Preventing Colic
Republished
with permission from Equine
Research Center
All colic research is funded by the Big Ben Memorial Fund
by Dr. Nathaniel White, Marion DuPont Scott
Equine Medical Centre. Excerpt from Farm Management, Equine
Research Centre.
The digestive system of a horse is a complicated
series of interactions among many different organs. The small
intestine alone is 60 feet long in your average size horse.
This entire digestive network is suspended and nourished by
a thin membrane called the mesentery. Any malfunction, displacement,
twisting, swelling, infection, or lesion of any part of this
complex body system is what we recognize as colic.
Colic is the number one killer of horses. It
is not a disease but a combination of signs that alert us
to abdominal pain in the horse. Colic can range from mild
to severe, and in every case should be taken seriously. Many
conditions causing colic become life-threatening in a relatively
short period of time. Only by quickly and accurately recognizing
colic and seeking qualified veterinary help can the chance
for recovery be maximized.
Management can play a key role in prevention.
The following guidelines can maximize a horse's health and
reduce the risk of colic.
 Establish a daily routine including feeding
and exercise schedules and stick to it.
 Feed a high quality diet comprised primarily
of roughage where possible.
Avoid feeding excessive grain and energy-dense
supplements. (At least half the horse's energy requirements
should be supplied through hay or forage.
A better guide is that twice as much energy
should be supplied from a roughage source than from
concentrates.)
Divide daily concentrate rations into two
or more feedings rather than one large one to avoid
overloading the horse's digestive tract. Hay is
best fed free-choice.
Set up a regular parasite control program
with the help of your equine practitioner. Utilize
fecal testing to determine its effectiveness.
Provide exercise and/or turnout on a daily
basis. Change the intensity/duration of an exercise
regime gradually.
Provide fresh, clean water at all times.
(The only exception is when a horse is excessively
hot. Then it should be given small sips of lukewarm
water until it has recover.)
Avoid medications unless they are prescribed
by your equine practitioner, especially pain-relief
drugs (analgesics), which can cause ulcers.
Check hay, bedding, pasture and environment
for potentially toxic substances, such as blister
beetles, noxious weeds, and other ingestible foreign
matter.
Avoid putting feed on the ground,especially in sandy
soils.
Make dietary and other management changes
as gradually as possible.
Reduce stress. Horse's experiencing changes
in environments or workloads are at a high risk
of intestinal dysfunction.
|
If you suspect your horse is suffering from
colic, put him in a comfortable stall and remove his feed
and water. Allow the horse to lie down if he appears to be
resting. If the horse wants to roll or is behaving violently,
attempt to walk him slowly. Don't try to treat the horse CALL
YOUR VET and be prepared to provide the following information:
- temperature, pulse and respiratory rate;
- colour of mucous membranes and capillary refill time (tested
by pressing on the the gums, releasing, then counting the
seconds it takes for colour to return);
- behavioral signs, such as pawing, kicking, rolling, depression,
etc.;
- digestive noises or lack of them;
- bowel movements including colour, consistency and frequency;
- any recent changes in management, feeding or exercise;
- medical history including deworming and past episodes of
abdominal pain;
- breeding history and pregnancy status if the patient is
a mare, and recent breeding history if the patient is a stallion.
For more information on horse health care
or to order an ERC publication contact the Equine Research
Centre, 50 McGilvray St., Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1. Tel: (519)
837-0061 Fax: (519) 767-1018
E-mail publications@erc.on.ca
