What is colic in horses?

Question

My brother-in-law had to put his horse down due to colic. I've never heard of this. The horse got it over night and it had to be put down right away. Any insight?

Answer 1

Horses have yards and yards of intestines, and sometimes they get blocked. A horse rolls with a blockage and the gut can get twisted. That's called a torsion. Lots of things can cause colic- which is translated as "belly pain." Too much grain, eating toomuch green grass after nothaving been out onpasture, eating the worng thing, hay impaction (older horses can't digest and "move" the hay), sand colic (horses pick up sand and dirt while grazing.eating and can settle in the gut), etc.
Sometimes it gets so bad the horse muct be put out of its misery. Whena horse gets colic, walk it and don't allow it to roll until the vet gets there. Many times colic is treatable.

Answer 2

First of all, Colic is a condition that causes pain in the horse's abdomen. It can be caused by gas, blockage, or a twisted intestine. The common types of horse colic in order of most severe to lest are:

Displacement and/or torsion – When an intestine is placed in an unnatural position it is displaced, whereas torsion occurs when the intestine twists. These two very similar conditions have one thing in common: they are highly fatal if immediate surgical attention is not provided.

Gastric rupture – A horse cannot vomit excess food as humans can, so when the stomach expands due to severe overeating it can rupture. Such a rupture is fatal.

Enteritis and/or colitis – The small or large intestines swell due to an inflammation, creating discomfort. A professional should address these conditions as soon as possible.

Impaction – A partial or full blockage occurs within the intestines. Generally this is not a problem as long as appropriate medical attention is provided.

Spasmodic – Spasmodic colic is a condition where the intestines contract in an abnormally quick and strong manner, usually caused by parasites. It's uncomfortable, but as long as it is addressed properly it's generally cleared up easily.

Gas – The horse has too much gas, which causes the intestines to expand a bit, causing discomfort to the horse. This is rarely a problem in itself. It's important to treat all cases of colic as if they were the fatal types, since often the fatal types show the same symptoms as the minor conditions. Symptoms of colic are:

The horse lies down and gets back up repeatedly.

The horse bends his head and neck towards his abdomen, sometimes biting at his gut.

The horse paws the ground.

The horse attempts to kick his abdominal area.

The horse stretches, as if assuming an urination position.

The horse rolls around on the ground.

A lack of normal manure quantities is passed.

The horse curls his upper lip, sweats profusely or breathes rapidly.


Horses may lie quietly or roll around when they are in the midst of a colic, and your reaction will differ based on which your horse does. If your horse is resting fairly quietly, it's safe to allow him to lie down while you wait for the veterinarian to arrive. Make sure your horse doesn't try to roll on the floor; if he does start rolling try to make him stand up and walk him slowly. The same holds true if your horse repeatedly lies down and stands up – try to make him walk slowly instead, otherwise your horse will cause displacement or torsion if he rolls or repeatedly lies and stands. Don't overexert your horse in either case since the goal is to prevent him from rolling, not stress him even further.

Once your vet arrives he will be able to evaluate the situation and try to determine both the form of colic as well as the appropriate steps to take to resolve the condition.

your brother in law probable did not realize his horse had colic, and by he found out, it was beyond help, so the best thing for him to do was put him down.

I am sorry about you b-i-l's horse, and i hoped this helped. (if you manage to read it!) Sorry it was so long

Answer 3

The term "colic" means only "pain in the abdomen" or "pain in the
belly." There are many causes for such pain, ranging from the
mild and inconsequential to the life-threatening or fatal. One of
the problems with equine colic is that it can be very difficult
in the early stages to distinguish the mild from the potentially
fatal. This is why all cases of abdominal pain should be taken
seriously right from the onset

Once food has been chewed, it passes down the esophagus
("gullet") into the stomach. The horse has a fairly small stomach
for its size (8-15 litres), a design well suited to an animal
which grazes almost continuously in its natural state. After a
period of digestion in the stomach, food passes into the small
intestine. This part of the gut is approximately 22 m in length,
with a diameter of 7-10 cm, and a capacity of 40-50 litres.

The majority of the small intestine hangs from a curtain-like
membrane called the mesentery*. The messentery is attached to one
point in the middle of the abdomen under the spine. (The small
intestine looks like a very long sausage running along the bottom
of a thin net curtain, with the top of the curtain all bunched
together.) At the junction of the small and large intestines the
equine GIT has a large blind-ended* outpouching over 1 m long
with a capacity of 25-30 litres. This is the caecum (the horse's
version of our appendix). Food passes from the small intestine
into the caecum before passing into the large intestine.

Together, the caecum and large intestine form the horse's
"fermentation chamber," allowing it to gain nutritional support
from the complex carbohydrates contained in grasses and other
forage. Three to four metres long with a diameter of 20-25 cm
along most of its length and a capacity of over 50 litres, the
large intestine fills a significant part of the abdomen.
Surprisingly, this large unwieldy structure is tethered to the
body wall at only two points*: at its beginning (where it joins
the small intestine and caecum) and at its end (where it joins
the short, narrow* small colon which leads to the anus). With
only two immobile points, the large intestine lies in the abdomen
in a neatly-arranged double-U formation, one "U" stacked on top
of the other. This arrangement entails the food making it around
a number of 180° bends* (known as "flexures") in the intestine.

Impaction Colic:
This is the term used when the intestine becomes blocked by a
firm mass of food. Impactions most commonly occur in the large
intestine at one of the flexures. This is a fairly common type of
colic which usually resolves relatively easily with appropriate
treatment. However, an impaction may be just the first obvious
sign in a more complicated case.

Gas colic:
Sometimes gas builds up in the intestine, most commonly in the
large intestine and/or caecum. The gas stretches the intestine,
causing pain. Gas colics usually resolve fairly easily with
appropriate treatment, although it is essential to ensure that
there is no underlying reason for the problem.


Spasmodic colic:
Some cases of colic are due to increased intestinal contractions,
the abnormal spasms cause the intestines to contract painfully.
These cases usually respond fairly well.


Displacement/volvulus/torsion ('twisted gut'):
In a "displacement", a portion of the intestine has moved to an
abnormal position in the abdomen. A "volvulvus" or "torsion"
occurs when a piece of the intestine twists. The suspension of
the small intestine from the mesentery (the "net curtain") and
the unfixed nature of much of the large intestine predispose
horses to intestinal displacements and torsions. Except in rare
cases, these types of colic cause a total blockage of the
intestine and require immediate surgery if the horse is to
survive. In the early stages of a displacement/torsion colic, the
signs may be similar to those of a horse with one of the more
benign causes of colic. That is why it is important to take all
cases of colic seriously, and to seek veterinary advice at an
early stage.


Enteritis/colitis:
Some cases of abdominal pain are due to inflammation of the small
(enteritis) or large (colitis) intestines. These are serious
medical cases and require immediate veterinary attention.

Gastric distension/rupture:
When a horse gorges itself on grain or, even more seriously, a
substance which expands when dampened like dried beet pulp, the
contents of the stomach can swell. The horse's small stomach and
its inability to vomit mean that in these circumstances the
stomach may burst. Once this has happened death is inevitable. If
you suspect that your horse may have gorged itself on concentrate
feeds, seek veterinary advice immediately.

"Unknown":
In many cases of colic it is impossible to determine the reason
for the pain. Symptomatic treatment, close monitoring and
attention to any adverse developments usually lead to resolution
of the problem.

The signs of colic in horses range from almost imperceptible in
mild cases to extremely violent in severe cases. The following
list includes the most common signs:
lying down more than usual
getting up and lying down repeatedly
standing stretched out
standing frequently as if to urinate
turning the head towards the flank
repeatedly curling the upper lip
pawing at the ground
kicking at the abdomen
rolling

Answer 4

Colic is a digestive problem. It is bloating of the intestines. Most likely in this case, the intestines twisted themselves. The air in the intestines causes the section to lift and twist around another section of the gut. This leads to necrosing(dying) of the tissue from lack of blood lose, which is cut off when the vessels are twisted along with the intestine. If not caught right away it is most definately a deadly problem. Even with surgery to correct any twisting, the intestine may be badly damaged and the horse will die. It is a very common problem. It can be caused by various things, impaction in the intestine from lack of water, which causes forages to stick, parasites, mainly tapeworms, moldy food, drastic changes in diet, foreign objects(another form of impaction) and various other things.

Answer 5

Colic might be considerred food poisoning or an extremely bad and painful form of gas in a horse's tummy. There are medicines that can be given a horse to force it out, but I understand it's not very pleasant.

Answer 6

Because horses can't throw up and because they eat grasses and hay which can ferment, they are more prone to gasto-intestinal disorders the biggest one being colic. Colic is defined as severe abdominal pain caused by an increase of intestinal gases., impaction, or foreign objects. A lot of times colic can be treated if caught early, other times it can require surgery. Colic is one of he biggest causes for premature death in horses.

Answer 7

It is like appendicitis I think like a hole in the intestines

If it happens you should not let the horse lye down
if it does it is doomed
some horses can get over it some have to be put down

Answer 8

Check out this website..it's all about colic in horses

http://www.equusite.com/articles/health/healthColicFacts.shtml

Answer 9

it is when sand gets caught up in the intestines and the horses intestines clog and the intestines pop and the horse lives onlyy mins after

Answer 10

Horses can't puke so if they get some poison they get a stomacheache and you need to keep the horse walking till it comes out.