Desperate Plea for Help with Colicky Horse

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PercyMum

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Hey all. This is a desperate plea for some advice from all you knowledgable types out there.

My 9 yr old WB has just had his 6th bout of mild spasmodic colic in 9 weeks- always occurring at around 2100-2130 each time. He is fed at the same time each day. The vet has been out each time and has just given Buscopan. He can't do a scan as the colic is so mild it wouldn't show up any significant inflammation in the gut. He has a scoop of Hi-Fi, a scoop of A&P sugar intolerant, 1 cup of balancer and Tempermend, Winter Glow and Pink Powder twice a day. He only colics in the evening.

He is turned out on good pasture and has a steady routine. He is stressy and can be highly strung hence the calmer. He also struggled with condition hence balancer and pp. Teeth and everything has been checked. Vet has taken bloods but isn't confident anything will show.

Does anyone have any thoughts? I'm frantic with worry as both parents died from colic in early teens. I'd happily go for tests etc but not sure what to ask for. Also, I don't want him unduly stresses.

Please, any advice very much appreciated.
 
My horse went through a period of havng mild colic a few times over several weeks, including a more severe attack. we had bloods done and he had a high level of tapeworm, despite being on a regular worming programme. We gave him a tapeworm wormer and he didn't have colic again.
 
I have been through this myself & it's very distressing, it turned out to be Gastric Ulcers for my boy. This is the sort story version.

It would be worth while asking your vet to let you do a 7 day trial with Gastrogard. This is what I did as my vets didn't believe the colic was due to him having ulcers as he looked so well. By day 3 of the trial my horse was seriously better & much happier.
 
Is he drinking enough? 9 weeks would just about coincide with the cold weather starting, I saw something this week about some horses not drinking ice cold water because their teeth were sensitive, think this was mainly in older horses but may be worth looking at! I know that this sort of weather can see an increase in colic because of the horses not having access to water (frozen etc), ours were avoiding walking over rutted ground to get to the stream at one point. Hope you manage to pinpoint the cause and he is ok. x
 
Did your cold weather start at the same time?

It may be that he isn't drinking enough? Perhaps he thinks water is still too cold to drink and may not be drinking enough?
 
I thought perhaps it was the water but have made sure he has had access to water at all times. The water in his stable is definitely being drunk. He is on regular worming too but my other horse passed a HUGE round worm last week despite also being regularly wormed. I wonder if he dies have a tapeworm? Ulcers also possible I guess. What's Gastrogard please? Do you get it from the vet?
 
First thing I would do then I get a worm count done & a blood test for tapes. If it is a worm burden then you can treat.
Gastrogard is prescription only you would normally scope the horse to check for ulcers but in cases of recurrent colic then it is normal to just jump to a trial of gastrogard providing the insurance is happy with that.
There are loads of threads on here about Gastrogard I just search a bit:)
 
It's the time of year when encysted small redworm can cause a lot of colic too. You will need a blood test for that, rather than a standard worm count.

Incidentally, when your horse colics have you tried putting him in a trailer/box and going for a little drive? A lot of horse fart it out their system then :o

Let us know if you get any answers. I know how worrying colic can be :(
 
"Incidentally, when your horse colics have you tried putting him in a trailer/box and going for a little drive? A lot of horse fart it out their system then"

Brilliant! I've never heard of that one! Well, anything is worth a try... Getting the bloods back this am. Might double check the worm issue and if there is no worm burden, I think I will try the GG route. Does anyone know how to avoid the worm problem? I know they are getting resistant but its seems odd that both my horses could be having the problem but no others on the yard are. All the horses are wormed the same way at the same time. And mine don't share a field. Hmmm :confused:
 
Worming - for encysted small redworm either a course of Panacur 5 day, or Equest, with moxidectin are the most effective at the moment, I believe (although the 5 day is hard to get down them in my experience). For tapeworm, if I were you I'd use double Strongid P or Pyratape P. Make sure you are giving enough wormer for the weight of your horse. You should be using wormer against both tapeworm and encysted small redworm in the autumn (Nov/Dec) and the spring (Feb/Mar).
Teeth - it might be worth getting your horse's teeth checked.
Gastric ulcers - could well be, worth asking about getting the horse scoped/giving Gastrogard (expensive stuff though).
Diet - you don't state what forage your horse is given, but try to give him high fibre hay/haylage ad lib both while he is in the field, and in the stable. He may be mildly allergic to some of the feed/supplements you are giving him - if he were mine, I'd probably cut everything except the Hi Fi, then introduce one thing after a week, another a week later etc. Sugar beet (unmolassed quick beets) can be good for the gut, along with putting on condition so worth considering in the future.
Good luck
S :D
 
Since the colicky episodes are happening 9pm-ish, I wonder if your horse is drinking well in his field? Could his trough be freezing over? Could he be not liking drinking very cold water? Like us, horses don't like drinking very cold water in the winter. When horses drink cold water during the winter, their bodies must expend additional calories to warm their tissues back up from the heat loss that is incurred, so they instinctively drink less.

It's not just a case of your horse having access to water therefore, it's a case of making sure he is drinking what is there. He could be finding the water in his stable is warmer, hence why he is drinking there, but he is possibly not making up the amount he will have lost by not drinking all day in his field. By encouraging increased water consumption in his field during the day (taking a warm bucket of water to him) or making him drink when he comes into his stable (using one of the products available on the market to get him to drink exactly when you need him to), you may be able to prevent the colic.
 
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We have a family friend who had a young thoroughbred who would have mild bouts of colic on and off from when he was weaned everytime he would be given an anti spasmodic and it would settle of its own accord however it must of been building up over time and he was eventually admitted to Leahurst as it was discovered he had a blockage in his large intestine and when they operated they said it has been building up over a long period of times and it had now completely blocked the intestine.

Once they had operated he was fine and his whole managment was changed he had to have haylage as its easier to digest must always be bedded on shavings or similar and not have any rough fibre.

My Traditional Mare came down with Displacement Colic in August and spent 2 weeks in Leahurst they discovered the cause was Gastric Ulcers and she was on a month of Gastroguard and is now a totally different horse enjoying her work and life again.

As it could be several possibilities if you can afford it I would ask the Vet to run every possible test and also do and internal and if possible a scan when he isnt spasoming to see if there is anything appearing where it shouldnt while he is relaxed.
 
Right, so the results of the bloods came back. White blood cells had taken a bashing and he is a bit low in protein. Have been looking at photos of when i first had him and he really has lost a hell of a lot of topline and condition, even for a horse that has had KSS 6 months ago. The vet has just come back up and taken another set of vloods and a poo sample and is going to do a worm check (why didnt they do this on the original sample???). Am also getting his teeth redone just in case (although not due for another 6 months).

So now I am even more worried that my poor boy has something horrid and i feel awful. He jumped 1.20m with KS and never complained once, and has always done whatever has been asked of him, despite having a horrid start in life. He has clearly had a tummy problem for a while and its only now he has had recurrent colic that its showing so god knows how long he hasnt been feeling well. Feel like a terrible Mum :(. And he really is THE nicest horse you could ever hope to meet.
 
PercyMum said:
Hey all. This is a desperate plea for some advice from all you knowledgable types out there.

My 9 yr old WB has just had his 6th bout of mild spasmodic colic in 9 weeks- always occurring at around 2100-2130 each time. He is fed at the same time each day. The vet has been out each time and has just given Buscopan. He can't do a scan as the colic is so mild it wouldn't show up any significant inflammation in the gut. He has a scoop of Hi-Fi, a scoop of A&P sugar intolerant, 1 cup of balancer and Tempermend, Winter Glow and Pink Powder twice a day. He only colics in the evening.



Please, any advice very much appreciated.
Click to expand...

For now if I were you, I would literally feed HI-fi, winter glow and PP in the evening. Take out te A&P and balancer for the evening until the issue is resolved. What is he on at night, Hay or Haylage?
 
Hi

I have a mare that colics if she is stabled alot, i put her on coligon and she hasn't had colic since, its a bit expensive but if it works its cheaper than having the vet in the long run. My horse is on the powder and loves it as it has a strong minty smell. I also have the liquid but in my opinion the powder is better.

Heres the link

http://www.ekmpowershop2.com/ekmps/shops/hbradshaws/coligone-powder-3kg-3-p.asp

Hope this helps

x x
 
Coligone sounds like a good idea. I'll ask the vet. He is on soaked hay at the moment and he has as much as he wants. Can go to haylage but though it might be a bit like rocket fuel!
 
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