If your horse is displaying these symptoms, he may be suffering from colic. The horse may have poor appetite or refuse to eat. It may roll vigorously on the ground. Its stomach may appear noticeably bloated. Horse's heart rate is faster than normal and it has trouble or complete lack of bowel movement.
If your horse is showing symptoms of colic, next step is to formulating a plan of attack to cure the ailment. This involves two step processes: pain management and treating the root of the problem.
Horse suffering from colic experiences mild discomfort to extreme pain. Each horse tolerates and deals with pain differently but by observing the behavior of the horse, you should be able to tell the level of pain it is dealing with. Light pacing or pawing is associated with mild pain and can be managed with non-sedative medication. If the horse is thrashing and rolling in the ground uncontrollably, it is most likely experiencing excruciating pain. Horse in a condition like this will generally need to be sedated so immediate medical treatment can be performed on it.
Because horse colic is essentially a state of shock associated with electrolyte and fluid imbalances, use of any sedative drugs could be potentially dangerous for the horse. Decision to use such drugs should be consulted with a professional unless you are highly experienced with dealing with horse colic yourself.
Most common causes of horse colic include impaction, parasites and digestive disorders and it is up to the veterinarian to diagnose and treat them accordingly. Many of the medical procedures the veterinarian needs to perform are highly invasive and dangerous if not performed correctly so do not attempt to administer them yourself. These medical procedures include running tube through the stomach, rectal examination and drawing fluid sample from horse's abdominal with a needle.
After your horse has been treated, give it plenty of fresh water but avoid feeding any solid food until colic has been resolved. More often than not, professional medical treatment will cure colic in horse as long as it has been attended to in timely manner. |
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