I have a horse that has had periods of colic. We have had the vets out many times. What could it be?

Question

He has had a lot of little colics that I have not had the vet out for and we gave him drugs and then he felt better later that day. But he has had two really bad ones that he was on IV fuilds and one that we got to in time but the vet still came out and put oil into him. He is a 4 year old Amerian Saddlebred that was a stallion until about 3 months ago(he had colic before him being gelded)When he colics he is still pooping he just well park out like his breed does and look at his side and he well also try and roll. I have changed his hay, put him on daliy dewormer but I have only had him on it for about a month so. We have had blood work done found nothing.

Answer 1

Give your horse a pinch of salt every day with the grain. I heard that that would help. They will drink more.

Answer 2

1) could it be sand colic? Talk to your vet about this and try sand clear.

2) what does your vet guesses it might be? If you're not getting anywhere with this vet, it may be time for a 2nd opinion.

3) check the quality of the hay and feed. Slight mold or contaminants may cause digestion problems.

4) Give him smaller but more frequent meals (to = the same # of pounds each day). Consider switching from sugary sweet feed to something easier to digest.

5) Some people like probiotics, though I personally dont think they do much.

6) Look around his paddock and stall carefully. Sometimes a "helpful" neighbor will toss grass clippings, vegetables, or whatever into his pen. This is a surefire way to get a horse sick. Keep an eye on his pasture and watch whoever handles him. Somes people just don't know any better.

Answer 3

Some horses are very predisposed to colic.
Some reasons for it:
Changes in feed
wet and cold
If they have been a stall horse all their life with little pasture time
Are stressed out continuously
bad hay
roll funny
eat their food too fast (you can stop this by putting a rock in the grain bucket- they have to work harder to get at all the food- slows them down significantly)
and the list goes on.
Your vet would be the best to tell you what it is. There are many different types of colic. It sounds like yours were mostly simple ones, possibly just an upset stomach, but some can get severe with a flipped intestine or stomach, where surgery is usually needed.
If they are mild cases of colic, you may not need to call the vet out every time. I don't know how your vet is, but it is at least $50 a visit by us. If you first walk them around- don't let them run, just keep them up and walking, along with giving them a little banamine, it may work out the problems. If it doesnt within a 1/2 hr or so, call the vet.

Answer 4

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.

Some commons types of colic are:

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 causing 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.

Some ways to help limit the amount of colic episodes are to allow as much turnout as possible, maintain a regular feeding schedule, ensure constant access to clean water, provide at least 60% of digestible energy from forage, do not feed excessive digestible energy, do not feed moldy hay or grain, feed hay and water before grain, provide access to forage for as much of the day as possible, do not over graze pastures, do not feed or water horses before they have cooled out, maintain a consistent exercise regime, make all changes in diet, exercise level and management slowly and control intestinal parasites and assess efficiency periodically.

Answer 5

My horse went through the same thing. He would have just enough pain that he would touch his belly with his nose or bang his back legs on his belly, sometimes he would lay down real quick and jump back up. He started to lose a little weight. I took him to the Vet and they scoped him, they found an ulcer. I treated it for 30 days and took him back for another scoping and it was gone. Hope this helps.........Good luck.

Answer 6

There are many causes of colic incl. eating sand, eating too much, etc. Try finding out from the vet what the cause is and take preventative measures

Answer 7

You've gotten some great advice here, and I'll add: Have your vet scope for ulcers. The fact that he keeps passing manure while he's colicking makes me think there's no obstruction, just severe discomfort due to gas, or something else (once knew a horse who colicked regularly due to torn mesyntery... finally needed surgery to correct).

Answer 8

could be an entrolith? have you had her ultrasounded to see if she has a large stone? do you feed psyllium, to clear sand out of the gut? any time you have a horse having recurrent bout of colic, time to scope them to make sure there isn't something else contributing to it. good luck hope this helps.

Answer 9

Lighten up on the grain, increase hay and encourage more water consumption. Exercise your horse every day.