colic - need advice

[Ashmeade]

If you think it is colic do not give her anything to eat. Also do not lunge or walk her all over the place. As long as she is not rolling or thrashing, laying down is fine and likely good for her. That walking thing is a thing of the past from the movies (unless rolling or thrashing as you do not want her gut to get twisted, etc.)

Once she is out of the woods, as for feed, no grain for at least the next feeding - hay should be ok and PLENTY of water. And then monitor gut and manure movements.

 

[TheSitcomGirls]

If your horse is laying down alot but not looking at her tummy...could she have a foot abcess or a bad stone bruise? Laying down a lot was the first thing I noticed with my gelding when he had a foot issue. He wouldn't even look lame, I would just find him sleeping at odd times. His feet are so hard that it takes a while for the abcess to mature....weeks sometimes. Then one day he will be really lame and then the next the abcess pops out his heel.....like clock work.

Some horses are tough and don't show an injury until it really, really hurts, just act not like themselves. You said she got out. Did she run on anything really hard? After a horse with a bad stone bruise rests they do feel better...until they whack it again!

 

[QH Girl]

Did you load her into a horse trailer? It's the first thing I do if I think a horse may have colic. Horses just have that sudden urge to poop as soon as you load them up.

If that still doesn't get things moving I'd probably call that vet.

 

[welsummerchicks]

Oh yes, that's another very persistent fallacy about colic - that making manure means everything is fine.

In fact that is not the case. The horse's digestive system is very long, and there is usually a fair amount of normal manure beyond the problem area. That manure will be passed despite the blockage, twist, impaction or whatever is happening.

 

[birdbrain5]

she may have stepped on something when running like a mad woman, but i lunged her and she was totally fine. shes been up all afternoon now and either standing or nibbling around. i have seen her urinate twice, but she still hasnt passed any manure, and i have been monitoring since 10:00 am... but nothing in would mean nothing out? not sure if i should return her to the others for the night and let her have hay if she wants it... now shes got me stumped.

 

[birdbrain5]

i was going to try the horse trailer thing

i have heard that from many other too, but then i realized my trailer is jammed full with bag shavings, ugh.

 

[welsummerchicks]

trailering and the more general idea that making manure is the cure - two extremely persistent fallacies about colic.

 

[birdbrain5]

yes but if she passed manure i would feel much better about things, because now it seems other than no manure she is acting fine, she wants to eat so id like to let her, i have always been told a horse will not eat thier hay if they are colicing, and she wasnt eating it earlier but now she seems interested. if she hasnt eaten anything all day i feel foolish waiting for manure, how could there be any..

 

[welsummerchicks]

"how could there be any"

I would invite you to think about how long the horse's digestive tract is, and how long it takes food to work its way through the system.

A horse's digestive system is over 100 feet long. It has a total capacity of over 150 quarts.

The stomach is only 10% of the capacity of the entire system.

Food stays in the colon the longest and can stay in just that one part of the digestive system alone for up to 65 hours(5 1/2 days). And that is only one part out of many of the entire digestive system.

This is what most people don't understand and can't picture. This system is very long and complicated.

A horse can literally pass 100 quarts of normal manure and still have a very serious colic.

 

[birdbrain5]

the mare got out this am, and theres not much grass where she was loose so she wouldnt have eaten much. i put her in in 7am with nothing to eat. at 10 i seperated her to monitor, but again with nothing to eat. between 7-10 she may or may not have passed anything. but what i know is from 7am on she has not eaten anything, and before that not much either. i cant imagine theres much in her with all that time of not eating. who knows, maybe she passed something right before i put her in, and now with out food since 7am i cant imagine shes got much to pass.

i would think if she was blocked, she would be displaying more signs and be painful and distressed. i have not given her any banamine since 10:00am