Preventing Impaction Colic

[edgedem]

Any suggestions for the prevention of this kind of colic? he has been moved to a lusher yard with wetter grass but has a grazing muzzle on, his water intake is improving now he has also been given very small amounts of electrolytes in a tiny very very wet feed of chaff and balancer vitamins ( we call it Soup!! )

I understand going into winter is even worse for a impaction prone horse so id like to get some more info as this is my first experiences with it all.

Is it worth putting something in his water? how can I manage when he is just on hay/haylage?

thanks all

 

[missmatch]

My vet recommended adding salt to his feed to increase water consumption and never allowing him to eat long older grass as its too fibrous.

 

[TGM]

When it gets really wintry try adding some warm water to his water bucket to take the chill off, as some horses will not drink if the water is freezing cold.

 

[mudmonkey17]

Watching this with interest as mare has just had this x

 

[skint1]

Watery food, I give my gelding fast fibre but I put more water in than is called for, in the winter i bring warm water from home

 

[Silverfire]

My four year old mare lives with a permanent small impaction before a bit of thickened large intestine which can be felt rectally. She's had this at least two years, possibly she was born with it. It will empty if she doesn't eat for 24 hrs. I feed her speedibeet, handful soaked grass nuts and micronised linseeed - all of which will carry quite a bit of water into the gut, I was also feeding handful bran each feed but have cut that out at the moment. I add water to it but not so its watery as she hates watery feed. I feed her meadow hay as fine stemmed as I can get as its easier to chew and digest. She has teeth problems too. If your horse will eat soaked hay that helps get more water into them.

 

[Tnavas]

Feed wet, wet Sugarbeet, Linseed, feed all feeds well damped. Soak hay. Talk to vet about adding some Epsom Salts to feed as this draws water into the intestines.

Though it sounds more like its a water deficiency.

Does he have to wear a grazing muzzle? Are you able to graze him on really short grass. My mare really hated her muzzle to the point of not eating and not talking to me.

 

[twiggy2]

soaked hay, don't use straw for bedding use something non edible, speedibeet, soaked grassnuts, microniseed linseed or oil, regular smaller haynets so the gut always has fibre in it but try to prevent an overload.
try to keep the fibre intake the same all year round.

my mare is on restricted grazing supplemented with hay ALL year round as much as possible, this means she never goes from summer grass excess and having loose poos to no grass in winter and firm poos (she does not have an impaction problem) I like to keep the diet the same as far as poss and have dealt with impaction cases before

 

[Birker2020]

Lots of apples and carrots chopped up and soaked in water and then fed whilst all wet.
Apple juice mixed with his water, mint coridal mixed with his water or feed him sugar beet pulp water. Soak your hay. leave some apples floating on top of his water, so he has to apple bob in order to get them which will increase his water consumption. If you have one of those licks just put water on top of them, mix with your finger and pour the liquid off. THere are loads of things you can do to give water (I am used to this having this problem sometimes with my horse taking water after completing fun rides).