Preventing Colic in Horses

Colic.

It's one word that strikes fear in most horse owners — and for good reason! A horse with no outward signs of distress can find themselves in trouble just a few hours later.

With colic in horses causing significant issues, you may be wondering if there are ways of preventing colic. The good news is yes. With a little work, you can help keep your horse happy, healthy, and hopefully colic-free.

First, let's take a quick look at what colic in horses is and why it happens.

What is Colic?

From horses to humans, colic is a broad term that refers to any abdominal pain.

The severity of colic in horses depends on what is causing it. It could be spasmodic colic (or gas colic) caused by excessive gas in your horse's digestion. Or it could be impaction colic with several different causes that are entirely disrupting your horse's digestion.

The severity of colic also dictates a veterinarian's ability to assist. If caught early enough, it may take some medication and slow walks around the barn. If severe, it means going into surgery to remove the impaction.

If your horse is showing the below signs and symptoms of colic, call your vet immediately.

• Rolling or Wanting to Lie Down
• Lack of Appetite
• Lack of Defecation
• Lack of Normal Gut Sounds
• The Appearance of Being Bloated
• Pawing & Signs of Anxiety
• Increased Heart Rate (normal is 28-44 beats/minute)
• Profuse Sweating 

Colic is quite common and is a broad term. But, there are some things you can do to help reduce your horse's risk.

Tips for Preventing Colic in Horses

Like most things in the world, colic is not 100% preventable. But, you can go a long way in helping prevent severe colic in your horse.

Stay Consistent With Feed, Portions and Times

A potentially common cause of colic is a sudden change in diet, like food type or portion sizes. While changes in diet are sometimes necessary, it's important not be in a constant state of change.

During these shifts, it's best to switch the diet gradually over the week with incremental increases and changes. Small changes allow your horse's digestion to become accustomed to the new grains and food.

Keep Your Horse Moving and Active

A moving horse is a happy horse. And that unrestricted movement during turnout allows a horse's digestion and intestines to stretch out and do their jobs.

With each step your horse takes while socializing or grazing, the food in their gut is moving as well increasing the rate of breakdown and mobility in their system. A horse that is kept in a stall at all times, will have a hard time moving enough to help boost their digestion.

Always Have Fresh Water for Your Horse

Like moving, water helps your horse's digestion, and with preventing colic.

When a horse (or any animal) becomes dehydrated, digestion becomes harder and more taxing on the animal's system. A horse that is turned out or kept in the stall without access to clean water is at higher risk of impaction, one of the more severe types of colic in horses.

Preventing colic in horses isn't always possible, but the above tips can go a long way in helping keep your horse (and their digestion) happy. Have questions? Think your horse is at risk for colic? Give us a PHD Veterinary Services in Florida a call at 352-258-3571.

Pyloris of a Horse of course!!

The endoscopic images in the following figures are of a horse's pyloris. This is the portion of the stomach that creates a valve and allows gastric fluids and contents to enter the small intestines. The very first region of the small intestines is known as the duodenum. In Figure 1, the pyloric sphincter is open and a small amount of feed material is noted around the edges of the sphincter. In Figure 2, the pyloris is nearly completely closed. The movement of material through the pyloris is controlled via rhythmic contractions or peristalsis of the stomach's muscular wall.

Figure 1

Figure 2

In Figure 3-6, there are very important abnormalities noted around the pyloric sphincter. In Figure 3 and 4, there is evidence of active bleeding from ulcerations around the pyloric sphincter! These ulcerations are likely to be a source of significance discomfort in the horse and would contribute to signs of gastric ulcer disease. It is possible and common to examine a horse's stomach and miss these lesions if the horse is not properly fasted prior to the gastroscopy and the pyloric sphincter is not visualized. This can be quite difficult in some equine patients!! The pyloric sphincter essentially controls the rate of gastric emptying hence any inflammation in this area will likely SLOW the rate of gastric emptying and result in an abnormal build-up of gastric fluid/content within the stomach.

Figure 3

Figure 4

 In Figures 5-6, there is a significant amount of hyperemia around the pyloric sphincter which corresponds to active inflammation. The degree of clinical signs may vary significantly from horse to horse however it is highly likely that horses with these types of lesions will have clinical signs consistent with gastric ulceration and WILL require the proper medical management! These type of lesions may be caused by excessive use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents such as banamine and phenylbutazone. Diagnosis is dependent on a COMPLETE gastroscopy and I typically recommend a follow-up gastroscopy after treatment to verify complete resolution of the pyloric sphincter ulcerations!!

Figure 5

Figure 6

Gastric Ulcers in a horse

The endoscopic images below are from a teenage gelding that presented for a complaint of aggressive  behavior while grooming. The gelding was not displaying any classic signs of colic nor was there a decline in food intake or a report of weight loss. When the stomach was examined, several bleeding ulcers were noted surrounding the pyloric sphincter. This region of the stomach includes the passage from the stomach into the small intestine. The gelding was treated with 45 days of Gastrogard and returned to normal behavior.

 The important message from this case is that gastric ulcers in horses can present like most anything! Classically, they present as low grade colic associated with feeding plus or minus weight loss. However, in my experience clinical signs associated with gastric ulcers have included poor performance, dull hair coat, excessive water intake, sour behavior under saddle, aggressive behavior while being groomed, colic, parking out, frequent posturing to urinate, teeth grinding, and weight loss.

I strongly recommend a gastric exam which includes visualization of the pyloris to determine if gastric ulcers are the source of the clinical complaint. This involves 24 hrs of fasting and a trained clinician with a 3 meter gastroscope. If ulcers are discovered, the only treatment proved to be effective is Gastrogard medication for at least 30 days! I typical recommend 30 days of a full dose followed by 2 weeks of a half dose.