Colic in horses is a very common problem and simply means pain from the gastrointestinal tract held within the horse’s abdomen, i.e. stomach ache. Colic symptoms change as the condition worsens and evaluating the changes in the horse allow the veterinarian to inform the owner if the horse needs simple treatment, intensive medical or surgical treatment, or in the worse case if the horse will not survive. Colic treatment can be completed in thirty minutes, or may still be ongoing five days later.
The earliest signs of colic include the horse showing no interest in a meal and moping around. At this point he might intermittently paw the ground or turn to look at his side showing us the source of his discomfort. He might repeatedly lie down in an effort to find a comfortable position. If this activity is not noticed and treated appropriately, the pain and stress often becomes worse and the activities of pawing and laying down become more frantic.
Additional colic signs that you might notice include a faster respiratory rate, a lifting of the tail as the horse tries to defecate, stretching his body as if to urinate, and rolling on the ground. If the colic has been progressing for many hours the horse may have patchy sweating across his body, or be literally covered and dripping sweat. There may be abrasions (scrapes) about the head and legs where he has been rolling in an attempt to ease the pain. The horse may splash in the water, dipping half his face in the trough, or you may see him walk backwards or leaning into fences or walls with a distressed expression. He may lie on his back or sit on his haunches like a dog.
A healthy horse’s gums are normally pink and wet, but depending on the stage of colic, a sick horse’s gums will range from very pale to abnormally dark red or even purple. They may be dry or covered in thick foam.
Causes of colic are many. Gas colic in horses just means it starts with an unusual amount of gas in the intestine. Imagine a water hose that kinks and the water cannot pass, gas-filled intestine can kink preventing the gas from traveling further down the line. These horses often appear bloated. Impaction colics are those that start with a large amount of dry ingesta (ingested food material) in a segment of gut. This is often seen when the weather cools off and horses do not drink enough or when we first begin feeding hay which is very dry and water consumption is not enough. Horses can colic from parasites, infection of the intestines, sand in the intestine which causes inflammation, the ingestion of toxic substances or foreign bodies.
Once you know the symptoms of colic you will be better able to identify the condition in the early stages when it might be more easily treated. Colic kills many horses every year, so pay attention to your horse’s normal behavior and have a plan if he does colic one day.
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