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Horse Colic - Serious but Easily Prevented
Colic is the single most important horse disease. It causes more horse fatalities than any other illness and even when horses fully recover it is the single biggest cause of major veterinary expenses. It can also cause other illnesses such as lminitis or founder.
Colic is not a single illness but rather a group of related illnesses affecting the digestive system. As such, there are many different types of horse colic and various different causes. Extensive research, covering thousands of case studies, has identified the main causes of the various types of colic. Following is a list of actions to avoid the primary causes of colic and thereby greatly reduce the risk of your horse developing colic.
1) Frequent Feedings. Horses have evolved to graze throughout the day. The more frequently they eat, the healthier their digestive system.
2) Grass before Grain. The equine digestive system is designed for 'high volume, low calorie' food such as grass or hay. Energy-dense foods such as grain or musli have insufficient volume and fiber. Consequently, the diet should have as much grass or hay as possible. If one feeds both hay and grain, one should feed the hay followed by the grain rather than the reverse order, as this results in better digestion and less bolting.
3) Soak Pellets. Pelleted food (e.g. hay pellets) should be soaked before feeding. This prevents bolting and choke. In addition, unsoaked pellets can greatly expand when they enter the stomach, resulting in bloating.
4) Lock Feedroom Door. Horses which get into a feedroom can stuff themselves, especially on grain, which can result in colic (it can also cause laminitis). A lock or horse-proof latch is adviseable.
5) Correct Bolting. A horse which bolts (swallows without chewing) its food is more prone to colic, as well as other illnesses (e.g. ulcers, choke). This may be due to medical problems (e.g. dental) or simply a bad habit. Explore possible corrective actions with your vet.
6) Sand and Dirt. Make sure that your horse does not ingest sand or dirt, as this can result in impaction colic. Do not feed them on top of sandy or dirt surfaces. Avoid over-grazed pastures.
6) Sufficient Water. A horse needs to drink adequate water througout the day. During winter their water should be warmed as horses often don't drink sufficient water if it is too cold. After exercise, let them drink but limit the quantity until they have cooled down.
7) Worming. Horses which are wormed regularly (3-4 times/year) are less likely to develop colic. All the horses on a given pasture should be wormed at the same time to prevent cross-reinfection. Horses which have not been wormed for a long time can get colic when wormed due to an excessive worm population, so they should be given a laxative a few days before to first reduce the quantity of worms.
8) Exercise. Horses which receive regular moderate exercise are less likely to develop colic. In particular, access to a large pasture during the day provides useful exercise. If starting or changing an exercise regime, changes should be gradual as rapid increases in the duration or intensity of exercise can result in colic.
9) Bedding. If your horse eats its bedding, especially in large quantities, consider changing to a bedding type which it does not eat.
10) Cold. Most horses can tolerate cold well, especially if they are young and healthy. However, if a horse becomes chilled (drop in body temperature) there is a good chance they will have colic. This is most likely when a period of mild weather is followed by sudden cold weather. It is also likely to occur when cold weather is combined with wet and windy weather. Allowing your horse to grow a long winter coat and protecting it with a rug during the coldest weather is adviseable. Special care needs to be taken with old, sick or weak horses which are less able to maintain body temperature.
About the Author Dr. Doug Stewart is the author of Horse Colilc, which examines the causes and prevention of horse colic. He also writes on other Horse Care issues.
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