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Colic in Horses
Colic in horses means having pain in the abdomen or in the belly. It is a grave and life threatening emergency. Most cases of colic are simple convulsive, affected and having constipation with the inflation of intestine with gases. It is important for you to be aware of colic in horses so that you can help your horse till the professional help reaches you.
The general term Colic also applies to two types of disturbance of the usual intestinal processes in the horse. As per the cause of the colic problem, the horse may experience a temporary digestive hyperactivity of digestive tract or reduced intestinal activity. Colic caused by introversion or telescoping in small intestine and torsion, such as twisting of intestine that requires surgical intervention are rare.
Signs of colic in horses
The signs of colic in horses can be almost unperceivable in modest cases to highly violent in serious cases. Here is a list of the most common signs-
- Lying off with no activity for more than usual time
- Rolling
- Repeatedly getting up and down
- Standing stretched out
- Standing oftentimes as if to urinate
- Curling the upper lip again and again
- Pawing ground
- Turning the head to the side of flank
- Kicking at abdomen
Types of colic in horses
It is caused by many parasites due to eating moldy or rotten hay or grain or forage. In the case of colic spasms in mares, they are actuated by heat and pregnancies.
Caused by extreme parasites or worms, inordinate increase in grains, abrupt feed changes, eating grain by a tired horse. This allows for a very hot horse having lots of water or dental problems and intake of foreign materials and bodies, such as dust and sand.
It happens when the horse's intestine gets blocked due to solid bulk of food. The impingements most usually happen in the large intestine at the flexures. It is quite common form of colic that generally concludes comparatively easily with best treatment. All the same, the impaction can be just with the first apparent sign in a grave case.
At times gas develops in intestine, quite common in large intestine or caecum. Gas goes of in the intestine and causes pain.
Treatment
- The seriousness of the case determines for what you do for treating your horse when you see your horse showing the signs of colic.
- If horse behaves violently, call the veterinarian at once. Violent behavior generally corresponds with huge pain that equates with grave case of colic.
- Take the temperature and rates of pulse and respiration.
- Note the horse's appetite in the past days and consistency or occurrence of defecation.
- Call the veterinarian and do not give it food by the time.
- Make the horse walk the horse to distract him from pain, but never make it walk to be exhausted.
Prevention of colic
- Allow maximum turnouts
- Maintain regular schedule for feeding
- Get it access to clean water
- Give a minimum of 60% of digestible energy, not more than this
- Do not feed musty hay or grain
- Feed hay, water before grain
- Provide daily access to forage