SecondChance
Site Admin
Joined: 05 Apr 2007
Posts: 3502
Location: Perth, Western Australia
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 Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:36 pm Post subject: Colic and its prevention |
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Its colic time again, the new grass coming through and our horses ripping it out of the ground as fast as it can grow! I thought this might be a good time to discuss colic and how we can help prevent it.
Colic is basically pain in the gut, there are lots of different types of colic from impaction, to gas, to sand... and of course LOTS of different causes.
Some causes are:
- Sand
- Stress
- Unbalanced diet
- Mouldy/poisonous/incorrect food
- Dehydration
- Foreign objects swallowed (like baling twine!!)
- Sudden change in diet
- Cancerous tumours/melanomas
- Off water
- Worm burden/worm damage
- Lack of dental care resulting in feed not being chewed correctly = impaction
- Horse ingesting large amount of grain
- Very hot horse being given very cold water
Colic is the number 1 killer of horses. Prevention is much better than cure so here are some things you can do to help prevent your horse or pony getting colic.
- Sand
You can help prevent sand colic by doing several things. You can routinely drench (but shouldn't rely on that alone), you can feed copious amounts of hay which helps the horse pass out sand they ingest. You can dose them with phsyllium husks - I do my lot one cup a day for a week every month, to make it easier I start on the 1st of each month and go till the 7th. You can also put rubber matting down under feedbins/haynets so that when they drop feed and then go to pick up the bits they aren't picking up the sand with it.
- Stress
Try to prevent overly stressful events if you can. Of course something one horse might stress badly about might not bother another horse at all. Plan ahead to avoid things that could badly stress the horse, make long float trips as pleasant as possible with regular stops, ensure your horse has a mate around to help keep him company etc.
- Unbalanced diet
You can use a program www.feedxl.com.au to help you learn how to create a balanced diet for your horse. You can also engage the services of an equine nutritionist to help plan a good diet. You'd be suprised at just how many people feed incorrectly because they just do what everyone else does without researching into it.
- Mouldy/poisonous/incorrect food
Always check your feed and hay very carefully for any signs of smelling off or looking mouldy and throw away/take back the mouldy stuff! Same with anything that's had weevils or mice damage. Also routinely check paddocks in case some twit has thrown something over the fence or you've had an invasion of weeds that could cause the horse harm.
- Dehydration
ALWAYS ensure your horse has 24/7 access to clean, fresh water. Water troughs can become stagnant very quickly and should be cleaned often! I do my stable troughs every day, and the paddock troughs every 2nd or 3rd day at least. Water horses appropriately after exercise (cool them down well and ensure they are offered a drink) and ensure that horses being travelled especially over long distances are offered water often. If your horse is turning their nose up at unfamiliar water, try mixing mollasses in with it to tempt them.
- Foreign objects swallowed (like baling twine!!)
Ensure that your paddocks, yards, stables etc are free of rubbish at all tiems. Do regular checks and also double-check hay nets and bags for bits of string!
- Sudden change in diet
Always change your horse's diet or introduce new feeds slowly. If you are getting a new horse, find out what and how much it is being fed where you are getting it from so you can start off with the same diet and change to your preferred feeds slowly.
- Cancerous tumours/melanomas
Not much can be done about these, sadly.
- Off waterAgain make sure all water is fresh and clean.
- Worm burden/worm damage
Worm regularly and have a plan in place. It is a good idea to get faecal egg counts done to determin how well your worming program is working.
- Lack of dental care resulting in feed not being chewed correctly = impaction
Always ensure you get an adequately qualified Dentist to do your horse's teeth regularly even if they are not worked!! I can't stress how important this is for your horse's health and wellbeing.
- Horse ingesting large amount of grain
Try to ensure it is impossible for your horse to get into the feed room but if you discover they have (lets face it, horses will be horses) get them to a Vet IMMEDIATELY. Do NOT wait for colic signs to show, get them to a vet straight away for evasive action to prevent the colic starting.
- Very hot horse being given very cold water
Ensure that your horse is carefully and properly cooled down after a hard workout to avoid this.
If anyone else has any comments or ideas on colic prevention please feel free to post away!
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