Advice for cribber prone to gassy colic..

[Starbucks]

My hunter suffered with a few bouts of gassy colic when he was younger but he's been pretty good for the last 4/5 years.

He had it very very mild one day a few weeks ago and then was poorly for 3 hours the week before Christmas.

My mum has always looked after him before when he lived at her yard but this was my first time dealing with him.

I called the vet about 2 hours in, he was happy that it didn't sound that bad and said to call if it got worse. He was laying down but not rolling, kicking or sweating and was pooing and farting.

Anyway he got better and has been fine since, but he's obvioulsly prone to gassy colic..

He seems to do better on more grass so I've got him a better paddock, cut his feed and got him a big tub of Coligone, but he's hunting hard 1 day a week so he needs more feed or he's going to get skinny.

Any advice? He was on 1 scoop conditioning cubes, Alfa A oil and speedy beet before but I've cut that right down. My mum thinks oats might be better for him?

Thanks. x

 

[Equi]

If he is colicing on shorter grass i would be inclined to think he is taking in too much air, as a lot of horses would if they eat too fast too. It might be worth trying him with a brick in his food bucket so he can't scoff the food?

 

[tallyho!]

Bless him. Colic is heartbreaking. Maybe he is better off out at least he can move and stimulate good digestion. If you don't want him on cereals (even though I agree with you mum, oats are a good option, they are much higher in fibre than barley or corn) then maybe high calorie alfalfa pellets with beet. Add high oil straights such as linseed, or copra and mix with chaff to slow the eating and digestion. All the fibre will be good for the colic and the high oil content will give more energy for the field. If you want to add oats, give him some about half hour before you go, the energy will be used up very efficiently then while he is working hard.

 

[JillA]

I would be investigating the possibility of gastric or intestinal ulcers - there is a known link with cribbing. Check him against the Dr DePaulo video on Youtube, and if it is positive, revise his diet to as high in fibre and low in sugar and cereals as you can.
Add a probiotic (yeasacc for example) to help his gut flora and ensure he never has an empty stomach. Coconut oil or slippery elm line the gut to allow any ulcers to heal, and bicarbonate of soda helps reduce the acidity. There are supplements which don't need a prescription if you prefer to not go down the mega expensive route.

 

[ozpoz]

Good advice above. I used Thunderbrook's Gut Restore and found their products and helpline very good -still using them 3 years on. But definitely forage based diet, and ad lib hay/turnout will help.