Peppermint for Colic?

tammyisback

tammyisback

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Hi,

As some of you may remember my horse has recently had colic surgery having never had colic before in her life. Vets said its to do with the grass this year and nothing I could do.

It was a displacement caused by a large amount of gas. Now i've been told that this can be helped by peppermint supplement which helps to relieve the gas, however is this total and utter rubbish? Or if it does help, where do I buy peppermint for horses?

Am sincerely hoping she won't suffer again, however if it is meant to help then I will more than happily feed peppermint through the summer to help dissipate gas as I think this is when they are more likely to get gassy.

Hope all this makes sense, it is 4am after all!

xx
 
You can buy little tubs of dried mint to add to the feed - it's supposedly good for the digestion generally, and relatively cheap. I used to feed it to one of mine, but she got sick of it, and ended up refusing to eat it.
Have you considered feeding some probiotics (I use Protexin) to help the gut to work properly? It contains the correct bacteria to help the horse's digestion in the hind gut.
S :D
 
My mum takes a supplement called colpermin for ibs. It is pure peppermint oil but its in a protective capsule so the oil isn't released
 
My mum takes a supplement called colpermin for ibs. It is pure peppermint oil but its in a protective capsule so the oil isn't released until it reaches the gut. So not sure if feeding a mint leaf supplement would be enough? Also dunno if the colpermin would be ok for a horse or the dose! You can buy it in supermarkets or chemists!
 
Im not sure but I think colpermin, the peppermint oil is in the capsule because it can be an irritant until it reaches the gut, id be worried the horse would burst the capsule. Speak to a pharmacist they may be able to tell you
 
marydoll said:
Im not sure but I think colpermin, the peppermint oil is in the capsule because it can be an irritant until it reaches the gut, id be worried the horse would burst the capsule. Speak to a pharmacist they may be able to tell you
Click to expand...

No its in an enteric coated capsule so it doesn't open until it reaches the gut where is works by breaking down the gas/foam and also helps to reduce the muscle spasms. Enteric coats are designed to breakdown only after they have passed through the stomach - they are broken down by the acid. There is no point in the peppermint oil being in the upper GI tract as the colic is all in the lower GI past the stomach.:)

As for your horse - have you looked at using Coligone?:confused::)
 
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