Feed ideas - colic

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beckieswann

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Hi all,

I'm just looking for some ideas at the moment :)

My horse suffers (or used to!) with Impaction and Gaseous Colic, we've popped him onto Protexin Gut Balancer which has worked wonders! However he then suffered with the worst kind of COlic and had a twisted gut. Was operated and thankfully nothing removed, and 5 months later we are slowly bringing him back to work. He currently is on wet hay, turned out overnight (in at night in the winter) and has a small handful of Winergy Low energy mix twice a day.

He's a very good doer (difficult to keep weight off), but plan to get him back into medium work once he's fit enough... he's a 16.3hh 567kg ID x TB, and is on the intelligent worming programme as well.

I am looking for some feed ideas with regards to helping his impaction and gaseous colic and the general welfare of his gut - Fibre is obviously a good start and I was debating using Graze On and putting him onto High Fibre nuts... I obviously want to keep the starch and sugar content low...

Bit of a pointless post as well maybe, but just wanted to get some feedback/ideas/help?

Also is it true high sugar content e.g when grass suddenly grows etc, reduces the horses chance of absorbing fibre etc?

Thanks :)
 
Hi,

First of all im glad your horse is on the mend. Colic prone horses are so stressful to own. I can say form experience. Mine had colic bouts for two years. But nothing for a year now. Think the key to him being better is a very simple unchanged diet. Started off on just pony nuts. Then pink powder over winter and a bit of speedi beet and thats it. Dont go faffing around trying lots of different things. Just keep it straight boring and simple otherwise you keep upsetting the balance. Dont be tempted to put him on haylage either. Hay is best for these types of horses. Hope my advice/expereince helps a bit. Good luck. x
 
Im really glad yours is on the mend.

My mare also suffers with Colic and I changed her diet to Hi Fi Lite, Brewers Yeast and Mint and shes been fine so far on it and not had any more colic episodes.

Hope this helps.
 
I swear by bran for my colic prone mare. I could be wrong but the only two changes I have made in the last year have been moving yards and feeding bran.

So, I think it was either sand colic from the last yard or the bran has done wonders....

Who knows - at nine pounds every two months I won't be giving up the bran!

x
 
Another vote for Bran, my 26 year old had colic last year probably because he was loosing weight and I was trying to up his food.

He is now on twice daily mashes

They include bran, molasses and mix soaked in hot water, then cold soaked beet added and made into a disgusting sloppy mush.

His poos are back to normal quantity and consistency. He did have another episode but that was due to a loose tooth which has now been removed.

He also gets Pink Powder veteran and Yeasac with his other supplements.
 
Are you absolutely certain that your horse couldn't have worms? I've never tried the newer intelligent worming systems but my understanding is that it works for some types of worm but you still have to use "normal" wormer for other types.
 
Sounds an ideal diet. Keep feeds small (under 4lb in weight). Wet hay is ideal. Trickle feed hay by double bagging nets if you can.
 
If he likes he Winergy Equilibrium and he's looking well on it I wouldn't change it. If he needs a bit more oomph maybe swap to the medium energy mix.
 
Key things are making the gut work happily, pink powder has turned my colicy veteran into a fat porker. Also ensure they are tapewormed (or blood tested for it) and encysted redwormed in the winter.

Mine doesnt have flu jab due to bad reactions, but always keep up the tetanus. Apart from that he just has spillers H&P nuts handful and low cal hi fibre haylage as it is less variable than the hay we get, plus he likes to nick oat straw through the stable bars from the store next door.

I realised that my worry about him eating that (with his history of impactions) was misplaced: he coliced when he stopped eating, as long as he carried on eating and not going off his food, even if oat straw was the chosen feed, he was fine (I make sure his teeth are still judged good condition and are done every 6 months too tho)
 
Hi all,

First of all thanks for the responses and experiences shared.

With regards to Tapeworm, he has had numerous blood tests and they've shown very little tapeworm, and this is also implemented on the Intelligent Worming programme as well to ensure we stay on top of it.

I think my choice will be Graze on, High fibre nuts and also his normal supplement of gut balance as well. I do plan to eventually compete him? Will this diet suffice, bearing in mind he's a very good doer?

I have also invested in a trickle net and must say that has been brilliant - particularly whilst he's on box rest, however it has now made the underside of his neck rather large! So unfortunately it looks like we'll be putting (I hate to!) wet hay on the floor again.
 
One of mine had colic surgery at the age of 19 (strangling fatty lipoma, 3m small intestine removed) He'll be 25 next month. Ever since the surgery he's had soaked or steamed hay, no haylage. Hard feed wise has Hi Fi Senior, D&H Equine Sensitive (qty varies with work) and a 1/2 scoop bran, very little sugar beet, but feeds are always v wet. Also has Curragh Carron Oil - a digestive aid, recommended by vet hospital. (it's high in calcium so counteracts the bran too) Touch wood, it works for him and he looks amazing for his age. Oh bran was also recommended by vet before I get slated for using it!
 
beckieswann said:
Hi all,

First of all thanks for the responses and experiences shared.

With regards to Tapeworm, he has had numerous blood tests and they've shown very little tapeworm, and this is also implemented on the Intelligent Worming programme as well to ensure we stay on top of it.

I think my choice will be Graze on, High fibre nuts and also his normal supplement of gut balance as well. I do plan to eventually compete him? Will this diet suffice, bearing in mind he's a very good doer?

I have also invested in a trickle net and must say that has been brilliant - particularly whilst he's on box rest, however it has now made the underside of his neck rather large! So unfortunately it looks like we'll be putting (I hate to!) wet hay on the floor again.
Click to expand...

On the trickle net it's easy to solve that problem you put two rings about the length of the Tricklenet apart about four feet ish up the wall you put the rope though one ring the though the next one then though the net and tie as normal the netiis then like a thick sausage along rather than down the wall they sort of eat it from above did this with out fatty total cure of the issue.
 
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