Colic! An equine emergency, arm yourself with knowledge | Posted: Nov 30, 2010 |
ColicThe term colic refers to abdominal pain in horses. Every horse owner or person handling horses should not only be aware of the signs and symptoms of colic but also the causes, potential risks and ways to reduce risk.
Symptoms: - The horse is restless, of particular relevance if the other horses around continue to remain relaxed,
- The horse is unusually quiet,
- The horse has left it's food,
- The horse is lying down, either lying still or rolling,
- The horse may pass fewer droppings,
- The horse may appear as though he/she wishes to urinate however the penis may not protrude of tail lifted which happens for regular urination,
in severe cases
- The horse may sweat, especially behind the elbows and on the flanks,
- The rolling may become violent or frequent,
- The horse becomes less oblivious to its environment,
- The abdomen is obviously distended,
- Rapid breathing even when the horse is not moving,
- A change in the colour of the horse's gums from salmon pink to a grey or purple, or
- The horse's pulse rate becomes rapid – over 70bpm and becomes weaker.
CausesBeing that colic refers only to abdominal pain there are many causes for and different severities of colic. Cause for mild colic (medical colic) may be;
- A dramatic and sudden change in diet or feeding a high amount of starchy cereal grains (Sutton, 2006),
- Spasm of the intestinal wall,
- Lack of water (Davies, 2009),
- Recent worming,
- Distension of the stomach – after the horse feeds on large amounts of unsoaked sugar beets or grass cuttings.
Some causes for sever colic (surgical colic) may be;
- Torsion of the bowel along its length,
- Entrapment of a portion of the intestine through an internal opening, the entrapped section swells and blood flow is cut off,
- A large intact of sand with feed, which stores and has to be surgically removed (Rush, 2009),
- Strangulation of the intestine,
- in essence twisted or trapped intestines.
Treatment and PrognosisIf a handler suspects their horses is suffering from colic then veterinary attention should be sought immediately. There are various things that the handler can do whilst waiting for the vet to arrive, these include; remove any food or water from the environment, if the horse is laying down but not rolling then cautiously provide generous bedding and remove other items from the area, if the horse is rolling in a small stable then allowing it a greater space where it can be supervised and roll without injuring itself can assist (O'Brien, 2007). If a horse is presenting unaware of his or her surroundings, as with severe colic the handler should not enter the environment due to a high risk of being kicked or trampled. Collecting information for the vet will also be beneficial, such as working schedule, recent changes in diet, resting and healthy heart and breath rate. Veterinary treatment is required as only a vet can check for the severity of the condition. The older practice of walking horses presenting with colic is now viewed as more dangerous, being that if the horse has a surgical colic walking will likely increase the pain or problem (Rush, 2008).
Approximately 90% of colics respond well to medical treatment and 10% will require surgery (Rush, 2008). This 10% requiring surgery will have a better prognosis if detected early and surgical intervention is attended to early, hence the initial requirement to contact the vet at the initial concerns of colic. Medical colic can involve the vet treating the horse with pain killers (Davies, 2009), and possibly something to relieve cramps (Rush, 2009). Of course treatment will only be offered after a complete medical examination including respiratory rate, gut sounds, circulation, heart rate and hydration and may include a rectal examination (O'Brien, 2007) or passing a stomach tube through the nostril (Rush, 2009). Should the vet determine that the colic is severe and due to an obstruction of blood flow then the vet may suggest immediate surgery, this is considered a veterinary emergency as horses may quickly go into endotoxaemic shock (Davies, 2009) and horses may die within several hours if not treated. Surgery should only be considered on otherwise healthy horses. The surgical procedure may or may not include the removal of a portion of the gut (Davies, 2009). Post surgical care involves restricting dietary and water intake, a maintanence ration of quality fibre and water should follow with vitamin suppliments. Cereal grains may only be included in the horse's diet after several weeks (Davies, 2009). Post colic care if treated medically and not surgically, diet can return to normal at a low level initially in case the cause of the colic was in fact that food regime in the first place (Davies, 2009).
Prevention of colic includes monitoring food intake and reducing rapid changes, reducing starch in the diet, increasing dry forage, adding live yeast culture to feeds to increase the bacteria in the hint gut and promote increased fermentation and maintaining a good working regime (Huntington, Myers & Owens, 2004).
References
Auty, I. (2005). The BHS Complete Manual of Stable Management. Kenilworth Press: Great Britain.
Davies, Z. (2009). Introduction to horse nutrition. Wiley-Blackwell, UK.
Huntington, P., Myers, J. & Owens, E. (2004). Horse Sense, 2nd Edition. Landlinks Press: Victoria.
O'Brien, K. (2007). Essential Horse Health. David and Charles Limited: UK.
Pavord, T. & Pavord, M. (2007) Complete Equine Veterinary Manual. David and Charles Limited: UK.
Rush, A. (2008). You Horse's Health First Aid. David and Charles Limited: UK.
Sutton, A. (2006). The Injury Free Horse. David and Charles Limited: UK.
Symptoms: - The horse is restless, of particular relevance if the other horses around continue to remain relaxed,
- The horse is unusually quiet,
- The horse has left it's food,
- The horse is lying down, either lying still or rolling,
- The horse may pass fewer droppings,
- The horse may appear as though he/she wishes to urinate however the penis may not protrude of tail lifted which happens for regular urination,
in severe cases
- The horse may sweat, especially behind the elbows and on the flanks,
- The rolling may become violent or frequent,
- The horse becomes less oblivious to its environment,
- The abdomen is obviously distended,
- Rapid breathing even when the horse is not moving,
- A change in the colour of the horse's gums from salmon pink to a grey or purple, or
- The horse's pulse rate becomes rapid – over 70bpm and becomes weaker.
CausesBeing that colic refers only to abdominal pain there are many causes for and different severities of colic. Cause for mild colic (medical colic) may be;
- A dramatic and sudden change in diet or feeding a high amount of starchy cereal grains (Sutton, 2006),
- Spasm of the intestinal wall,
- Lack of water (Davies, 2009),
- Recent worming,
- Distension of the stomach – after the horse feeds on large amounts of unsoaked sugar beets or grass cuttings.
Some causes for sever colic (surgical colic) may be;
- Torsion of the bowel along its length,
- Entrapment of a portion of the intestine through an internal opening, the entrapped section swells and blood flow is cut off,
- A large intact of sand with feed, which stores and has to be surgically removed (Rush, 2009),
- Strangulation of the intestine,
- in essence twisted or trapped intestines.
Treatment and PrognosisIf a handler suspects their horses is suffering from colic then veterinary attention should be sought immediately. There are various things that the handler can do whilst waiting for the vet to arrive, these include; remove any food or water from the environment, if the horse is laying down but not rolling then cautiously provide generous bedding and remove other items from the area, if the horse is rolling in a small stable then allowing it a greater space where it can be supervised and roll without injuring itself can assist (O'Brien, 2007). If a horse is presenting unaware of his or her surroundings, as with severe colic the handler should not enter the environment due to a high risk of being kicked or trampled. Collecting information for the vet will also be beneficial, such as working schedule, recent changes in diet, resting and healthy heart and breath rate. Veterinary treatment is required as only a vet can check for the severity of the condition. The older practice of walking horses presenting with colic is now viewed as more dangerous, being that if the horse has a surgical colic walking will likely increase the pain or problem (Rush, 2008).
Approximately 90% of colics respond well to medical treatment and 10% will require surgery (Rush, 2008). This 10% requiring surgery will have a better prognosis if detected early and surgical intervention is attended to early, hence the initial requirement to contact the vet at the initial concerns of colic. Medical colic can involve the vet treating the horse with pain killers (Davies, 2009), and possibly something to relieve cramps (Rush, 2009). Of course treatment will only be offered after a complete medical examination including respiratory rate, gut sounds, circulation, heart rate and hydration and may include a rectal examination (O'Brien, 2007) or passing a stomach tube through the nostril (Rush, 2009). Should the vet determine that the colic is severe and due to an obstruction of blood flow then the vet may suggest immediate surgery, this is considered a veterinary emergency as horses may quickly go into endotoxaemic shock (Davies, 2009) and horses may die within several hours if not treated. Surgery should only be considered on otherwise healthy horses. The surgical procedure may or may not include the removal of a portion of the gut (Davies, 2009). Post surgical care involves restricting dietary and water intake, a maintanence ration of quality fibre and water should follow with vitamin suppliments. Cereal grains may only be included in the horse's diet after several weeks (Davies, 2009). Post colic care if treated medically and not surgically, diet can return to normal at a low level initially in case the cause of the colic was in fact that food regime in the first place (Davies, 2009).
Prevention of colic includes monitoring food intake and reducing rapid changes, reducing starch in the diet, increasing dry forage, adding live yeast culture to feeds to increase the bacteria in the hint gut and promote increased fermentation and maintaining a good working regime (Huntington, Myers & Owens, 2004).
References
Auty, I. (2005). The BHS Complete Manual of Stable Management. Kenilworth Press: Great Britain.
Davies, Z. (2009). Introduction to horse nutrition. Wiley-Blackwell, UK.
Huntington, P., Myers, J. & Owens, E. (2004). Horse Sense, 2nd Edition. Landlinks Press: Victoria.
O'Brien, K. (2007). Essential Horse Health. David and Charles Limited: UK.
Pavord, T. & Pavord, M. (2007) Complete Equine Veterinary Manual. David and Charles Limited: UK.
Rush, A. (2008). You Horse's Health First Aid. David and Charles Limited: UK.
Sutton, A. (2006). The Injury Free Horse. David and Charles Limited: UK.
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