Spasmodic Colic

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PiratePanda

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My Horse Has Just Developed Spasmodic Colic. Im 17 And Its Worrying Me Because My Yard Owner checked on her and told me the happening . how long does it last and when can she start being ridden . this stuff is new to me ive read up about it but just want to know if it can get serious. shes fully clipped but in cold and wet weather has a rug on . on a website it said cold can be part of it ? Should She Be Stabled When Cold And Wet insead of wearing a rug?
 
Colic can be caused by a number of things. My boy (Jesper) is prone to mild spasmodic colic. We've worked out his is caused by new grass or frost and therefore in spring and autumn when the new grass is coming through (such as now) he is on limited turn out. Similarly we keep him in on frosty mornings.
I hope the vet has been called. It is normally sorted with some painkillers and muscle relaxants. I tend to give Jesper a few days off after a mild attack. Time off I would imagine depends on the seriousness of the colic but best to ask the vet. I'd normally suggest two - three days off then keep it quiet for the first couple of days ridden.
 
Colic can be down to any number of underlying problems, both minor and serious, and you really do need the vet to examine the horse.

My horse had a couple of episodes of gassy colic after worming a year or so ago. On both occasions the vet attended and gave buscopan which sorted her out, and no obstruction or impaction was found. I put it down to the chemicals, and I put her on a probiotic, and subsequently on Coligone powder to support the gut.

However a little while afterwards when I was hoping to avoid using chemical wormers, I had an ELISA blood test which showed she had tapeworm. I don't know how long she had had this, considering she had been on a worming programme, but I can't rule out the possibility that it was connected to the gassy colic associated with worming.

So don't panic, but don't be complacent either. It really is worth a vet investigating any incidence of colic, which it goes without saying, can be a killer.
 
I suggest you get the vet, and then get yourself a manual on horse care. When a horse can be ridden would be the least of my worries if it had colic.
 
Agree with the other posts but wanted to add a horse on the yard often gets colic at this time of the year especially when the grass starts to come through and it then rains.
 
colic can be caused by so my things but i would call the vet now if you think she has colic they will tell you to take all feed away and probally just give hera pain killer and some anti in flamms but dont wait around it can go from just stomach ache to live and death very qiickly!
 
Firstly try not to worry. Secondly sorry for huge long reply. And thirdly: I've been at my present yard for nearly five years with my horse that I've owned for nearly the same amount of time. He is a WB who suffers from spasmodic colic. He is 12. He has had approx 28/30 spasmodic gassy attacks that I know about in the five years I've owned him, never mind all the others that I don't know about because I've not been there at the time. In fact last night I had to go back up to the yard and check him as he was so gassy, his belly was huge, he was lifting his tail and producing somethign that smelled like it had been dead a week, and he was burping infrequently. He was also chewing. I put him on the walker for 20 mins as fast as possible (to try to get gas to pass through) and put him back in the stable and checked on him an hour and a half later when I found him (as per usual) happily stuffing his face with haylage and trying to mug me for mints. I have got to this complacent stage due to the fact it has happened so many times before with the same outcome. He is on restricted grazing, used to wear a muzzle (but when he lost it as he invaribably did) he would gorge and then get colic. He is on pink powder and goes out for approx 6 hours a day. He has soaked hay mixed with haylage and has new food/hay/grass introduced very slowly over 7 - 10 days. The vet says (in an effort to avoid uncessary call outs) to give him 3-4 bute or 3 danillon, put him on the walker for half an hour or lunge him, and put him away. If symptoms persist or get worse he then needs to come out to him. I've only had to call the vet out about four times by doing this. It is a nightmare and I worry that I will miss something - last night I had to force myself to go back and check on him, as I was 99% sure he would be alright by then and it would be a waste of time, but that 1% is all it needs for him to be rolling around in agony! Try not to worry to much I've never heard of cold being a factor in colic to be honest. I think you will actually find that the weather conditiions has an awful lot to do with it, most people recognise horses having more colic attacks when the weather has been mild and dry and then it rains heavily. The next day they often get colic. If your horse gets it a lot it might be worth tryinig to get it investigated, but that is personal preference, and I don't feel I am at that stage yet. I would call the vet until you can get a more accurate picture of how your horse normally is if she gets repeated colics. I know colic can be very dangerous and many horses do die from it but gassy colic is the least serious. That's not to say its not serious but my vet has told me to treat my horse as outlined above so we know that in this situation what is normal for my horse. Incidently my vet has also said that riding my horse can help get rid of the gas so don't be upset about the previous posters comments about riding. I have ridden my horse before with mild colic and twenty minutes later he is a bright as a button. It does depend on the type of colic, admittedly, but gassy colic requires gas to be moved out of the body and the best way to do this is exercise either in the form of lunging, riding or the horse walker (so long as you know the horse won't roll). Good luck please PM if you want to chat x
 
I think that the reason there has been the reaction to the 'riding' aspect was that is does sound rather like the OP wants to get back on and ride, for ridings sake, as opposed to moving the horse about to try and move the gas out.

if that is the wrong assumption I think OP may well put us right.
 
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