Two colics - co-incidence or dire warning?

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soloequestrian

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I have a big TB who is around 18-20 years old. He has once had spasmodic colic in the 11 years I've had him and it had a very clear cause - stupidly letting him graze where there were grass toppings that had quietly turned into lovely hay.
Recently though he has had two colics. About 2 months ago he had an impaction which took 24 hours to resolve, and then a couple of days ago he had another spasmodic which resolved within minutes after he was given Buscopan.
I'm just wondering what the future might hold and if anyone has any experience of this sort of thing. There were no clear changes that could account for either of these colics - the only things I have in mind are possible slight changes in grass quality (no field change, just changes due to weather) and/or his teeth aren't great these days - he has multiple diastema which are just managed through regular dental checks.
The paradox is that he is actually looking really good, seems very happy, plays with the others and is athletically sound and riding well. If he keeps coming down with colic though I don't think it's fair to keep him going, but have no idea if two colics are likely to indicate more to come.
Thanks in advance.
 
I think 2 colics close together are a warning, there may be nothing you can do regarding preventing it reoccurring but I would be watching him very carefully to ensure he is getting enough long fibre and also that he is drinking plenty of water, his teeth are likely to be the root cause as he will possibly struggle to chew well at times or may have a day of minor discomfort that means he drinks less or moves about less, there will be little you can change but his droppings may give the best clue if they start to be firmer then get extra fluids in him, a very wet feed, speedibeet would be ideal as it takes fluids through to the hindgut, each day with some linseed which is also good may help keep the fluids up and his gut moving well.

Colic is the worst ailment to deal with, if they are susceptible it is always in your mind and I agree that it is not fair to keep going if they are suffering with it regularly but yours may well never get it again if you are careful with his management.
 
I don't think you can necessarily regard two colics as a dire warning. I had a mare that occasionally got a random gassy colic for no apparent reason (not linked to hormones, diet, worms, teeth, work, paddock, weather etc. etc.). I also know other horses that have had a few bouts then never had it again.
However, having said that, if he continues to have colic bouts then there could be a reason. E.g. (and this is only one example - i am not in anyway suggesting these are the reason) some older horses can have a lipoma in the abdomen which interferes with the intestinal function; another horse i know had colic-like symptoms with a bladder problem (diagnosed on rectal exam). Would be worth getting your vet to investigate further if more bouts occur.
I would wait to see if more occur and/or if a reason can be found before making any final decisions.
As above, ensure plenty of fibre and water (grass is ideal unless too lush) and you have probably also kept up with a good worming programme, but may pay to get a tapeworm saliva test (or another one if already had one, as they are not 100% reliable) and/or treat for tapeworm anyway if not done for a while.
 
I had an older tb a few years ago now. He had never had colic then he had a gassy colic followed a few weeks later by an impaction colic, no obvious reason. He went on for another ten years colic free x
 
If your horse grazing is on sandy soil or you are in a coastal area you can do a sand test watch the videos on youtube. how to test a horse for sand
A horse near where I live that had colic a couple of times last one really bad, was taken into a equine hospital and was found to have 3 stone of sand in his gut.
this could of been prevented by giving the horse Physillium. spelling ?
 
Had older pony,very loud rumblings and looking round at stomach.His teeth were not great due to being worn down and this I think affected his digestion-he was on dampened hay mainly. Adding a high quality veteran mix to his diet made up very moist with some chopped carrots and apple sorted it out.
 
The two types of colic he's had have quite different causes usually - based on your description of him I'd imagine the teeth are the cause of the impaction colic, and the spasmodic colic could be due to the changes in grass etc. (as the weather has been a bit all over the place lately!) - so the bacteria in his gut have gone a bit wild and made too much gas. Of course, there could be something else going on, but I'd expect, if they were linked, for the types of colic to be more consistent and closer together in time.

I've never heard of lipomas causing impactions or spasmodic colics; they normally present really severely and need surgery (as the intestine becomes twisted around the lipoma's dangly stalk, thus cutting off everything)

Other than being very consistent with his diet and dental treatments (every 3 months if he's severely affected) there doesn't seem to be a lot you can do for now, other than trying not to worry! It sounds like he's otherwise feeling pretty good, which is always a good sign :) But if it does recur you could always see about getting him referred to a specialist for a bit more of an investigation, although that would probably be pretty expensive...
 
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Thanks all - it's nice to have the reassurance of no-one telling me about horses dying in similar situations as seems to happen with many posts! I do think the spasmodic must have been to do with the weather and a grass surge, and he is now on a much more restricted area of grazing. Ah, the joys of having an older horse....
 
It's always worth considering tapeworm where the colic is unexplained. Even if you have wormed for tapeworm there can still be a problem. When my pony was tested with the Equisal test last summer he needed treating even though he had been wormed for it in spring. It may be nothing to do with this but worth at least ruling it out.
 
We had one here colic quite regularly never did find the cause - another one herewhen he colick's who put him on protexin and colikare. - that seems to have reduced the amount that he colick's

This horrid ailment things it's raw on me as I have just lost my beloved donkey last week to gastric impaction I'm going to spend my day tomorrow - going to Gloucester to pick her ashes up. People might of slated me for doing surgery on her but I don't regret it not for one minute - I had to give her that chance - if you see a chance then take it - That's what I say.


Good luck with your horse and I hope you come to the bottom of everything - I would say try protexin gut balancer - its very good and seeing that the help its made to one of my livery's and reducing his colic episodes
 
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It's such an awful thing colic, you feel so powerless to help them! At least if they are lame you can tuck them up in a warm stable with lots of hay.
My now 18yo had a bad episode of impaction colic in Jan 2010, he was at the horspital for 8 days as once the impaction cleared he then had a bit of a gassy episode while at the vets, hence them keeping him in for a while. He then had a mild gassy episode in the Sept of that year, I had the vet out and he gave buscopan and bute and he was fine shortly after the vet left. He also had a even milder one in the Sept of the following year (just a bit of pawing the ground and looking a bit uncomfortable) but that resolved after I walked him in the field for a bit. He has had no problems since!
 
Borderreiver said:
It's always worth considering tapeworm where the colic is unexplained. Even if you have wormed for tapeworm there can still be a problem. When my pony was tested with the Equisal test last summer he needed treating even though he had been wormed for it in spring. It may be nothing to do with this but worth at least ruling it out.
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They were all tested with the Equisal test a couple of months ago and came back clear with the advice to test again in the autumn, so I'm reasonably happy it's not that. I will egg count again soon though.
 
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