Advice On What Hard Feed To Give My Colic Prone Boy!

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Tilly And Romeo

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Hi all! Any help would be sincerely appreciated!! :) Romeo is now 4 and a half and stands at 16hh. In the past 12 months he's suffered with spasmodic colic 5times! I've been doing some research into what the causes of colic are. My vet seems to think its related to him being a nervous type of horse! When he gets himself worked up he ends up with colic! He's simply treated with bute and buscopan by injection. Someone mentioned to me that sugar and feeds can cause colic too! I struggle so much to keep weight on him through winter anyways and now he's lost soo much. When he had his last bout he also suffered with an Impaction! So I've been really wary! The vet said the Impaction was caused by Romeo demolishing a full bed of straw!! He'd eaten about 3 bales of straw!! Anyways, bedding changed to shavings and were over the Impaction and colic I wanted to see what everyone's suggestions of a hard feed would be!! I need something that is not going to make him fizzy but will help to put weight on him! He's on two XL size shire nets of good quality hay a day! And he's currently on a handful of hi-fi original with apple and I've put him on the naf pink powder. Many thanks :) xxx
 
Has your horse been tested for gastric ulcers? If he's cleared, then my second guess would be for colonic ulcers, which are much harder to diagnose.

When my horse arrived from Germany she had lost about 100kg on the trip (which I quickly attributed to the heat wave that was around Europe at that time). I started giving her as much hay as she would eat but she kept colicking. Finally vet tested for ulcers and there they were - grade 4! Treated for that but she kept colicking, and after loosing another 50kg the vet finally figured out it was probably colonic ulcers as well. Started treating for those and my mare is currently a very happy, athletic horse with a nice top line and no weight issues.

If you have an ulcer problem, then your best bet to keep them from coming back is a diet with plenty of forage, some alfalfa (calcium oxalate neutralizes acid in the gut) and as little sugar and starch as you can manage.

If your horse has already been tested for gastric ulcers and your vet thinks colonic ulcers aren't an issue either, then I would still try to find a diet with more calories while keeping the starch and sugar levels down.

I would start with ad lib haylage, and something like Re-Leve / ERS / Solution Mash. I also always mix a few handfuls of Alfa A Oil into my horse's feed as it helps to protect the stomach and is also a good source of calories.
 
Well, mine didn't either until there was no way to ignore there was something wrong with her (management alone couldn't be the cause for so many colics).

I would insist on having your boy scoped. Please keep me posted :)
 
Ditto ulcers, mine showed this kind Of stress colic and was scoped for ulcers. can be hind gut ulcers not just stomach ulcers so best to treat whole tract.

Mine is on RiteTrac which made a massive improvement within 48 hours. I tried Coligone powder and Feedmark Ulcercalm. Found the best was RiteTrac which my vet recommended.
Anytime my horse shows signs of stress colic I give him 50ml of Coligone Liquid and he returns to normal. I havent however had to do that since he's been on RiteTrac.

He is now on Fast Fibre, handful of readigrass, micronised linseed, multvit and ad-lib hay. I also put a small amount of sodium bicarbonate in his water.
 
I second the suggestion that he might have ulcers. I give my mare Aloe Vera to soothe her GI tract.
You need to feed as many calories as possible whilst sticking to a high fibre diet imo, so no more hi-fi which is part straw.
We give our cob who doesn't hold her weight well now that she is older; soaked grassnuts, Speedibeet and dried grass chaff, with linseed oil. We have just had to get TopSpec grass chaff with soya oil because of supply probs with Graze-on/Readigrass. You could give your horse alfalfa instead or as well as the grass.
I would give ad-lib hay or haylage, which might help to put weight on too.
 
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