Colic is the number one cause of death in horses and one of the most common ailments seen in our equine friends.http://www.nomorehorsecolic.com/ It is a word that sends shudders through the spines of most seasoned of horsemen, and a bolt of sheer terror through the novice. Colic is a term that in its simplest form means abdominal pain. It is very important for the horse owner, or anyone taking care of horses or boarding them, to be able to recognize the signs of colic and know how to treat equine colic and its symptoms. The symptoms of colic are generally easy to recognize and when you know your horse and how it acts its is a little easier to see a change in behavior that might indicate colic.

Knowing what causes colic is important as well so you can take preventative measures to decrease your horses risk of colic. There is some good news, 80% of colics respond to treatment on the farm.http://www.extension.umn.edu/horse/components/factsheets/colic.htm Horses have along winding digestive system and this leads to the increase risk or abdominal pain as they go through their daily routines. Some things that you may want to have on hand for a case of colic is a 5cc syringe, analgesic pain reliever (either injectable, paste or both,) needles, mineral oil, and psyllium.

One skill that comes in handy when dealing with horses is the ability to give shots, either into the muscle or into the large jugular vein on the neck. Although muscle shots are great for the horses yearly vaccinations, pain relievers given in the muscle take longer to get into the horses system. A qualified vet can show you the proper technique for delivering an IV shot. The ability to do this might mean the difference between a minor case or a severe case of colic. If you are able to help relieve the horses pain, even as you are waiting for the vet to come to your farm, or if you have to trailer the horse to see the doctor, the prognosis may go better for your horse.

Owners also need to know how to check the horses heart rate and examine the gums for signs of dehydration and toxicity. A normal heart rate on a horse should be between 45-50 beats per minute.http://www.extension.umn.edu/horse/components/factsheets/colic.htm Examine the horses gums to see if they are tacky or off color, press a finger against them to check the refill time. A slow refill time will indicate dehydration.

The symptoms of colic range from the very extreme to the lightest feeling and indication that your horse is "off". If you feel that your horse is simply "off" listen to your intuition and pay closer attention over the next few hours. Some cases of colic will resolve themselves, others may turn into a full blown impaction. These are some of the things that you may observe in a horse that is colicking:

1. Restlessness: You may see the horse twitching his tail in agitation, pawing the ground, or walking back and forth between feed and water and just playing with them. A horse may submerge his nose in his water and blow bubbles. Your horse may get up and down frequently, and in the extreme may roll and thrash about on the ground. A good first indicator is the horse turning to look at its sides often, as though inquiring to that part of its body why it hurts. The horse may also stretch into extreme poses trying to relieve the pressure in their abdomen as well.
2. Staling: Frequent and unsuccessful attempts at urination may also be seen as the horse tries to relieve pressure from its bladder.
3. Physical changes: The heart rate in a horse with a colic problem may range from 68-92/min in moderate colic, to over 100/min in severe casesEquine Nutrition and Feeding, David Frape, Blackwell Sciences, Maine, 1998 You may see an increase in respiration, foul smelling breath and sweating while standing still. The horse will loose interest in food and may have diarrhea with undigested grains evident.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1i_Acp8NRM&feature=related

This is an excerpt from a DVD called Firstaid for Horses available from exclusivelyequine.com

The veternarian in this video gives a description of what the owner might see in a case of colic. He also has two very good pictures of the horses gums, both pale and discolored for help in diagnosising dehydation and toxemia. He goes through walking your horse, administering analgesics, and the exams that a vet may go through when first seeing your horse with a potential case of colic. He explains that the signs that you need to get to your vet may be repeated does of analgesics do nothing, and extreme, controllable pain.

1. Get him up: First of all is your horse is rolling it is imperative that you get him up. Rolling and twisting may cause a torsion in his gut that will require surgery or will cause death.
2. Check vitals: Check the gums, listen for bowel sounds, check his heart rate.
3. Administer pain reliever and keep him moving: Administer the pain reliever as prescribed by your vet. If you suspect you caught the colic at the outset you can try to keep walking your horse to see if this helps; however, if you horses continues to try to go down and roll, if there is no manure present and he starts to show even more signs of extreme discomfort, call your vet right away.

What the vet will do when she comes:

1. The Vet will check to see if the colic is gas or impaction colic and she will check for signs of shock or toxemia.
2. She may pass a nasogastric tube. This is a tube that goes from the nose to the stomach. This way she is able to check to see if there is fluid built up in the stomach which may prevent rupture of the stomach, it may also relieve gas. If there is fluid mineral oil may be put down the tube to lubricate any impaction.http://www.extension.umn.edu/horse/components/factsheets/colic.htm
3. She may give mild fecal softening agents or a water levage(enema) at the sight of impaction, and IV fluids to correct electrolyte imbalance or dehydration.http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/ec/ec1474/<ref>

If multiple pain relievers do not alleviate the symptoms at the farm, the vet may ask for the horse to be transported to the veterinary clinic. In extreme cases where there is impaction and/or torsion the vet may recommend colic surgery. This is where an equine surgeon goes in to correct the problem.

Although colic is not wholly preventable and horses in general are prone to colic, science has been able to track down steps that horse owners can carry out that will help prevent colic.

1. Know your horse: Caring for your horse one on one is the best possible way to know what signifies a change in your horses behavior. Studies have shown that horses that are cared for by their owner, instead of a trainer or stable manager, are 2-3 times less likely to colic.http://www.extension.umn.edu/horse/components/factsheets/colic.htm
2. Parasites: Be sure to have an aggressive parasite control program. Strongyle larvae can get into the intestinal tract and cause damage to the blood vessels there. This can lead to a slowing down, or total blockage of the blood flow which may lead to the dying off of a portion of the intestinal tract. Horses are prone to pick up worms by their very nature of grazing close to the ground, but using a rotational method of worming every 30-60 days will help in controlling these worms. There are also daily wormers out there that are very effective and cut down the paste wormer intervals to every quarter of the year. Womers, both daily and interval worming, can be bought at your local horse supply store, or from your veterinarian.
3. Float your horses teeth regularly: This allows for the horse to properly chew their hay and grain and reduces the risk of the horse swallowing too big and poorly masticated balls of food.
4. Too much grain and sudden changes in feed: For each pound of whole grain fed there is a 70% increase in the risk of colic.http://www.extension.umn.edu/horse/components/factsheets/colic.htm Pelleted feeds increase the chance of colic by 6-9.5 times, and with sweet feed you have 4-7.5 times more chance of colichttp://www.extension.umn.edu/horse/components/factsheets/colic.htm Horses that had a change in their feed in the last two weeks are more likely to colic so make change slowly and only after a great deal of thought.
5. Sandy Ground: Avoid feeding on the horse on the ground in sandy areas, they tend to pick up the sand and send in down to their intestinal tract where it causes Sand Colic.
6. Water and turnout: Always provide clean fresh water. Clean out troughs and check automatic waterers frequently. A horse that is without water for 1-2 hours is 10 times more likely to colic.http://www.extension.umn.edu/horse/components/factsheets/colic.htm If traveling, stop often to let your horse drink. Allow your horse to exercise regularly on its own in the pasture. Exercise helps in keeping the gut moving. Studies show that horse with with access to 2-3 different pastures over the course of a month are less likely to colic.http://www.extension.umn.edu/horse/components/factsheets/colic.htm
7. Psyllium: Psyllium is a food supplement that may help in moving foreign matter, particularly sand, out of the horses intestinal tract. Psyllium may be found at your local horse supply store and is easy to administer with the horses regular feed. This done on a regular basis has been shown to help in the prevention of sand colic.
8. Lush green spring grass is often a contributor to colic: Allow your horse to go slowly out on pasture if he hasn't been out for a while. Introduce him for an hour or two at the beginning so he doesn't over indulge.