Colic

What is Horse Colic?

Colic is not a disease in itself. Colic is a symptom of abdominal pain. Colic can be mild or severe, and take a number of forms.

Answer:
Spasmodic Colic
Spasmodic colic is an indication of spasms of muscles in the abdomen. This form of colic can abate on its own or may be treated with anti-spasmodic drugs. There are many different reasons why horses have spasmodic colic.
Impaction Colic
Impaction colic is caused by a blockage in the intestine.
Gaseous Distention (Tympany)
Gases that build up in front of an impaction may cause painful gaseous distention. Gaseous distention can also be caused by the fermentation of feed in the stomach if the horse has gorged itself.
Intestinal Catastrophe
Intestines can twist, telescope or become twisted around the tissue that attaches them to the abdominal cavity. This will cause violent colic symptoms. The blood flow in the intestine becomes obstructed. This is the most serious form of colic and causes intense pain. Often the only remedy is surgery, which is costly and sometimes unsuccessful.
Assess the severity of the colic. If your horse has mild colic, perhaps looks uncomfortable, is biting at his flanks and stands stretched observe him to see if the colic abates after about 30 minutes time. Remove all edibles (including bedding) from the stall.

Try Walking and Trotting
As long as the horse is calm, you could try doing ‘belly lifts’ and hand walking or longing. A few minutes of trotting may help, but only for a few minutes. Don’t tire him out. If he starts to feel better, offer a tiny bit of grain. If he eats he may be over his bout, but keep a close eye on him for several hours afterwards.

After 30 Minutes
If mild colic symptoms haven’t abated after about a half hour’s time call your veterinarian. Write down any changes in feed, drugs or de-wormers administered, changes in routine, or anything else that you can remember that might have triggered the colic episode. Take note of the amount of manure he has produced. This may make it easier to diagnose the cause of the colic and speed treatment.

If your horse seems shaky, and isn’t rolling violently, drape him with warm blankets.

Severe Colic

Safety First
If the horse is thrashing violently look out for your own safety first. Your instincts will be to try to calm your horse, but a horse in extreme pain can be oblivious to everything—even a familiar and respected handler. Call the veterinarian immediately.

It has long been thought that rolling and thrashing violently may cause a twisted gut. But whether this is true or not has not been established. Try to keep your horse on his feet. Traditional colic care is to walk your horse, but if he is already tired from thrashing and rolling, walking may only add to his fatigue. Your horse will be okay standing, or just lying still for a short time. It may be nearly impossible (and dangerous) to stop a horse from rolling. Move him to a place where he is less likely to hurt himself or get cast if possible.

Use Medications with Caution
If you keep prescription drugs like muscle relaxants for spasmodic colic in your first aid box use them with extreme caution. Treating a horse incorrectly may cause more harm than good. With colic caused by a twisted or telescoped gut, a speedy diagnosis is imperative. Don’t give your horse anything that may mask symptoms.