How long to recover from colic?

Season’s Bleatings

Season’s Bleatings

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Just out of interest really, I've been very lucky in that I've never known any really severe cases of colic, so I don't have much experience other than the theory and symptoms.

Anyway, I was just wondering how long people typically give a horse to recover from colic, how they re-introduce work, and how long before everything is back to normal. Here I'm referring to cases where the vet would be called, but no surgical intervention is required.

I know there are different kinds- spasmodic, impaction, or caused by foreign bodies, worms, etc.

Maybe I should call for individual experiences- what happened and how did you carry on immediately after?
 
Our then 25 yr old cob mare had what we thought was a simple impaction colic but every time the medication wore off, she went down hill again. we had the vet out 3 evenings running (needless to say every time was just into emergency callout). The 3rd time the vet did say that he didn't know what we would be able to do if he needed to come back a 4th time. She lost a lot of weight in these few days. This was in the middle of a reasonable summer. She would normally live out 24/7 very happily and enjoy 'the nice cool shower' on a rainy day. For well over a month she felt the cold terribly and needed to be rugged in all but the best weather. We retired her immediately but it was several months before she began to look like herself again.
Another mare got impaction colic from eating too many cut nettles. We gave her the week off and she was fine.
 
I was wondering about that- to me a week off seemed reasonable because if I was in that situation, I'd be so bloody paranoid about it happening again. TBH the real reason I am asking is because a girl I vaguely know is taking her mare hunting this weekend- she had colic on Sunday- had an injection and is now apparently okay. Don't know if that is considered normal, am I too soft :confused: sometimes I am so clueless!
 
We've got a gelding who gets mild colic fairly often. We just give him some stuff(can't remember what it's called) which settles his stomach, then we keep an eye on him for a few days. If he seems well he is ridden that same day. Never had vet out for him yet.
 
mine had it 3 times in 6 weeks :/

she had the vet out twice - the first time we thought it was a temper tantrum as i had just wormer her - then she (what we know now) coliced.

Anyhow - she lived/moved yards and is happy

I only gave her a few days off - she had the vet out twice and it cost me almost £500 :o
 
My wee horse colicked badly and after a night of vets, injections, and internals she was collapsing and in pain, even to touch her sides, she would have killed you she was in so much pain and ended up in the vet hospital.
She was there 4 nights with iv's and pain relief, it took her a full week to get back to herself and in that short space of time she lost quite a bit of condition.
I gave her a full week off to recover after her discharge, but it took a full month before she was getting back to her normal self.
 
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