Colic is a wide-ranging term used to describe various different kinds of abdominal pains in a horse.
Unfortunately colic is very common in horses and is one of the most common reasons for premature death in horses. Some colics caught early can be treated fairly easily at home.
There are many different ways to treat a colicky horse and if you are in a barn with many horse owners they will probably all try to tell you something different. Forget everything they told you and call a vet whose opinion you respect and get his or her advice on what to do. It is important to stress that you should always know what to do in a colic situation by consulting your vet before a problem occurs. If you listen to all the good advice from fellow boarders, you could end up doing more harm than good to your horse.
Symptoms of a Colicky Horse
Not eating and or drinking
Laying down more than usual
Kicking at its belly
Continuously looks at or bites its flanks
Rolling repeatedly (Thrashing)
Sweating
Pawing
Showing teeth by curling upper lip
No bowel movements or gut sounds (check by putting your ear to the belly by the flank)
Changes in attitude
Stand as if to urinate
If you know your horse and how he looks and behaves on a daily basis it is easy to spot when something isn’t right.
Before you call your vet there are a few things you can do to tell how sick your horse really is, that way you can accurately tell the vet what condition your horse is in before he gets to your barn.
Take the pulse
Normal pulse is 25-40 in an adult resting horse. Anything over 60 is abnormal.
Check gums
The gums should be a light pink color. Pale or very red gums are both signs that the horse isn’t well.
If you can’t get to a vet, or if you are in a place where the vet can’t get to the horse in a timely manner, there are steps you can take to ease the horse’s pain and in minor colic cases even resolve the problem.
If the horse is down thrashing, it is important to get him up and start walking him immediately. In a minor colic a little walking can sometimes get the stomach going and ease the pain. Let the horse rest if he doesn’t immediately throw himself and start thrashing.
Again, listen to a vet you trust as there are many different advice out there as how to treat a colicky horse.
