Colic!

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beckieswann

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Hey guys,

I need your wisdom please... I'm looking at supplementing his feed currently to prevent another bout of colic. He had colic yesterday (2nd time in 9 weeks) and we can't put our finger on what causes it. He hasn't colic'ed before and it seems bizarre it's happened... he's a very good doer (see pics below) and is in medium exercise, turned out overnight and in during the day. Without going down the Gastric Scope I'd like to see if a supplement will help. He gets compacted and this seems to be causing him the problem.. (vet pulls out what they can and then drenches....)

Just looking for potential supplement advise if possible... he's also now having his hay soaked to help. I just can't bear to see him in pain, and as any horse owner appreciates it's not something I wish to happen again!

I really appreciate any comments :)
 
The problem with saying this works for one horse is that it may not work for another.....but I guess if you have lots of suggestions to chose from

I had big problems with recurrent colic on my TBxID - he colicked evry few weeks for a while - no need to tell you how concerning that is!

Changed his det - no sugars, molasses and absolutely NO cereals. Read every lable for things like wheatfeed and so on. Added in Linseed meal.

Like a switch being thrown - not another colic. He gets linseed and minerals and BY in unmolassed sugar beet. Works for us.
 
That's thing! I just have no idea where to start! I'm reading back through posts, and see that pink powder and coligone is good... my friend also suggested some form of oil to keep everything "moist"... so no doubt linseed may help!

Thinking about it, he also has a horse lyx in his stable which does contain molasses (bought as a min/vit lick!).... hes had that for about 4/5 months.. so I am wondering whether this has something to do with it! (he had the original for 2.5 months and now has the "remobility"..) hmm..

He's currently on a handful of low energy winergy in the morning as he's such a good doer, and doesn't have/need any more!

Any suggestions would be great as i'm willing to try anything! :)
 
Damped or soaked hay can help keep the gut hydrated. Would also second above suggestion regarding molasses based products, particularly Likits.

There is a supplement called Clear Out by Global Herbs which I and others have found useful for helping prevent impactions. Basically it is Physllium (sp?) husks which swell in the gut and helps push through everything. It is about £18 a tub which does last a while and the good thing about it is that you can use it daily as a maintenance dose and if you see his droppings are becoming hard, give him an extra scoop or two for a couple of days.

I also keep some Epsom Salts handy and if mine looks like he is getting too firm and/or not drinking enough, I throw a large handful in his feed. Serves two purposes, 1 is to get him to drink more and the other is that Epsom Salts can help soften what is waiting in the guts to come out.

Don't know if you have sandy soil or if you tend to turn out in a sand based arena, but a couple of times my boy has had an impaction, we have found that it was due to ingested sand. He has a sensitive stomach so only a little bit had set him off. To test for this, put some droppings in a bucket of water. Allow to 'melt' then slowly pour the water out and feel the base of the bucket with rubber gloves. If there is sand in his droppings you will be able to feel the grittiness amongst the poop.

Hope you can find out what is causing his impactions and you can keep the colic attacks at bay.
 
thanks for this! I've just read up about physillium husks... the thing is, even though he did get compacted his poo was quite sloppy which is bizarre...

The vet did the test for sand and thankfully there was none in his poo, but in his field the only main water supply is a stream which flows through, so we did think it was sand!

I'm looking Gut Power by Forest Farmacy, a NAF product such as thrive, haylage balancer or Ulceraze... I've never used Global Herb products before so will go and read up :) thank you for he suggestion!!

I hope these changes will all help to keep the attacks at bay! My poor boy!
 
Sorry to hear this, I have had problems with one of my mares. Her colic was due to the cold we think but anyway she ended up in clinic for 20 days and was operated on twice. Now she is home and getting better and my vet said to use Epsom salts as suggested by Vetsbestfriend and to give her a carrot or two to help keep what's in her gut soft.
 
We lost Izzy at the beginning of August, leaving a 3 month old foal. Izzy had had re-occuring colic on and off for about a month, on the 2nd visit to Rossdales Horsepital, she didn't come home and within 2 weeks we had problems with the foal - colic! It was like having the nightmare from hell, but this time we changed tactics, we've used Coligone and changed to a ceral free diet. We even had the Baileys Rep out to visit (which feed companies will do if you explain your situation), she's coming back to see a foal that was lifeless and lethagic to a foal that she simply won't recognise.

i've never used pink powder and its only because I asked on here that H's mum got in touch (I did some seperate research too). It could be a huge number of things, but please don't wait, get your horse scoped and rule out Ulcers, they can ultrasound and do scans to check for sand in the gut - more effective than a poo test - as it is heavy and collects, doesn't come out! Plus they can also check for worms including tapes. Please think seriously about the scope because if it is ulcers then you can treat (usually with gastroguard which is effective but expensive) plus if your insurance will cover, you won't risk putting him through that pain again.

We also feed everything wet, wet feed, wet hay and fresh scrubbed water buckets twice a day. dehydration can also cause colic and prevention by putting as much into the feed as possible we feel is better than a cure!!

Good luck and hope he doesn't have futher problems

L
xx
 
Thanks guys for your responses.

I'm so sorry to hear about Izzy! Is that the foal in your pic?! Very cute :)

I'm phoning the vet today to see what paths I need to take, I think I'll get a blood test done to see if it's tape and consider the scope a little more seriously.

I'm also phoning up a couple of the brands to see what supplements they can suggest as an ongoing maintenance for him!

I went to see him this morning and he looked very happy in himself again, and even had the deceny to check out my pockets for treats - git!
 
Beckie - less is more wiht these horses. Keep it simple, and there isnt; really a magic bullet, just things that work better than others.

Don't feed the linseed oil or any other liquid oils - feed the micronised meal - it has much more feed value. The meal acts as a mucilage with water, and is soothing to the digestive tract and mucosal membranes. It's not expensive - you get 25Kg for £24 and you use about two full tea mugs a feed. It will certainly make your horse look fantastic, and mine love the taste

I feed in sloppy unmolassed SB

I found 3 benefits - a more settled tum, my TB's joints were better, and I do no grooming (that's right, I almost never use a brush - don't need to!)

You really do need to chase out molasses and cereals from the feed.

Also think about using Yea-Sac - it is a simple probiotic live yeast and can help repopulate the gut. We use it for one of our cobs - he gets the sloppy poos and upset tummies and it seems to weork very well indeed

Try not to use mixes of things, or multipurpose products - it't really best to stick with simple products then you can see what works and what does not - also you are in control of the proportions.
 
Thanks again for this :)

I've just spoken to the vet and she confirmed that she doesn't think he suffers from gastic ulcers as he doesn't seem the type... recommended me to take him off of straw and just monitor him for when it happens again!!

I quite like the sound of this linseed meal... where do you buy it from, how do you feed it - just as it is, or do you boil it?

he clicks in his left hock as well... so sounds like it's good all round!
 
There are two brands available - Simple Systems and Charnwood Mills - one is half again the price of the other one and the bags we got were never as fresh as the Charnwood Mills one.

Just mix it in with some speedibeet or soaked unmollassed beet.

I use two tea mugs a feed for my 16.3 TBxID. It is a hoof friendly feed. We have to watch how much we give the cobs, they have a tendency to be porky. Good energy feed too

You don't need to soak it or boil it - it's already "cooked"

It is however very messy when your horse wipes his nose on you :D

Taste it yourself - it has a lovely nutty aroma.
 
If you're worried re ulcers which you sound like you might be in your OP, then consider discussing use of Equitop Progastrin....made by Boeringher and supplied through the vet. Good for stomachs esp to try and minimse formation or early ulcers....used with good success for this type of case in-hand with or after gastroguard treatment.
Be careful when choosing a non-licensed nurtaceutical option as they are not obliged to have any testing so have no scientific base of their claims and may not even be the product they claim to be on the label....contents can vary grateful from tub to tub....minefield really. You can spend a lot of money for not a lot of use if you aren't careful.:rolleyes:

Imogen
 
My mare used to get compaction colic frequently when she was on straw. Turns out she was eating it and this was what was causing the colic. If you are on straw I would change to something less palatable to eliminate the risk. Good luck!
 
beckieswann said:
Hey guys,

I need your wisdom please... I'm looking at supplementing his feed currently to prevent another bout of colic. He had colic yesterday (2nd time in 9 weeks) and we can't put our finger on what causes it. He hasn't colic'ed before and it seems bizarre it's happened... he's a very good doer (see pics below) and is in medium exercise, turned out overnight and in during the day. Without going down the Gastric Scope I'd like to see if a supplement will help. He gets compacted and this seems to be causing him the problem.. (vet pulls out what they can and then drenches....)

Just looking for potential supplement advise if possible... he's also now having his hay soaked to help. I just can't bear to see him in pain, and as any horse owner appreciates it's not something I wish to happen again!

I really appreciate any comments :)
Click to expand...

Pink powder on full dose for first week and maintenance afterwards. It is possible he got colic due to the fluctation in temperature. It was very warm yesterday after a lot of rain. This is what starts my horse off colicking - he is a 17.1hh WB (in signature). He is also a good doer.
 
Hi. I don't post on here very often so I am not 100% sure what the protocol is as I am both a personal rider and represent a company called Horse Quencher that gets horses drinking when you need them to. I don't want to be accused of stealth marketeering or doing the wrong thing here but I just wanted to flag up my own product as a suggestion to prevent impaction colic. I note your horse is out in the day and in at night and in my limited experience of HQ (just one year), it would seem that quite a few horses don't drink as well in their stables as when turned out, so this could be the cause of the colic. I do have a highly reputable racing rehabilitation yard using HQ daily to prevent their horses getting impaction colic and quite a few vets are using the product for the same reason. The stud has done a testimonial on my website as have the vets. Please accept my most humble and deepest sincere apology if in posting this I have done the wrong thing but I hoped I might be able to help. Above all I do hope your horse gets better soon and stays well.
 
I learned something quite early on about horses and drinking

They don't like clean water buckets, and they do like leaves, insects and organic things in their troughs!

If I give my big lad a bucket of clean water in his stable he will ignore it until 24 hours later - we're not on mains where they are kept - artesian wells - so no chlorine. But he prefers it mucky, and prefers it at room rather than tap temperature.

If I need to encourage them to drink I add a splash of apple juice
 
Recently attended a lecture on gastric ulcers in horses and the agreement in the research is that they'd have to be VERY severe to cause colicking and thus even when they are found/treated, this might not help the colic as they are not usually directly linked.

... Can only echo what everyone else has said - rethink the feeding routine, make sure he gets enough water, check for every worm in the book using fecal and blood tests! GOOD LUCK!
 
Thanks to everyone who has replied!

I have made a decision, he is being moved off of straw onto shavings and also having salt added to his feed to encourage him to drink more! He is also getting all hay soaked! I'm trying to rule one thing out at a time and I agree straw is an important one to get rid of!

The next step will be change in feed and will be trying brucea's recommendation of linseed meal as I like all the benefits it brings as well! and as you've said with supplements unless pecific, you do not know what is helping an what isn't!

It's interesting you mention temperature... as come to think of it when he last had it there was a noticeable change in temperature! Definitely something to consider...

Thank you to all for taking time to reply! It's been interesting seeing everyones recommendatons, views and opinions - so thank you, I have taken all on board and will definitely be making some changes :)
 
Hi there, not sure if you are still picking up responses to this but thought I would share my experiences.

My elderly gelding had on and off mild spasmodic colic over a period of about 6 weeks last sept / oct. This year (touches every bit of wood within reach) he has not had a single colic episode.

I have been very careful with his management, and ensured he has a high fibre diet, he also has Coligone liquid morning and evening (just maintainence dose) which I feel has been a complete life saver.

One strange thing which was suggested to me was that as it appeared to be a seasonal colic (he had it the previous sept) was as the nights start to draw in to leave a very bright bulb light on in his stable until about 9.30pm (effectively keeping winter as light as summer) sounds really random but I have people who swear by it - and so have done this with my lad.

Not sure if its the magic light, high fibre, coligone or combination of the 3 but my boy has been really well this year - and he is 30 years old!

Good luck with your horse, its scary but really can be trial and error - you just have to find what works for you!

Gem
 
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