recurring mild colic

[Hiijax]

Has anyone else experienced repetitive mild spasmodic colic in their horses during the bad weather? If so for what reason and what advice have you been given? I`d really appreciate your thoughts, advice, experiences...
My 17 yr old thoroughbred has for the past six yrs experienced mild colic each year during December. Usually only once or twice however, this year beginning on Christmas Eve he has had on average one per week. On 3 occasions I have called my vet, the others I have treated with bute paste and he has recovered within 20 -30 mns. Last week he went for endoscope, belly tap & blood tests. Bloods are yet to come back but the scope & tap were clear.
He has a simple diet of Mollichop & cool condition cubes plus balancer, digest plus, superflex & linseed oil. Recently have started him on Coligon. Vet has advised to change him slowly from haylage to soaked hay which I am doing.
His droppings are quite hard/dry so have been wetting his feed as much as poss (he doesn`t much like sloppy food!) and have tried horsequencher as I`m not sure he drinks enough, but he didn`t touch it!! I`m really getting concerned for my old boy, he`s normally more like a three yr old, quite lively, but hasn`t been himself since this started. He shows no other outward signs at all in fact my equine vet commented on how well he looked. Maybe the bloods will show something but would apreciate hearing form anyone with similar probs in the meantime.
Many thanks

 

[Birker2020]

My horse often gets mild gassy spasmodic colic, often due to temperature change, especially if it goes mild and then rains. It changes the structure of the grass somehow. In his case the vets said to give 3 or 4 bute and put him on the walker for 20 mins to ease the symptoms.

 

[vetsbestfriend]

My TB X ID has a spate of recurring mild colics the other autumn with no specific cause identified and bloods, tummy tap etc all clear. We had 4 visits over a 2 week period.

If the bloods don't show anything up, might be worth asking your vets if they will do a rectal biopsy. Sounds drastic but they just use some long handled tweezer to 'pinch' a bit of the rectal lining which is then sent off for analysis. The results are very detailed and can show up if the horse if suffering from something simple through to the serious. Would be cheaper to take this route first before going to horsepital for expensive scans to check for masses or unusual bits.

The Coligone and Digest Plus are pre/pro biotics. Global Herbs do a product called Clearout, simple pysllium husks, which is designed to help push poops through the system. I have used this before for mild impaction type colic.

Other forum members on previous posts where horses are not drinking enough have recommended that people try adding apple juice or peppermint cordial to a horses water to encourage them to drink more.

Hope you get to find out soon what is causing your boy's problems and that he is back to his normal self. Nothing worse than seeing then miserable when they are normally lively and happy.

 

[spacefaer]

My boy had sloppy droppings, and recurrent slight colic (when he thought he was dying, being a boy!). Called the vet once, but otherwise just syringed bute into him.

Seemed to be started by any slight change in his diet - got it after I'd given him one sachet bute, after a shot of penicillin, etc.

I thought that his digestive system seemed to be hyper-reactive so took him off haylage and put him on dry hay (much to his disgust) and NAF Pink Powder on a high dose.

Normal dropping and no colics since.

 

[Hiijax]

Many thanks for your replies. Bloods all came back ok. No dehydration and everything else very normal. Test results for tapeworm will take a little longer but should get soon, it would be an easy solution if worms were the cause though I can`t see that it can be ~ he is wormed and egg counts done on a regular basis along with the rest of the yard. Perhaps it is quite simply down to this adverse weather??!! Roll on Spring!!!