Horse Talk

[chicken19]

Now I'm freaking myself out. I looked up horse colic on YouTube and there's this video (called "Symptom of Colic horse cramping" with a little bay horse with a pink halter) and the way the horse is stretching is EXACTLY how Penelope was stretching, except she didn't have good enough balance to pick up her back leg like that. I didn't think I had to worry about colic since she wasn't laying down but now I am. So I think I'm gonna head out there now so I can make sure she's okay.

Did she get any different feed that she's not used to?
Is she sweating? Is her stomach hard? Is she kicking at her belly? Nipping at her belly?
Can you take a picture of her?

 

[chicken19]

My old mare once got colic when we suddenly changed her hay from a really alfalfa-ey hay to a grassy hay.
She was standing funny and nipping/kicking at her belly.
I hand walked her for about an hour and it went away.

Keep Penelope moving if you think she has colic!

 

[ChickenLover200]

Keep Penelope moving if you think she has colic!

That's the very best thing to do. Don't let her lay down.

 

[Bunnylady]

That's the very best thing to do. Don't let her lay down.

Actually, medical advice no longer supports this. Standing still is fine, lying down is fine; it's the thrashing around while down that you want to avoid (though some aren't sure whether the rolling and thrashing are the cause or the effect of torsion of the bowel).

There are many possible causes of colicky symptoms, from food to gas to parasites to sand to ulcers. I'm not sure even rabbits make an owner obsess about their animals' digestive systems more!

 

[ChickenLover200]

That's the very best thing to do. Don't let her lay down.

Actually, medical advice no longer supports this. Standing still is fine, lying down is fine; it's the thrashing around while down that you want to avoid (though some aren't sure whether the rolling and thrashing are the cause or the effect of torsion of the bowel).

There are many possible causes of colicky symptoms, from food to gas to parasites to sand to ulcers. I'm not sure even rabbits make an owner obsess about their animals' digestive systems more!

hmm... I guess I'm "old-fashioned" then
Probably thought that because I read so many OLD books

 

[chicken19]

Walking cured my mare

 

[chicken19]

Rolling and thrashing can cause the stomach to twist and knot which requires surgery to undo.

 

[ChickenLover200]

Walking cured my mare

I always thought that walking helps digestion. Same with humans.

 

[chicken19]

I got a really bad stomach flu... I walked and walked and walked and I really does make you feel better.
It also helps you poop (sorry, but it's true).

 

[abigalerose]

This was last night, I would've taken a picture but my phone was dead. She wasn't kicking or biting at her stomach, just straining and looking at it. She never laid down that I'm aware of and today she's out in the pasture eating, so it must have been some really bad gas. Scared the crap outta me. I worry extra about her becuase of the condition she's in so every time she does something weird I freak out