Colic, beware!

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Domirati

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So ginger horse has just spent 3 days at Newmarket due to colic. Fortunately they decided they did not need to operate. He is 13, never had it before and out on the same field he has been on all winter. My vet, who came out initially, said they have seen a massive number of cases in the last few weeks. He said they had had 6 calls in 5 minutes the previous Saturday. Just be on the lookout.
 
Sorry you have had colic scare:( just thinking maybe it's because people are not riding much or not at all due to the lockdown not nice though whatever the reason.
 
Did they give any thoughts as to what caused it? I haven't changed my routine with mine at all but there's more people about so am keeping a lookout due to risk of them being fed things they shouldn't....
 
I guess it must be the change in the grass. We had such a dry run and then rain at the end of last week. My vet says they always get a lot of colic after a change in the weather. Mine have been gobbling the grass the last couple of days so will be keeping a really close eye.
 
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I’m glad that your lad is ok now, OP. What a fright he gave you.

My mare had a spasmodic colic just over a month ago. My vet said then that they’d a lot more than usual recently, he was blaming the change in the grass, though she’d had no change of routine. It’s bad news if the colics are continuing even now :confused:.

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/spring-grass-and-colic-warning.787515/
 
Yes very scary, no change in routine or food at all. Vet suggested variable weather, lots of cases with lush grass but we have not got any. They have said to carry on as normal and hope it does not happen again, all be it with a touch of paranoia! Must say very scary driving a trailer 80 miles with a colicy horse in it though vet did sedate. Newmarket were brilliant even though we were not allowed out of the car when dropping off or when I collected him. Very efficient. I was also convinced I would be stopped at some point in one of the journeys‘ to justify my travel but fortunately not. Let’s hope it was a one off.
 
Chinchilla said:
What's the active in this?
Is it simethicone?
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No I think it is peppermint. does work , i gave it to mine when she started colic, and walked her around while trying to get down on the concrete, and gave her one more dose just before vet, and after exam they said she was over the worst.

Read the description it says it all.
 
We had three colics at our yard in the last month, we lost one but the other two have since been ok and no surgery required. I think grass related. Mine has had his muzzle on for turnout anyway so touch wood nothing on that front but he does have light pulses and warm feet ? so now worrying about laminitis so he’s in off the grass for a few days now...
 
So glad you saw the signs, mine gets colicky when the grass is super stressed, I do normally give her some Coligone, which I find works really well, however if she still looks odd the vet is out and an shot of buscopan and bute tends to work well.
I think coligone is aniseed
 
I was concerned about mine a couple of days ago as she only appeared to have done a couple of poos all day. Had my ear to her belly to check for gut sounds. Sharer didn't report anything yesterday, and this morning she (horse! ;)) did a lovely healthy poo as I was leading her out of the field, so hopefully she's shifted whatever it was.
 
Pinkvboots said:
Sorry you have had colic scare:( just thinking maybe it's because people are not riding much or not at all due to the lockdown not nice though whatever the reason.
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I actually think that is part of the problem along with stressed grass. Regular riding keeps the gut active and moving, then add a flush in spring grass into the equation increases the chances of gut upsets.
 
i would be wayr of letting them eat a lot of grass all at once, if not used to it or sudden flush, its coul dbe too dry for digesting or they are not drinking enough

20 mins is enough to start, increasing daily as a change in routine, or limiting access after a dry spell then sudden flush
 
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My 23yo had a mild bout of spasmodic colic last Weds eve, luckily some bute and buscopan sorted him out and he's been fine since. I'm sure it was no coincidence that I wormed him that morning (Pramox), possibly combined with the grass flushing. He's never been affected by wormer before, have used Pramox on him many times over the years. He had a similar episode in June last year, but nothing I could tie it to then.
 
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ILuvCowparsely said:
Been there wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy to many times, and RVC lost 2 to colic. Been on colic watch way to often so I know where you are coming from.

This is always in my medicine cabinet as it has help so many times while waiting for the vet https://pro-equine.com/products/colikare
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This looks good to have on standby, I noticed one of the ingredients is fennel which I feed my boy daily, I started this after he had a few bouts of spasmodic colic and a vet said there was some evidence it helped. I trialled stopping it for a year and he had another few bouts which always resulted in a vet visit for bute & buscopan. So for a couple of £ a month he's back on it longterm and touch wood no vet visits since I restarted it.
 
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elliejhb said:
This looks good to have on standby, I noticed one of the ingredients is fennel which I feed my boy daily, I started this after he had a few bouts of spasmodic colic and a vet said there was some evidence it helped. I trialled stopping it for a year and he had another few bouts which always resulted in a vet visit for bute & buscopan. So for a couple of £ a month he's back on it longterm and touch wood no vet visits since I restarted it.
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it is I have used it immediately we have a colic bout, we give 1o ml and see a result within a short time.
 
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My mare has had colicky episodes with the change of grass. Last year was particularly bad. She's since been put on brewers yeast. I double up on the dose with the change and so far this year, she's had one very short lived episode.
 
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I think its to do with stressed grass and its nitrogen content -sure I read that somewhere, wish I had the link, its been very dry then we had a lot of rain here and its very warm in the day and very cold at night.
 
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ycbm said:
Yes he's fine thanks :)



Dairyfree is a troll, folks, posting rubbish everywhere. I've reported it..
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obviously not very successfully! :D:D:D:D:D:D
the latest offering is that very amusing habit of sucking and biting doors. You and I would call that wind sucking/ cribbing but each to their own. :rolleyes:
 
Well my mare colicked just when the Spring grass was beginning to come through; this was back beginning of March-time I think it was, just about when we were all finally beginning to realise that winter might just be actually over!

I'd put her out in a tiny piece of paddock with some fresh grass on it; she then went out and gutzed down all the new stuff, and then they went in at night as I was still keeping them in at night then.

Came home after a night out, and there she was, in a state. Dug a huge hole in her stable (earth floor). Luckily she was OK. It was the first colic I've ever dealt with in 40+ years of owning horses.
 
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