Gas colic and fennel seeds

W

Walters13

Member
Joined
30 March 2014
Messages
18
Visit site
Hi everyone
I have a 2yo section D prone to gas colic gggrrrrrr good diet high fibre nuts. Chaff, balancer good grazing and hay at night
Question when he changes fields I introduce him to it slowly but sometimes he still gets gassy :( I don't want to be feeding him lots of supplements so can I give fennel just at times of stress like changing fields
Many thanks
 
Walters13 said:
Hi everyone
I have a 2yo section D prone to gas colic gggrrrrrr good diet high fibre nuts. Chaff, balancer good grazing and hay at night
Question when he changes fields I introduce him to it slowly but sometimes he still gets gassy :( I don't want to be feeding him lots of supplements so can I give fennel just at times of stress like changing fields
Many thanks
Click to expand...

I give my horse pink powder and have found it is remarkably efficient. I usually double the dose when it has been warm after a rainy period or rainy after a warm period as I have found through experience, that this is what triggers his spasmodic gassy colic.

To be honest I am moving yards soon and it will be of some relief to have grazing that is a little less 'good' than we have at the moment - most people dream of the type of grass we have at our yard but it is jsut that bit too good for my colic prone horse. He will be getting four scoops a day when I move, and after a week down to two scoops a day.
 
Have you tried activated charcoal (e.g. Gas-Ease)? You generally only feed this when necessary (i.e. not normally every day). Not come across fennel for gas colic. I use bentonite clay now instead of charcoal, but you have to be very careful about the source to avoid heavy minerals, charcoal is safer.
 
I don't know about fennel seeds, but Coligone liquid has been working for my fella that's prone to gassy colic. He's an oldie mind you. Like someone else said here, wet grass seems to make him worse - and we've had a lot of that, coupled with the stress of moving home 4 times this year thanks to flooding! It's always done the trick so far. I haven't tried the powder version though and can only speak for the liquid.
 
Thank you will look into it do you put it in there feed all the time or just times of stress? So sorry you have had to move lots bloody rain :( x
 
I was going to say Coligone Liquid too, one of mine is prone togas colics & if I spot it early a syringe of this plus some brisk walking often works wonders. You can add it to feed all the time, feed in times of stress or just use as needed.

I noticeyou say he gets good grazing. One thing I have to be very careful about is not putting my lad on good grass as it makes him gassy, maybe something to consider?
 
I have just looked into coligone I think I might get a few syringes as I don't want to be putting lots in his feed. Would that be ok?
He does get good grazing but I am careful new fields we start out at 1hr then increase until out all day in at night will swap to in at day out at night soon :) x
 
Hello, I own a Dartmoor pony who is very prone to gassy colic and without doubt it is caused by grass. I have owned him now for 4 1/2 years (turns 7 end of May), it is only now that I think I have got on top of managing him. He has been on Dengie Healthy Tummy for over 12 months, this contains Protexin. He is not a great fan of it but eats it with Fast Fibre which he loves. He has a magnesium supplement daily through out the Spring & Summer. He has a small feed every morning followed by a minimum of 30 minutes on his hay net. If he goes out on an empty stomach he will colic. Pink Powder did nothing, neither did Coligone. He has been in a restricted grazing paddock since the beginning of March and I literally move a small amount of fencing every couple of days. It is apparent he cannot cope with rich/large amounts of grass. If restricted, he copes well. Be careful your section D, being a native breed he could be susceptible to laminitis. If you read up about laminitis, it can be caused by a poor performing gut function, causing toxins that induce laminitis. My pony had a mild bout of laminitis last year and I firmly believe his poor gut function is partly to blame. You are right to feed as much fibre as possible, but I strongly recommend restricting his grazing and or strip grazing. You are right to be cautious and to manage his diet. I acquired my chap aged 2 1/2 and he has not improved with age. It was the laminitis that made me realise I had to take drastic action and prevent the gassy colic/poor performing gut function. So far so good, has been colic free now for 13 months (fingers crossed) and he is looking exceptionally well at the moment and competing brilliantly. Good luck!
 
I tried mine on fennel seeds as he was bloated & gassy, & they did actually make a noticeable difference! Tip: get them from Asda as they're about £1.69 for a bag, not from the horse supplement cos!

T x
 
catembi said:
I tried mine on fennel seeds as he was bloated & gassy, & they did actually make a noticeable difference! Tip: get them from Asda as they're about £1.69 for a bag, not from the horse supplement cos!

T x
Click to expand...

Brilliant thanks so much how much did you give him? Xx
 
My mare is/was prone to gas colic too (for no reason whatsoever at times) and shes been on fennell for about 2 years and *touches wood* its reduced her colic episodes by around 95% and on the odd occasion she does get it it is very mild and no need for a vet :) she just has 1 25ml scoop per day in her feed.
 
Rockchick said:
My mare is/was prone to gas colic too (for no reason whatsoever at times) and shes been on fennell for about 2 years and *touches wood* its reduced her colic episodes by around 95% and on the odd occasion she does get it it is very mild and no need for a vet :) she just has 1 25ml scoop per day in her feed.
Click to expand...

So glad it's working for you it's so inexpensive compares to other products and vet bills
Do you buy the global herb stuff? Was also looking at there gut buster ever used that? X
 
Walters13 said:
Thank you will look into it do you put it in there feed all the time or just times of stress? So sorry you have had to move lots bloody rain :( x
Click to expand...

Hi - pink powder needs to be fed at a loading dose to start with (usually for the first 7 to 10 days). Loading dose means fed at two or three times the maintenance dose to get the stuff into the horse in quantity to kick start the system immediately. After the loading dose it can be fed at maintainance dose and the amount of this depends on the size of horse and the reason the horse colics in the first place.

Pink Powder is also a feed balancer and contains probiotic for colic as well as loads of minerals and vitamins as an all round balancer when mixed with feed.
 
Walters13 said:
So glad it's working for you it's so inexpensive compares to other products and vet bills
Do you buy the global herb stuff? Was also looking at there gut buster ever used that? X
Click to expand...

I use the Global Herbs Fennell and have previously used there Psyllium/Clearout but havent tried the Gut Buster. I love Global Herbs products, they may be a little expensive but they do the job x
 
Walters13 said:
Thank you will look into it do you put it in there feed all the time or just times of stress? So sorry you have had to move lots bloody rain :( x
Click to expand...

I syringe the liquid in, like worming. I bought a 500 ml bottle and a 50 ml syringe.

I give it when he is about to be stressed , i.e. moving yards again! or as required if his gassy symptoms start to show.

Thanks for your kind thoughts about the rain.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top