Part 2
“What could be the cause of them getting gas colic all the time…?”
I’m soon to be working for a Fresian Horse farm to become a barn manager. The lady has told me she has been having a problem with her Fresian’s with gas colic since moving from Missouri to Florida. She breeds other horses and does not have this problem with any of her other breeds. Their feed, hay and grazing has not been changed since the move. If what they are eating has not been changed what could be causing this? This has me very puzzled and concerned since she has lost horses due to this since moving here. What could be the cause of them getting gas colic all the time? Is there anything with this breed? Is there anything that can be given to prevent this? Very puzzled.
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Hi Heather,
Gas colics can usually be associated with an over-fermentation of feed as it moves through the intestinal tract. Although the type of hay and pasture may not have changed, the growing conditions are very different and the quality and nutrients in the hay and pasture may be very different. I would think that the horses were exposed to a different form of pasture and it will take a while for the horses to get accustomed to the new pastures as well as the new hay. Any time you change feed quality, even though it may be the same type of feed or pasture, it is best to make that change as gradual as possible. At this stage, the horses may be fairly well accustomed to the new area, but if you continue to have gas colic problems, I would suggest that you back off on the pasture time and make sure the horses have had plenty of hay before they are turned into the pasture. I hope this helps
“Can the vet determine what colic the horse has without an autopsy…?”
I am asking this because my daughter is involved with a horse farm that does barrel racing. Last weekend they went to a show, they left at 6 AM with 6 horses. It was a very cool rainy day. My daughter warmed up her horse for the show and then trotted him through the barrels. When she was done, she did not water the horse, she was upset because the horse did not co-operate for the show and she didn’t know if it is something she did or if it was the horse. Needless to say before they left the show around 4 PM she did give him some water. He started to colic on the way home; this was around 4:30 PM. The owner commented maybe she should stop and walk him, but did not. When they got back to the barn at around 7:30 PM the horse was still colicking and the owner sent everyone home. She lectured all the kids that went the show about the importance of watering the horses. She said that she watered them once and then they were not watered again all day. At 1:00 AM the horse owner called me wondering if she could barrow $3500 for surgery for the horse, I had to ask my partner and when I called her back within 5 minutes the horse had died. I went out to the barn at that time to see that the owner (who I thought was a friend) was ok. The vet was writing up the bill and he said it is one of those things, look at the environment and he kicked the sand. I took that as meaning the sand could have caused the colic. The owner did not have the money at the time to pay the vet so, I did.
The following weekend, my daughter was told she could not return to the barn until they sat down with her and explained the consequence of what she had done. I would not let them meet with my daughter and blame her, a 13-year-old child at her 2nd horse show, to take the responsibility of the death of a horse. I am not a horse person, just a compassionate mother with a daughter whose whole world is horses. I don’t fully understand colic, but what I have researched; I see there are many different factors that can cause it. Is it fair to say that minimal water that day caused the horse to die or could there have been other factors involved such as the owner not walking the horse on the way home, the sand environment they live in, calling the vet earlier than 10 or 11 PM?
To answer some of your questions, the horse was not mine.
The horse was about 8 years old.
There are conflicting stories on when the horse had water, but the water was clean that they had with them. The horse was tied to a trailer when it was not showing. And it was a cool rainy day. Can a horse dehydrate in a day? Are there other factors that can cause Colic? Can the vet determine what colic the horse has without an autopsy?
I have explained to my daughter that she was at fault that day for not watering the horse properly and she should take responsibility for that, but I cannot see her having to take responsibility for the death of a horse. I was hoping as a vet you could give me a little understanding.
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Hi Robin,
I am very sorry to hear of your daughter’s traumatic experience. First of all, your daughter should in no way feel responsible for what occurred. As you say, there are many causes for colic and lack of water for even a 48 hour period cannot be the cause of a deadly colic. The only way to be exactly sure what the cause of the colic was would be for the Veterinarian to have autopsied the horse. There could be many factors that played into the tragedy.
Can colic surgery cause more cramping in the mares cycle?”
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
After colic surgery a horse may develop adhesions, which are scar tissue tags that can adhere (attach) to various parts of the internal abdomen. It would be possible that these adhesions could cause the type of cramping that your mare is experiencing. It would be difficult to determine for sure if this was the cause but if the excess cramping is consistent , it may be the only explanation. Banamine could be helpful in alleviating the pain during these times. Talk to your Vet about this possibility.
“after eating anything, (hay, pellet feed, horse treats) shows signs of colic only for about 10 minutes”…
My 4-year old mare occasionally after eating anything, (hay, pellet feed, horse treats) shows signs of colic only for about 10 minutes. She will role her lip back, hang her head, dull look in her eyes, and then starts to roll. She will roll about two or three times, getting up to her feet between rolls, then I walk her around then she’ll start grazing. Her bowel sounds are good during these episodes, she does not have labored breathing before during or after. She does not do this when grazing, only with feed or hay. I am perplexed. Do you have any advice?.
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Hi Lisa,
I would suspect either a stomach ulcer or possibly the horse is getting this treat stuck in the esophagus temporarily before it moves down into the stomach and that is causing these symptoms. Have a Veterinarian do an exam and feed the horse these treats to let the Vet see for themselves what is happening. I hope this helps and good luck.
“His dam is very prone to colic…?”
I am interested in buying a foal, but his dam is very prone to colic. Will this affect him? Is there a large enough chance of him being more prone to colic that I should look for a different horse?
Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:
Alex:
Colic is not known to be hereditary that we know of. Based on this, you should not have a problem.
“When a horse or foal gets colic what are the symptoms…?”
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
When a horse gets colic, which is a digestive disturbance in the horse that causes pain, the horse will show symptoms of abdominal pain. This can be in the form of mild signs, such as looking back at their belly, or stretching, or refusing to eat, or kicking at their belly, or just laying down and groaning. If it is a severe colic, the symptoms are usually more alarming, such as violently thrashing about the stall or falling to the ground and rolling uncontrollably.
“He then began to lose balance and I put him in his stable where he dropped to the floor…?”
Three days ago I did my evening call to my four horses when after feed and hay put my 13.1HH Dale pony out in his usual grazing paddock with others. Fed approx 5 PM and at 6.30 pm put him in the field. I noticed his stools were loose and so put hay in field where he came to eat it and then fell to the floor in front of me. He ate hay whilst lying down. A few minutes later he began showing signs of colic. I quickly got him up and took him into the barn where I walked him for about 40 mins. He then began to lose balance and I put him in his stable where he dropped to the floor. He lay there virtually asleep making a few groaning noises, but stopped showing signs of any distress. After about half an hour he got up and began eating his hay and walking around slightly stiff on the back end. He repeated this twice between 1-2 hour intervals. I stayed with him till one in the morning when he eventually seemed stable and content. The next day we went for a walk down the lane and was his usual chirpy self-pulling and being cheeky. This made me think the spring grass has upset his belly and he needed time off it. That day I let him have approx 2 hours grazing then brought him in gave him just chaff and decided to worm him too. I’ve also put him on pink powders to try and settle the digestion. After about 40 mins grazing and eating he began to lie down doing similar actions from the day before but recovered and again left him to be monitored throughout the evening where he was quiet in the stable. Today he still has slight loose stools but not so green and eats his dinner fine but not so keen on hay so I have put haylage in his stable that he seems happy with. One point I have noticed which I am confused with is his sheath has swollen and he is happy dropping his penis. He has no signs of smegma and seems to be fairly clean but he won’t let me close to check inside. Is all this connected? He seems to be losing weight showing his backbone but yet his belly hangs quite large and round. Is this a serious condition and do I need a vet.
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Hi Louise,
This description has baffled me. I would think that it was the grass that was causing colic signs, but for him to go down or drop and stay virtually still for a prolong period of time is hard to figure. He could be getting an upset stomach or intestine but not severe enough to cause him to be continuously rolling. Maybe when he gets in a certain position it relieves him and so he is quiet. If it were truly incoordination that your horse is showing during a part of these bouts, then the central nervous system would have to be suspected as having a problem in association with the digestive system. I would not think that the swollen sheath has any connection to the other symptoms. I do think that you should contact a Veterinarian the next time the horse start showing these symptoms. I think it would be very important for the Vet to be able to observe these symptoms for himself in order to try and figure out the exact problem.
“The vet said had malfunctioning kidneys…”
He also colics bad & we have almost lost him & he gets good dry feed. Any suggestions?
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Hi Janette,
If your horse has malfunctioning kidneys, this could possibly be a cause of these colic episodes. Kidney pain can cause a horse to display all the symptoms of a digestive cause of colic. You should probably have the Vet do a thorough exam to determine the exact cause of these colic episodes and see if something can be done to prevent them in the future. The Vet can also analyze his diet and he/she can make a suggestion as to the best diet to feed your horse. Good Luck.
“On Sunday she started sweating profusely and trembling…?”
I have a 10-year-old Arabian mare that on Saturday just seemed quieter than usual. On Sunday she started sweating profusely and trembling. We are assuming she had eaten something wrong. We gave her electrolytes and canola oil to try and pass the poison. We also milked her out constantly. She does not have a foal at her side, but we thought she was bred. We gave her Banamine for pain. She then developed diarrhea due to the oil, gave her cortisone to up her appetite and thirst. We walked her Monday night. Tuesday she seems better, but exhausted, since we did not let her lay for long. Wed she seems fairly normal today, head up, nickering to us, wanting back with the other horses. Do these symptoms ring a bell? The pasture is still green and has a good growth to it. Would this cause her to lose the baby? If not would it harm the fetus?
Dr. Jack Sales’ Answer:
Hi Susan,
It sounds as if the mare experienced a pretty severe form of colic, but has recovered for the most part, if she is acting normal and has an appetite now. The colic episode should not cause her to lose the baby, but cortisone can cause a mare to abort if given in the last trimester of pregnancy, so be careful with that drug. If the mare is used to the lush pasture, it is unlikely that it would cause an abortion, with the exception of fescue, which can cause abortion problems in pregnant mares. I hope this helps
“Several mini rock like formations in one of my horses manure…?”
I recently found several mini rock like formations in one of my horses manure. They all look exactly the same they are perfectly oval like an egg and are brown in color some of them were a bit larger maybe 1/2 inch. They were hard like a rock but I haven’t seen these before. What do you suppose this could be (rocks?)?
Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:
Tracy:
The most likely explanation for the rock-like formations you are describing in your horse’s manure are enteroliths. An enterolith is a stone that forms inside the horse’s intestine. Research has shown them to be more commonly formed (and found): in certain breeds (Arabians and Quarter Horses), in certain regions of the U.S. (Southwest), and in relation to certain diets (bran, alfalfa hay). I am interested to know what part of (what) country you and your horse live in.
Some horses that form enteroliths are like your horse in that they are small enough to be passed out in the manure. More commonly, the majority of horses form 1 or 2 large ones that continue to grow, and become larger than the diameter of the small colon or rectum, therefore preventing their passage out of the body. Some enteroliths are literally the size of a child’s head or a bowling ball. These horses will become colicky if the enteroliths try to move in this direction, as they will plug the intestine and cause severe pain. If the condition comes to this, the only curative treatment is colic surgery.
I suspect that if your horse is forming small enteroliths that he can pass out, he is likely forming larger ones internally that you will not see (passed out in the manure). The way to diagnose any larger enteroliths is with an abdominal x-ray, but this is only 50-70% accurate, depending upon which veterinarian you talk to.
One thing that you may try to inhibit the formation of future enteroliths is daily addition of apple cider vinegar to your horse’s feed. Again, depending upon which veterinarian you ask, there will be a difference of opinion on how much to give, but a general consensus in my area is 1 cup per day.
Hopefully, larger enteroliths will never be an issue for your horse.
