Interesting news from vet re colic & hay (also in vets)

K

kellyanglin

Well-Known Member
Joined
31 October 2007
Messages
79
Visit site
Hi I thought people may find this interesting after a conversation with my vet this week.
My mare has stomach problems (IBD) so I am always asking about related issues when speaking to my vet and reasons for her condition flareing up. It doesn't take much for a flare up but am constantly learning the best way to manage her condition which is becoming easier.

Apparently there has been a study done recently (i think) about the links between colic and Hay. After surveying lots of vets and their dealings with colic emergencies it was found that horses who had recently changed hay were up to 3 times more likely to suffer a colic attack than those which hadn't. This is only small differences like, different cut, different supplier etc. What I thought was interesting was that changing feeds only made a horse 1.5 times more likely.

Just thought this was a useful point as I would think that most of us are more careful when altering feed but do not spend as much time introducing new hay over a number of days. Something to keep in mind especially if you have a horse who has a sensitive tummy
 
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Really it makes sense when you realise that the bulk of the average horse's diet in winter is hay and not bucket feed!
 
god it is so obvious when you think about it!! I have spent ages introducing hard feed to my new lad a bit at a time gradually building up but would not have thought about this for hay.

What happens if your bail runs out as the next is delivered is different, therefore nothing to mix it with? Feed in small quantities? :S
confused.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]


What happens if your bail runs out as the next is delivered is different, therefore nothing to mix it with? Feed in small quantities? :S
confused.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

I was just thinking this as even if it is supplied by the same place it could be from a different field ect.
 
Yes, we have this all the time. I have hay from two places, one of which is very fragrant, fine grass and the other from another farm which produces all sorts of hay over their land. Everytime we move from one round bale to another there are poo changes, so it just goes to show that individual bales can have different effects. I have ordered some Pink Powder to see if it helps while we transition from one bale to another (we do mix as we change).

Having had Ari colic already this year I am a bit paranoid.
 
I thought that too, but will always try to order a little bit in advance from now on so I have plenty to mix in. I have to be so careful with my mare anyway as she is so over sensitive to anything which she eats as well as incredibly fussy. I have to make sure she eats constantly so I am always nervous about ordering loads of hay at a time in case she doesn't like it, then I worry that she'll be standing in not eating anything which also causes her tummy to irritate and increases Ulcer risk.

I guess the answer is, if possible always try to bulk order so you only have to do the slow introduction a couple of times a year rather than every month or so, if you can be sure it is the type your horse will eat.
Its likely to do with the different stages of fermentation in the grass when it is cut, how it is stored, temperature of storage, how damp it was etc.

I'm sure no need for anyone to panic but worth thinking about. I have to watch every small detail with my 'special needs' ponio! xx
 
what i don't understand though is that a few hundred years ago, when horses were the main means of transport (ridden, and pulling coaches, carriages, carts etc) surely every time a horse stopped working, e.g. a stagecoach horse, it would have been given totally different hay...
perhaps the superior horsemanship skills back then got round it somehow?
perhaps the hard feeds were standardised, bran + oats + barley or something.
it just seems very odd to me...
or maybe thousands of horses keeled over from colic all the time.
since they had no muscle relaxants, painkillers etc that we use routinely now, let alone no chance of surgery, either horses didn't get colic much, or lots of them died of it.
 
I think it has to do a lot with environment as well. I think that horses that change grazing often are more easily able to digest different hay. Also some pastures have a variety of different grasses, flowers, bushes etc to eat and some just look like manicured lawns.

I always try to phase in new hay over 6 weeks (mixing a little more into the old stuff gradually) but agree sometimes it just isnt possible. I guess in an ideal world we would have varied pastured and hay from the same source year on year.
 
[ QUOTE ]
since they had no muscle relaxants, painkillers etc that we use routinely now, let alone no chance of surgery, either horses didn't get colic much, or lots of them died of it.

[/ QUOTE ] Perhaps this is the key point - colic prone horses in those days tended not to survive, so less likely to be bred from and produce more colic prone horses!
 
One of mine had a colic attack because I changed fields. He came off lots of grass onto short grazing. Vet said it was just because it was different grass! Made me paranoid now about all sorts of changes, including hay.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top