the worms just in case, he has pulled through again but I am keeping him on small regular feeds with paraffin oil added. We have only noticed 2 fully grown bot larvae’s and a few small white worms in his manure, it has now been 3 days since the last bout of colic and his manure is starting to look hard and dry so I’m upping the paraffin oil in his feed to try to prevent another attack, My vet has no idea what it is and say’s taking blood for testing would do no good unless you know what your looking for. I’m desperate for any idea’s that will help keep this little fellow alive. Here are a few more of the symptoms or signs he was showing, sudden pain in stomach, cold sweat’s, drooling and both times he had blood in his mouth from banging his nose and head also would throw his head if you touched his nose or mouth, groggy like he was very drunk, gum’s stayed pink the hole time, heart rate 2nd time was 50 bpm, over 18 hour both times before manure passed. Thanks for your time.

Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:

Hi Kim,
You could probably rule out the typical impaction colic and fat tumors or enterolyths, as these are seen predominately in older horse colics. With the symptoms that you are describing, I would be quite suspicious of stomach or small intestinal ulceration as a primary cause. Worm damage from blood worms (the small red worms) would also be high on the list, and in fact, both problems may be going on at once. Also, if the horse has a high level of ascarids, these can cause obstruction colic after a worming. Ivermectin wormers would be important to rid the horse of the migrating blood worm and ascarid larvae, and this could prevent any future damage to the blood supply of the intestines. It would also get rid of the bots that might be causing a problem. Once a month is satisfactory for this worming regime.
A blood analysis could actually indicate whether this problem is associated with anemia, which could be seen as another indication of chronic ulceration of the stomach or small intestine. A slight elevation in the white count could also go along with this possibility. See if your Vet can check the weanling for ulcers. It is also possible that the poor condition the foal was in when you got him means that the intestinal tract was damaged early by these parasites, and you are just seeing the after effects. This is a challenging case but I really feel that you will be able to help your weanling with continued determination.

 

“I recently moved my two quarter horses from CT to NH…..Last night one of them had colic like symptoms. “…

I recently moved my two quarter horses from CT to NH. They have been there only 2 weeks, and my mother is caring for them. Last night one of them had colic like symptoms. She did call a vet and he said she did the right thing by walking him around and taking out his food and hay from the stall. I was wondering if there is something else we should be doing? What to look for that may have caused his bellyache? Is there a medicine that should be administered? This morning he seemed happy and ready to go, what are the chances it will happen again? Some are saying they should be dewormed again since they moved, some say it’s from the new pasture, some say grain, hay, water…That its maybe just from moving them??? I am a new horse owner and getting too many opinions and not enough answers. I do not want this to happen again. PLEASE HELP…

Chastity:

Colic can arise from a myriad of causes and yes; all of those that you mentioned can cause it.  Change in grain, hay, temperature, barometric pressure/weather, and feeding habits/times can all cause colic.  Just moving alone, to a new barn/turn-out, having new horsey neighbors, and even new handlers can stress a horse enough to cause colic.  Ulcers can arise from any of these stressors in any combination, and ulcers alone can cause terrible colic.  My advice is to monitor him, keep him in as much of a routine as possible, and feed electrolytes to ensure he is drinking.  Putting electrolytes in the water is not a good idea, as the horse may not drink that water.  But feeding them (in a little grain/supplement) will ensure the horse is getting them.  Any time he colics, you should call the veterinarian, even to discuss over the phone; he may not necessarily need a visit, but you should have the doctor help you make that decision. Good luck,

 

Bermuda hay? Is it known to cause impaction colic?

May I also ask another question…about worming? Is it better to do a daily wormer or a wormer that you give every 6-8 weeks?

Thanks for all your help. I could ask a million more questions, but I know you’re a busy man.

Dr. Bill Schurg’s Answer:

Cindi:
No hay source is fool proof when it comes to possible association with colic. But generally if the hay is good quality, clean and free of dust, dirt, mold or foreign materials it is not likely to cause colic. So is Bermuda known to cause impaction colic? Probably not.

The overall management program of feeding horses small meals over several meals each day along with other health care considerations are important. I have found that in many situations a 45-60 day deworming program is quite effective. But you should contact your veterinarian and make sure that in your geographical area that this is recommended. In some areas of the country a daily program along with paste de-worming may be more appropriate. Hope this is helpful.

 

“She is well looked after, but prone to colic…?”

If I don’t hand feed my 4y.o mare she will get colic, she’s been drenched twice and wormed regularly, she is well looked after, but prone to colic, my vet seems seems to think something is obstructing her food passage for she gets loud gut noises after eating, Can anyone suggest what it could be, (perhaps cancer) or something to help control it?

Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:

Hi Katie,
When you say you need to hand feed your mare or she will get colic, I assume that you are actually present during her eating and may actually control the length of time it takes her to eat her normal ration. If this is what prevents her from developing colic, it may very well be that she is eating too rapidly, when you are not in attendance. Too rapid intake of grain (concentrate) especially will cause many horses to show colicy signs immediately after finishing the grain. Another common cause of colic associated with feeding time is seen in horses that are suffering with stomach ulcers. Has your Vet checked her for ulcers? Cancer is an unlikely cause in a young mare like yours. Horses that have stomach ulcers would be expected to have increased gut sounds after eating , but normal gut sounds are increased right after eating also. I would suggest that you continue to have your Vet look into the cause of this since it could very well be controlled once the exact cause is determined.

 

“My aunt’s horse ate a large quantity of “sweet feed” and is now sick from it…?”

She hasn’t been able to reach her Vet on his emergency line. What should we do? Please help today if you can.

Dr. Jack Sales Answer:

Hi Virginia,
I assume that the sickness the horse is showing is colic symptoms. The horse is showing evidence of a digestive upset such as bloating, kicking at the belly, up and down a lot and definitely showing evidence of being uncomfortable or even violently painful. What can you do until you get in touch with a Vet or until the Vet arrives? Fist of all; continue to locate a Veterinarian as soon as possible. When a horse has colic, especially from overeating on sweet feed, the sooner that a Veterinarian can treat the horse with laxatives, anti-inflammatory, and other major medication, the better chance your horse has in surviving the colic episode, and the better chance your horse has in not developing laminitis (founder) from this overeating episode. If the horse is trying to get down and roll because of the pain, try to keep him moving (force walking) to keep his mind off the pain and keep him from violent rolling. If it is possible, get your horse to the Vet by trailer in order to get proper and rapid attention. Good Luck.

 

“I am doing a project on colic in horses…”

Please answer the following questions:

1.How do vets treat a twisted gut?

2.What are the symptoms of Enteritis/colitis?

3.How do you treat Enteritis/colitis?
4.What are the symptoms of Gastric distension/ rupture?
5. how do you treat Gastric distension/ rupture?

Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:

Hi Sian,

1. Veterinarians normally have to surgically correct twisted intestines. Sometimes some of the intestinal area that has been twisted must be removed. It is a very difficult surgery that not all horses will survive.

2.The symptoms of enteritis (anterior or proximal enteritis) are colic signs, fluid accumulation in the stomach and small intestine, and voluminous gastric reflux when a tube is passed into the stomach. Colitis is an inflammation of the colon or the horse which causes a severe diarrhea and can cause severe dehydration and can be life threatening. It can be caused by salmonella bacteria or other types of bacteria.

3. Gastric distention is a form of colic that is caused by overeating or excess fermentation of feed in the stomach which produces excess gas and fluid build up in the stomach. It is a very severe form of colic and since horses cannot naturally vomit, if the fluid and gas build up to much, the stomach can rupture causing rapid death to the horse.

4.Gastric distention is treated by passing a stomach tube into the stomach of the horse and removing as much gas and fluid as possible and using medications that might eliminate the gaseous build up. The pain is controlled by pain relieving drugs. Gastric rupture is not treatable at this time.

 

“Can a horse colic from a “bean in his sheath…?”

Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:

Hi Sharon,
Technically the term colic refers to pain response to an abdominal problem. This pain could be from digestive problems, urinary problems, liver pain, reproductive tract pain, etc. Even though the horse normally has a digestive upset that causes colic, it would be possible for a bean to cause enough pain in the urinary tract to cause the horse to show colicky pain. I would not expect for them to show severe pain symptoms with a bean problem, but they can show mild colic symptoms, such as looking back at their side, switching their tail, stretching, and biting at their sides. I hope this helps