Colic is a general
term given for any abdominal pain. There are many types and causes of
colic, as well as predisposing factors.
Digestive colic, the true form of colic, can be caused by feeding and management practices. The intestine may become blocked and twisted, or gas may develop. A horse’s digestive system is highly sensitive; therefore, colic is a major cause of death in horses.
Types of colic:
spasmodic, impaction, incarceration, displacement, and excessive fermentation.
Spasmodic colic is the mildest and most common. It is associated with over-excitement or sudden feed changes. It generally responds well to modest medical treatment.
Impaction colic is caused by normal ingesta or foreign material blocking the intestine. It may be caused by increased coarseness of forage, decreased intestinal fluid, or interference with normal intestinal movement. If the blockage prevents passage of gas as well as ingesta, surgical intervention may be necessary
In incarceration colic, a loop of the intestine may become trapped within a normal or abnormal structure in the abdominal cavity. A common example is a strangulating hernia. This situation may require surgery if the blood supply is cut off. In displacement colic, a portion of the intestine becomes twisted or caught in an abnormal position.
The displacement may or may not be strangulating, but surgery usually is required to save the horse’s life.
Excessive fermentation occurs when the stomach’s contents ferment more rapidly than they can be eliminated. This usually is caused by eating too much grain. Surgery rarely helps, and medical treatment is difficult. This situation also can cause rapid chemical changes in the blood that lead to abnormal blood flow to the hooves. This usually cripples the horse
Causes
Improper food, water, and management practices are big factors in colic.
• Irregular feeding times
• Lack of water
• Giving excess water to hot horses or horses deprived of water
• Excess grain
• Moldy feed
• Improperly chewed food due to bolting or poor teeth
• Overeating grain when hungry from being off feed
• A diet of extremely coarse roughage or very fine roughage such as coastal Bermuda hay • Consuming foreign objects
• Fecaliths or enteroliths (large accumulations formed in the intestine around foreign material)
• Feeding on the ground where sand can be ingested
• Feeding excessive salt to saltdeprived horses when water is not readily available (rare)
• Parasites
Symptoms
In colic, the horse exhibits early signs including:
• Playing in water with its mouth
• Curling the upper lip
• Refusing to eat
• Biting its flanks
• Looking at its abdomen
• An expression of anxiety on its face Moderate signs include:
• Kicking at its belly, rolling, pawing, getting up and down frequently and overall restlessness
• Assuming a saw horse posture (legs stretched out as if to urinate)
• Increased pulse rate
• Normal or raised temperature
• Sweating
• Abdominal distention
• Depression
• Lack of defecation
• Small volumes of firm, mucuscovered feces
• Anorexia
Treatment
• Do not allow the horse to drink or eat.
• Prevent injury. Walk the horse if it is trying to roll.
• If the horse is quiet, leave it alone and observe.
• Do not give pain medication prior to the veterinarian’s analysis. Medical treatment could include the following procedures:
• Nasogastric tube to relieve gas
• Sedation to allow examination
• Analgesic for pain
• Intravenous fluid to correct electrolyte and acid-base imbalances
• Water lavage (enema) at the site of an impaction
• If mild—fecal-softening agents such as psyllium hydrophilic mucilloid (Metamucil TM) (1–2 cups for 30 days), mineral oil, or warm-water enemas with lubricants
• 10–12 liters of warm water via a nasogastric tube every 2 hours
Reference
https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/files/project/pdf/ec1474.pdf
Digestive colic, the true form of colic, can be caused by feeding and management practices. The intestine may become blocked and twisted, or gas may develop. A horse’s digestive system is highly sensitive; therefore, colic is a major cause of death in horses.
Types of colic:
spasmodic, impaction, incarceration, displacement, and excessive fermentation.
Spasmodic colic is the mildest and most common. It is associated with over-excitement or sudden feed changes. It generally responds well to modest medical treatment.
Impaction colic is caused by normal ingesta or foreign material blocking the intestine. It may be caused by increased coarseness of forage, decreased intestinal fluid, or interference with normal intestinal movement. If the blockage prevents passage of gas as well as ingesta, surgical intervention may be necessary
In incarceration colic, a loop of the intestine may become trapped within a normal or abnormal structure in the abdominal cavity. A common example is a strangulating hernia. This situation may require surgery if the blood supply is cut off. In displacement colic, a portion of the intestine becomes twisted or caught in an abnormal position.
The displacement may or may not be strangulating, but surgery usually is required to save the horse’s life.
Excessive fermentation occurs when the stomach’s contents ferment more rapidly than they can be eliminated. This usually is caused by eating too much grain. Surgery rarely helps, and medical treatment is difficult. This situation also can cause rapid chemical changes in the blood that lead to abnormal blood flow to the hooves. This usually cripples the horse
Causes
Improper food, water, and management practices are big factors in colic.
• Irregular feeding times
• Lack of water
• Giving excess water to hot horses or horses deprived of water
• Excess grain
• Moldy feed
• Improperly chewed food due to bolting or poor teeth
• Overeating grain when hungry from being off feed
• A diet of extremely coarse roughage or very fine roughage such as coastal Bermuda hay • Consuming foreign objects
• Fecaliths or enteroliths (large accumulations formed in the intestine around foreign material)
• Feeding on the ground where sand can be ingested
• Feeding excessive salt to saltdeprived horses when water is not readily available (rare)
• Parasites
Symptoms
In colic, the horse exhibits early signs including:
• Playing in water with its mouth
• Curling the upper lip
• Refusing to eat
• Biting its flanks
• Looking at its abdomen
• An expression of anxiety on its face Moderate signs include:
• Kicking at its belly, rolling, pawing, getting up and down frequently and overall restlessness
• Assuming a saw horse posture (legs stretched out as if to urinate)
• Increased pulse rate
• Normal or raised temperature
• Sweating
• Abdominal distention
• Depression
• Lack of defecation
• Small volumes of firm, mucuscovered feces
• Anorexia
Treatment
• Do not allow the horse to drink or eat.
• Prevent injury. Walk the horse if it is trying to roll.
• If the horse is quiet, leave it alone and observe.
• Do not give pain medication prior to the veterinarian’s analysis. Medical treatment could include the following procedures:
• Nasogastric tube to relieve gas
• Sedation to allow examination
• Analgesic for pain
• Intravenous fluid to correct electrolyte and acid-base imbalances
• Water lavage (enema) at the site of an impaction
• If mild—fecal-softening agents such as psyllium hydrophilic mucilloid (Metamucil TM) (1–2 cups for 30 days), mineral oil, or warm-water enemas with lubricants
• 10–12 liters of warm water via a nasogastric tube every 2 hours
Reference
https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/files/project/pdf/ec1474.pdf
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