Colic: Separating Myth from Truth

Every horse owner fears colic, and with good reason: it’s the leading cause of death in horses, aside from old age. Fortunately, a vast majority of colic cases resolve relatively quickly and without surgical intervention. Early recognition of potential issues and knowing what is normal for your horse is crucial. Take the opportunity to assess your horse’s vital signs when he’s healthy so that you can provide your veterinarian with vital information during an emergency. Practice taking his temperature, pulse, and respiratory rate. Listed below are some commonly encountered colic myths.

Myth 1: Casual rolling will cause your horse’s intestine to twist.

If this statement were true, any healthy horse enjoying a good roll in the pasture would be at immediate risk of colicking. Severe pain, such as that associated with a twisted portion of the intestinal tract, will cause a horse to roll repeatedly and violently. If there is a large gas accumulation within a portion of the GI tract, rolling could potentially allow a GI structure to move in/out of its correct position. If your horse is violently colicking, remember to keep yourself safe first. If you can safely prevent your horse from rolling while waiting for veterinary care, please do so.

Myth 2: Always walk a colicking horse.

A mild colic may respond well to a short walking session of 10-15 minutes. But if your horse’s discomfort does not improve or worsens, walking your horse for hours until the point of exhaustion is unlikely to be of benefit to either of you. A horse that is willing to rest or lie down quietly in the same position is fine to remain that way while waiting for your veterinarian to arrive. If your horse is mildly or intermittently uncomfortable and is both willing and safe to walk, a short hand-walk while waiting for your veterinarian is appropriate.

Myth 3: Mineral oil is the best treatment for colic.

Historically mineral oil was the treatment of choice to administer to colics by nasogastric tube, the thought being that the oil would provide a laxative effect for breaking up impacted fecal material. However, a simple experiment can disprove this theory: Place a fecal ball in a cup of mineral oil and place another fecal ball in a cup of warm water and electrolytes. The fecal ball in the warm water/electrolyte solution will soften and break down much more quickly than the fecal ball in oil. Mineral oil is useful as a marker to indicate that manure has passed through the entirety of the gastrointestinal tract and has a useful role in certain types of colic, but its administration is not essential for resolution of most colic cases.

Myth 4: A horse does not have a serious colic if he is passing manure.

Because the gastrointestinal tract of the horse is so long, it is possible to have an obstruction or other issue farther forward in the gastrointestinal tract, with formed manure behind it. In this case, a horse may continue to pass additional manure while still exhibiting signs of colic.

Myth 5: Drastic weather changes cause colic.

Evidence that weather changes directly cause colic is lacking, but drastic weather changes often alter the management of a horse, which does affect colic risk. For example, keeping horses stalled instead of turning out because of inclement weather is a change in stabling, which is associated with increased colic risk. A sudden drop in temperature may cause a horse’s water source to freeze, which decreases his water intake and increases risk of colic.

Myth 6: Repeatedly posturing to urinate is a sign of a urinary tract problem, not colic.

While urinary issues do occur in horses, colic is much more common. A horse that is seen repeatedly posturing to urinate may be trying to relieve abdominal pain associated with colic.

While it is not possible to prevent every colic, good management strategies can minimize your horse’s risk of colic. Always provide access to clean, non-frozen water. Avoid sudden changes in feed- gradually mix in new concentrates or hay. Maintain a current relationship with your veterinarian to ensure your vet knows your horse and can provide care when the inevitable emergency arises.

Equioxx use and Probiotics

The use of probiotics and their relationship to a healthy gut has been researched and discussed in both human and equine medicine with new information coming out regularly demonstrating the positive effects probiotics have on gut health. Current human-based research is looking into the disruptions in the natural gut flora (good microbes) that occur with the use of both prescription and OTC medications. An important term being used in that research is “dysbiosis.” 

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Colic Series Part 3: Prevention

This is Part 3, and the conclusion of our Colic Series. If you missed Part 1, you can read it here for a basic overview of equine GI anatomy, the difference between medical and surgical colic, and some colic causes.

 For what to expect financially from a colic episode, how to plan, and some of the more common causes of colic we see here in Colorado, click here for Part 2.

 Today, we’ll be talking about what you can do as horse owners to help prevent colic.

 

In part 2 of the colic series, we covered the “common” causes of colic on the Front Range, particularly here at Mobile Veterinary Services.   Unfortunately, there is no ‘magic’ formula to keep colic out of your barn, but there are a few precautions that can certainly reduce your risk.

Consistency

The first and most important rule is to understand that horses thrive on consistency.  Keeping their routine as routine as you can is imperative -from feeding amounts and times to their turnout and exercise program.   If you do have something that is changing (a new load of hay for example), monitor them closely and try to make that change over several days.

Weather can be a trigger as well -with winter firmly settled in here in Colorado, our weather fluctuations are constant and unrelenting.  It’shorseblizzard common to see 5 below zero one day and 50 degrees 2 days later.  These constant changes are terribly difficult on horses and their bellies!  Consistency in every other aspect of their lives can help to mitigate the effects of the things, like weather, that we cannot change.

Horse Drinking from Stock TankWater

Water is imperative to all life.  Domesticated horses who live on hay have had most of the water they would naturally consume (via live grasses) removed from their diet.  As a result, our horses need access to liquid water at all times, whether this means keeping the ice off in the winter so they always have access, or keeping plenty of it available in the summer.  Restriction from water for even as little as 2-3 hours can drastically increase chances of colic issues. 

Dietary habits and changes

Hay diets and domestication have also led to horses eating larger, more infrequent meals.  Horses are designed to graze all day, and a horse on pasture or in the wild will be grazing 18-20 hours per day.  This constant eating keeps the large colon full and occupied, and the GI tract working optimally.

Although domesticated horses may be “getting enough calories,” they are consuming them over a much shorter period of time, which could potentially increase colic risk as the GI tract experiences being full, then empty, then full – not a normal state of affairs for the horse.

Parasites

Parasite infestation is a known risk factor for colic so deworming is a very important part of not only good husbandry, but also good colic prevention!

 Fecal egg counts can determine whether your horse is a low, medium, or high shedder, allowing you to tailor your deworming program accordingly to your horses’ needs (instead of blanket deworming which can contribute to parasites building resistance to dewormers, rendering the dewormers ineffective).

Sand

With good preventive measures, sand can be eliminated as a risk factor.  The problem simply needs to be identified.  In our practice area, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have “sand” where your horses eat.  We have seen horses in the mountains of Colorado living on a hillside end up with sand in their colon.  Decomposed Granite (DG) can act just like sand!!  Commercial  preparations of psyllium hulls fed on a regular basis can squelch the issue.

Dentition

Photo Courtesy PugnoM on Flickr
Photo Courtesy PugnoM on Flickr

Like deworming on an appropriate schedule, regular and appropriate dental care is imperative to a good colic prevention program.  If your horse can chew his food well, it can reduce his colic risk, not to mention increase feed efficiency.

Senior horses can be particularly prone to this issue, but it can affect any horse of any age. Horses under the age of 5, and seniors should have their teeth checked every 6 months. Horses in their prime with good mouths can probably go a year.

There is no way to eliminate the risk of colic in horses… unless you are on a carousel.  But with good management and some preventative measures, you can significantly reduce the risk.  Again, the best advice we can give is that horses thrive on consistency, and the more consistent we are in all things we do “horse,” the happier our horses are!

Colic Series Part 2: Planning, Costs, and Common Colics in Colorado

This is Part 2 of our Colic Series. If you missed Part 1, you can read it here for a basic overview of equine GI anatomy, the difference between medical and surgical colic, and some colic causes.

 

Today, we’ll be talking about planning for colic, costs of colic treatment, and some of the more common causes of colic we see here in Colorado.

 

Colic Planning – Before it Happens

 

Colic is an issue that we as horse owners and veterinarians just have to live with.  If you own horses long enough, you will eventually get to deal with a colicky horse (hopefully just a little medical one), and knowing how you are going to handle the situation can ease the stress and panic of the situation.  You should have this conversation with both your veterinarian and your family.

 

Planning with Your Veterinarianveterinarians-739365_1280

 

With your veterinarian, you should discuss knowing when to call and how urgent the situation may be, as well as the kinds of information your veterinarian is going to need from you – things like temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, discomfort level, etc.

 

Your veterinarian can guide you in how to get this information, and how to prepare before colic occurs with anything you might need, such as a thermometer and a knowledge of your horses’ baseline vital signs.

 

Your veterinarian can also talk you through the escalating steps of colic, and the probable outlook for your horse in each. For example, if your horse needs hospitalization, what would that entail? If your horse needs surgery, what are their odds of survival, and their ability to thrive after surgery?

 

Different scenarios can mean different long-term outlooks. Some surgical intervention is minimally stressful on the horse and has a very good long-term outlook, while some surgical interventions may involve cutting away dead tissues that could affect your horses’ long-term survival in a negative way. You should understand what these scenarios would look like, and what your decision would be in each.

 

Planning with Your Family

 

child-931154_1920With your family, you should plan for whatever situation you may face, while you’re not in an emotionally heightened frame of mind.  This conversation should include both talk of a budget and the limits of “what you want to put your horse through.”

 

Hopefully your situation would just be a simple medical colic that is treatable in the field.  But there could be occasions when your horse will need more help than we can give in the field.  If your horse needs hospitalization, that doesn’t necessarily mean surgery, but it could. Would your horse be a candidate for hospitalization and supportive care? Would your horse be a candidate for surgical intervention? You must know your limits both financially and emotionally.

 

Each of these can be progressively harder on the horses, but also on your budget.  Each of these steps can cost significantly more than the one before, and as much as we’d like to not have money be a factor with our horses’ care, the brutal truth is that it is. Surgical intervention can cost upwards of $10,000. A hospital stay can be over $4,000. Can your budget handle these large expenses?

 

As with most things “horse,” planning is crucial.  It is far easier to have discussed and planned before the crisis occurs.  At the time of the colic, emotions run high, and emotion-based decisions, whatever they might be, can be regretted.

 

 

Common Colics We See in Colorado

 

Gas Colicthe-horse-484614_1920

 

Here at MVS, the vast majority of the colicky horses we see are “simple colics.”  Usually there has been some kind of change – feed, environment, even weather.  These changes can lead to “spasmodic” or “gas” colic.  In essence this is “indigestion” in the large fermenting portion of the colon.  This indigestion causes cramping and discomfort, which present to us as “signs” of colic.

 

Left untreated, the horse may quietly work his way through the issue, with no assistance. Alternatively, the situation could worsen.  There is no way to know which direction each individual horse or individual episode will go.

 

Impaction Colic

 

Here in Colorado, worsening is often due to dehydration.  Because of the gut pain, the horse is not eating, and in most cases they are not drinking either.  Dehydration, along with the “indigestion,” can lead to impactions, the second most common type of colic we manage here at MVS.

 

An impaction is essentially constipation.  The drying out of the body due to dehydration dries out the contents of the gut, making it more difficult to pass manure.  As the gut tries to move this mass, it creates discomfort.  Impactions generally take a little more care and time to get through.

 

Displacement Colic

 

The more severe colics are the exception rather than the rule.  These horses look far more uncomfortable, and need more medical help.  These more severe cases are usually the displacement colics we mentioned in Part 1, and should be quickly referred to a hospital so the horse has the best chance of survival. Waiting only runs down the horses’ energy reserves, strength, and immune system, making it that much more difficult to survive a surgical intervention.

 

Any colic we as horse owners or veterinarians face can be daunting, but thankfully, with quick response and appropriate attention, most can be quickly squelched.  Stay tuned for Part 3 of our colic series, which will focus on what we as horse owners and veterinarians can do to help prevent colic episodes.