collic??

pheobee

pheobee

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hey,
none of my horses have it but i always get extremly nervouse they will get collic, do you ever feel the same?
what should you do if your horse does get it, i know walk them, but do you take rugs off ect.

thanks alot
Jo
 
Though I am an old school type , I never mess about with colic. The thing about colic is that it is a symptom ( that can kill) . The cause can vary. I use my vet /horspital , . Some might think I am over sensetive on the subject, but I always get the big guns in on colic. Lost one too many good horses to it.
 
My (pregnant) mare coliced in September, she had been fed as usual at three, and was found down colicing at four.

Vet was called straight away, even though my friend who found her is very experienced. (I was at work, they called the vet and then they called me)

The vet came out straight away and wasn't able to feel enough rectally and knew her well enough to know she wasn't herself, although she still seemed quite bright.

I met them at the vet hospital, which fortunately is just down the road at half five.

At that point she had vets swarming round her (4 of them) they wanted to exclude placentitis and abortion. They did a ultrasound scan and the vet found a surgical colic on ultrasound.

She was in surgery at 7. so three hours after being found and no more than four hours after first symptons.

She was found to have 2 abcesses, a perforation and peritonitis, caused by swallowing a small piece of wire off a chinese lantern. It was probably baled in her hay.

so, yes, I am paranoid about colic now, as I went through hell with her. I would always call the vet straight away. It probably saved the life of my mare and her unborn foal.

I'm also now paranoid about pulling my hay apart before feeding it, especially as farmers seem to go further into the hedgerows. I've never before found anything in my hay, and the wire that she swallowed I'd never have found anyway, but since I've been checking my hay I have found a few bits of rubbish, which although still too large to be swallowed is very worrying none the less.
 
jemima_too said:
You phone your vet, describe the symptoms and ask them what action to take until they get to you.
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^^ this . My vet is more than happy for me to phone and give advice which usually involves them coming out to check and set my mind to rest. I did lose a cracking youngster after he had a very poor recovery from surgical colic.

Colic covers an awful lot of issues from the very mild to the absolute medical emergency. One of my horses always gets 'colicky' when the grass changes but I know him well enough to recognise the signs and can bring him into a stable to keep an eye on him. He always recovers within about 30 minutes without me having to call my vet.

If you are in any doubt, call you vet.
 
iv phoned my vet at 7am and he phoned me straight back (didnt answer first time round) to check everything was ok. explained my mares symptoms and he came straight out.. i took her up to the yard and kept an eye on her. i found her in the field lying down and didnt think anything of it. she got up and came over then fell straight back down again. put her head to the floor and swayed side to side. Was gassy colic where she had piged out and she had a rectal and muscle relaxents and was fine a few hours later.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you have a good vet colic is very treatable these days if caught soon enough.
Very ironic coming from me though as since the loss of my old boy any slightest change in my new horse sends me into a panic.
 
Kokopelli said:
I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you have a good vet colic is very treatable these days if caught soon enough.
Very ironic coming from me though as since the loss of my old boy any slightest change in my new horse sends me into a panic.
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The important point surely is that colic is a "vet job".
 
Mike007 said:
The important point surely is that colic is a "vet job".
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Yeah, and I wouldn't suggest otherwise but as others had always said this I didn't feel the need to repeat. She said she is always nervous of her horse getting it so I was trying to reassure that if found early enough and treated by a vet the horse often has a good chance
 
Yes, I have a complete neurosis about colic as well as laminitis. If my lot haven't poo'ed when I go out to hay them late at night, I can't go to bed. And I check whether there is any heat in their feet, and for raised digital pulse morning and night. One of my ponies has colic about once every couple of years and touch wood I have always caught it in time for a quick jab to sort it out. Another pony has had lami in the past (not with me) so I am especially careful on that count.

Sometimes I wonder if I would be better going back to having them in full livery so the worry was down to someone else - then three seconds later I realise that I wouldn't have it any other way.

You have to be wary, but don't wrap them in cotton wool. And call your vet if you think something isn't quite as it should be, because chances are, you will be right. x
 
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