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Veteran
Posts: 170
 
| My mare had a mild colic episode after the barrel race yesterday. It was her first time being hauled in a few months, but she is in fairly good shape, she ate well, and drank around 3 buckets of water between 11:00AM-6:00PM. Her run was less than stellar but she warmed up and cooled down fine. This is the first time in 17 years of hauling horses I've had anyone colic (lucky I know). Now I am completely paranoid.
What are some things that you all do to help prevent colic?
What causes colic?
Luckily, I was loading up to go just as she was starting to kick at her belly and trying to lay down, so i caught it right away. I was able to give her banamine paste and hand walk her for around an hour and threw her on a theraplate for about 30 minutes. She was a lot better when we left, hadn't pooped, but bright eyed and feeling good enough to dance and spook around lol. She didn't poop on the trailer ride home but ate her grain and this AM seems to be back to her normal self... Should I be looking for anything in particular today?
Edited by MNcanchaser7 2015-04-19 12:11 PM
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
 
| Has she pooped?
I don't feed mine till they poop, as more feed can compound the problem.
Also ulcers can make horses colicky
Horses with an inverted cecum can still poop and be colicky
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| I agree about pulling off of feed until they poop. Also make sure she is drinking. I recently dealt with an impaction colic along with a partial displacement. I was very lucky that my mare survived. She required medication, IV fluids, oil via nasal tube, and a lot of walking. She was completely off of hay for over a week. I fed her a pelleted feed and alfalfa pellets that were soaked in water and topped off with mineral oil. Mine started as a minor colic that turned bad quickly.
Another thing to consider is sand in the gut. If your mare is passing manure I would check for sand by soaking a few pieces in water. I put it in a baggie and mush it up then let it settle to see if there is sand present.
Edited by Jenbabe 2015-04-19 1:22 PM
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | You caught her colicing befor are after the barrel race? |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| I would start the horse on a daily pre biotic such as forco. Or pre and probiotic paste such as smooth run or forerunner paste. Before hauling and on an as needed basis i would give electrolytes. But even with that sometimes horses just colic. |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | colic is a symptom of something. so it can be a number of reasons..
Impaction, belly ache, ulcers anything..
Id not have fed her AT ALL.. until I knew she was passing manure and even then she could hve a partial obstruction or impaction. Id have given her banamine and electrolytes as you did but until i knew she was passing id have started with lil bits of alfalfa hay soaked or cubes soaked then gradually added grain day or two later.. |
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Veteran
Posts: 170
| Well now I'm officially nervous as I fed her when we got home and she's been out on a round bale... She's been down by the waterer but it is automatic so there is no real way to see if she's been drinking. she's been acting 100% like her normal self... So for future reference, no food until manure is passed... I guess it must have just been the "perfect storm" for her to colic. First time from home and her BFF coming and going=stress, possibly eating hay to quickly because of stress? It was mid 70's all day while she was tied to the trailer while the temps have been fluctuating between 30's and 70's for the past month... Right when she started to colic the wind picked up and it dropped to about 40 degrees within the hour, that could have been a factor to I'm guessing? I will be starting her on Forco... |
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Veteran
Posts: 170
| An hour or so post run, we were getting ready to leave. |
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Expert
Posts: 5293
| Oh. Glad you mentioned it happened when weather changed by 30 degrees! Some horses are sensitive to barometric pressure changes. It can cause gas bubbles in the GI tract. I had a horse like this. He would colic over any sudden temp changes like clockwork. Another thing, trailer rides are awesome for colic' load them up and find a bumpy road! Lol |
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Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | I think your probrably ok for now But Id not let her gorge on roundbale.. Id also get more fluids to her gut when you can or even before a haul or after.. possibly soupy alfalfa cubes or beet pulp or add alot of water to grain.. I do that anyway to keep things moveing along.. and in cold temps especially.. |
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 My Heart Be Happy
Posts: 9159
Location: Arkansas | FLITASTIC - 2015-04-19 6:46 PM
Oh. Glad you mentioned it happened when weather changed by 30 degrees! Some horses are sensitive to barometric pressure changes. It can cause gas bubbles in the GI tract. I had a horse like this. He would colic over any sudden temp changes like clockwork. Another thing, trailer rides are awesome for colic' load them up and find a bumpy road! Lol
I was a brand new horse momma when my DFC gelding coliced. Vet had to come out twice between 12 and 5 am. I wanted to know what she thought it was, and when she said "weather" I figured time for a new vet!!! Years later I've heard it many times from vets and horse people I trust, so I'm a believer. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| FLITASTIC - 2015-04-19 6:46 PM
Oh. Glad you mentioned it happened when weather changed by 30 degrees! Some horses are sensitive to barometric pressure changes. It can cause gas bubbles in the GI tract. I had a horse like this. He would colic over any sudden temp changes like clockwork. Another thing, trailer rides are awesome for colic' load them up and find a bumpy road! Lol
Agreed. The only time my boy has coliced it went from 50's to 20's and 4" of snow overnight. His was a gas colic, he was going down and trying to roll but finally went down and was content to lay on his side quietly so we allowed it for a few minutes. Kid you not the horse must have had his gut just right because he let out a massive fart and then rolled up on his sternum and looked at us like we were he crazy ones. He got more hand walking until we had actual poop and he was drinking then monitored apart from he rest of the herd for a few days as the weather remained unstable.
I get worried everytime the weather gets weird now :-( |
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Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | If we think its gas colic we will put hand on Hip and turn tight circles.. usually that will relieve them .. |
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Veteran
Posts: 170
| She did pass quite a bit of gas after she got off the theraplate. |
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Veteran
Posts: 139
Location: Abbotsford B.C. Canada | just a comment.
The others have great advice but I would add that we know horses do not like cold water and in fact drink more water that is about average temperature . Therefore I would suggest you force feed one ounce of electrolytes every day to force the horse to always drink water.
I also had a horse blood panel run for otherreasons for a horse on good pasture who had a grazing muzzle and he was a bit dehydrated on a warm august day . He could easily drink but the vet felt she was seeing horses just cooking out a bit and getting borderline dehydrated.
I also suggest that because you haul why not do what endurance people do (a haul is a mini endurance ride anyways) and always feed maybe a small wet mush every day of two pound dry wieght beet pulp and 2 lbs dry weight alfalfa cubes or pellets but soak the stuff two to one with water and throw in you electrolytes and other supplements etc.
Maybe the grain cannot be fed wet but maybe look at a grain mix with more fat and fiber. Horses can ferment grain in the foregut.
The one girl mentions pressure and one thing we used to see in a feedlot say in texas is that when a cold storm is approaching the catlle feel the pressure bdrop first and start to load up on feed. We called ita storm ration where some felt we should put more fiber into the feed to prevent the cattle from eating more grain than normal very quickly.
They actually may feel their rumens contracting as pressure changes before the cold comes in, and the gas expands if it warms up. They feel empty if it is colder with high pressure for example so they eat more.
That may be where some wet mush every day to keep things moving will help smooth things out.
The cold water actually may hurt their stomachs so check out the water temperature . We think cold water may actaully hurt the teeth of older horses who have spaces between the gums and teeth if quite old so they do not drink icy cold water well as it could hit the roots.
That was a good suggestion about sand and maybe add a little oil and even psyllium could be used after the colic just to make sure things are moving along ,.
Sometimes colic if severe does some damage to the gut wall due to swelling and pressure on nerves and blood vessels or twisting so if severe add some mush and psyllium or i think even a cup a day milled flax would help. The flax has a coat like psyllium and would help keep him regular and the anti inflammatory effects can only help and a pre and probiotic may help get things back on track.
THey often do not like strange water as much, so
at the rodeo you may want that electrolyte in there to encourage water intake or even put some molasses in the water.
Do what you gotta do to get water into the horse.
Cheers,
Coastal Rider
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Veteran
Posts: 170
| I wonder if it wasn't just a bit of gas colic from the sudden temp change as she stayed really well hydrated through the day... I used to give them an electrolyte paste overtime I hauled so I think I will start doing that again and just leaving water in front of them VS offering it... This mare I typically run on Lasix but for the first run of the year didn't want to shock her system with it... |
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 Jr. Detective
Location: Beggs, OK | What feed to you have her on? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1074
| I'm so nervous about colic now. We had to put one down after colic surgery. She had a huge impaction, but had an extremely high pain tolerance so we didn't know how bad it was until she was opened up. Each horse is so different. After losing one, I'm so paranoid if one of them acts the list bit funny. I'm glad your horse is ok now. We all live and learn. I've made plenty of mistakes on my own with colicing horses. We had one that would colic if the weather changed at all. |
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Veteran
Posts: 170
| rachellyn80 - 2015-04-20 9:09 AM
What feed to you have her on?
Prime Glo and GLC 5500 with a handful of sweet feed to mask the joint supplement taste. |
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Veteran
Posts: 170
| barrelrider - 2015-04-20 9:19 AM
I'm so nervous about colic now. We had to put one down after colic surgery. She had a huge impaction, but had an extremely high pain tolerance so we didn't know how bad it was until she was opened up. Each horse is so different. After losing one, I'm so paranoid if one of them acts the list bit funny. I'm glad your horse is ok now. We all live and learn. I've made plenty of mistakes on my own with colicing horses. We had one that would colic if the weather changed at all.
Sorry you lost your mare :( I have never ever been concerned about colic but now I find myself peaking at the horses obsessively looking for rolling or belly kicking.. I'm honestly a little nervous to haul her again! |
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