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Colic
Jan 2, 2007 19:57:54 GMT -8
Post by marilyn on Jan 2, 2007 19:57:54 GMT -8
What do you do when your horse colics, other than call the vet out?
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Colic
Jan 2, 2007 20:17:58 GMT -8
Post by jetsmom on Jan 2, 2007 20:17:58 GMT -8
Remove all feed. Make sure horse is not trying to roll...If so, walk horse and call vet. If horse will lie quietly, allow them to. Give Banamine if you are able. Walking a horse nonstop will exhaust them, and can actually hurt their recuperative ability if they are too tired to fight. For gas colic, trotting on a longe line for a few min can help. Or taking them for a trailer ride, if they trailer well and aren't trying to lie down. Both things, can release trapped pockets of gas.
For colic prone horses, making sure they have access to water (tepid water is even better, as some horses don't like ice cold water), wetting hay/grain, light daily exercise and adding a little salt to their grain to encourage them to drink, will help keep them hydrated and reduce colic chances. Also, if a horse has ulcers they are more prone to colic.
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Colic
Jan 3, 2007 21:24:41 GMT -8
Post by mkgbuegel on Jan 3, 2007 21:24:41 GMT -8
Depends on the type of colic. The main things I do differently now with colic, is one, I let the horse roll. I have seen to many horses die of impaction once they were doped & tubed, with the exception of surgical intervention. I give the horse just enough banimine to take the edge off and then I let them take over. So far, I have had good luck.
The other thing I do differently now is I only tube with water, never oil. Oil just didn't make sense to me. If you drop a lump of their poop in a bag of oil and shake it around, the poo doesn't fall apart very well at all, it mostly stays intact. If you drop a lump of poo in a bag of water and shake it around, it almost completely comes apart. So no more tubing with oil, ever.
I also use accupressure to help with the discomfort.
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Colic
Sept 9, 2007 20:32:48 GMT -8
Post by sundancer on Sept 9, 2007 20:32:48 GMT -8
My gelding colicked 3 times this summer! YES! Finally, at the new boarding place, when he colicked, the gal IMMEDIATELY called the vet! He was tubed and oiled. Oh, well...
He had just finished a week of psyllium. The vet listened to him and remarked, "This horse is FULL of sand!!!! Where were you boarding him?"...needless to say, he got psyllium for ANOTHER 10 days and then every other day for 20 days.
Now they are ALL fed OFF the ground. No more feeding on the sand!!!!!!!!!!!! Yikes!
I was never so scared in my entire life! I went home that night and didn't sleep, raced back up the hill the next morning. He greeted me and immediately pooped!
Even little Cali, the palomino is doing so much better! She constantly had diarrhea. Now she is pooping normally! Guess the psyllium cleaned her out, too!
Sand is STILL coming out of her!!!!
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Colic
Jan 17, 2008 18:24:58 GMT -8
Post by Synthia on Jan 17, 2008 18:24:58 GMT -8
Colic Prevention Tips By Laura Riley, DVM
Routine: Keeping a consistent daily routine is important for horses. Any change in a horse’s routine can lead to digestive upset. Feed at the same time each day and turn out for the same number of hours daily.
Institute Feed Changes Gradually: If you are going to switch from one feed brand to another, for instance from timothy to alfalfa, do it slowly. Mix the two feeds together for a week or so while gradually removing the old feed and increasing the new.
Monitor Your Horse’s Environment: Keep an eye on the field! If the apple tree is loaded, you might think about limiting Trigger’s time out in that field. If it is the first bloom of lush green grass in the spring, introduce your horses to it gradually. If a storm brings a lot of tree limbs and other debris into the pasture, clean it up.
Deworm Your Horses On a Regular Schedule: A gut full of parasites can cause bellyaches. Having to kill off too many parasites at once can also cause a bellyache. It’s best to not let it get out of hand in the first place. With the ease of administering today’s paste dewormers, there is no reason not to deworm on a regular basis. Speak with your veterinarian about a good deworming schedule for a horse residing in your part of the country.
Float Those Teeth: Veterinarians and equine dentists are available options to float your horse’s teeth. When the teeth are left unattended, they develop sharp points that can cause ulcers in your horse’s mouth. Also, you want your horse to have the greatest grinding surface available so that he can get that food in the best digestible condition possible before sending it south to his stomach.
Keep The Feed Room Door Locked: Have your feed in containers the horses can’t break into should the door be left open. Gorging on any sort of feedstuff will give horses colic. A serious grain-overload colic will be followed by a terrible case of laminitis (founder), all of which is avoidable if the feed room door is kept locked.
Water, Water Everywhere: Horses need clean, fresh potable water available at all times. Don’t forget to keep the water tub in the field clean and filled. Also, the stall should have at least one large automatic waterer or large bucket available. Remember, horses are not evolutionarily adapted to drinking solid water. For that matter, our equine friends aren’t all that fond of very cold water. In order to avoid a fecal impaction, provide water above 50 degrees at all times.
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Colic
Jul 20, 2008 12:01:18 GMT -8
Post by Synthia on Jul 20, 2008 12:01:18 GMT -8
Acupressure for Colic The vet's on the way—what more can you do? Soothe your horse with acupressure while you wait. By Kara L. Stewart
Colic. The mere word sends shivers down horse owners' spines. Whether it's a relatively simple case of gas or a potentially deadly impaction or intestinal displacement, whenever your horse shows signs of colic, call the vet immediately.
Some of these signs are:
not eating or drinking lying down and/or rolling more frequently than normal pawing the ground kicking the belly or looking at the abdomen standing as if to urinate, but not actually urinating curling the upper lip yawning sweating heavily standing quietly and/or rigidly reluctance to move staggering gait or nearly falling Before you call the vet, make a list of any symptoms your horse is displaying. Also take your horse's temperature and heart rate, and check his mucous membrane color. Let your vet know your findings. If your vet gives you instructions to follow, proceed with them.
Beyond this, what can you do? While you're waiting for the vet to arrive, apply pressure to the following acupressure points. "Restoring the energy flow in the body can help mitigate some of your horse's discomfort," explains Nancy Zidonis, one of the three authors of Equine Acupressure: A Working Manual (Equine Acupressure Inc; 3rd edition; June 1999).
"We've seen excellent results when acupressure is performed on horses with colic, even if the person giving the treatment is not an experienced acupressure practitioner," adds Amy Snow, author.
To perform this acupressure point work, use the ball of your thumb or place your middle finger on top of your index finger. Apply about one to three pounds of pressure to each point. When you feel resistance in the point, let up slightly with the pressure and then apply pressure again. Exhale as you press into it, and inhale as you slowly release.
The following diagrams, from "Equine Acupressure: A Working Manual," give you a general idea of where the acupoints are located. How can you be sure?
Click Here to View the Colic-Impaction Diagram Click Here to View the Colic-Flatulent or Gas Diagram Click Here to View the Colic-Preventive Diagram
"Acupoints are found in the valleys of the body—in the depressions next to or between muscles, bones, tendons and around joints," explains Marie Soderberg, author. "They're not on the top of bones or in the belly of a muscle. And, often, acupoints look and feel different than the surrounding area of the body. They feel harder or softer, warmer or cooler, and are more sensitive to touch."
Kara Stewart is a freelance writer based in Colorado.
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