Colic Awareness and Prevention

"Colic in horses is defined as abdominal pain, but it is a clinical symptom rather than a diagnosis. The term colic can encompass all forms of gastrointestinal conditions which cause pain as well as other causes of abdominal pain not involving the gastrointestinal tract."

Colic is a very real danger to the equine community. It can be deadly to equines (Horse, Donkey, Mule, Zebra etc). Horses are food vacuums, they eat almost constantly to keep their hindgut moving. When they suddenly stop, look listless or in pain and start to look sick; there's a problem.  Anywhere from lowering stress during travel to daily feeding activities colic prevention should be on the mind of everyone involved in horse care.

Colic Prevention While Trailering:
Preparing a horse for travel is a process in behavior training, not an event. ​Getting the horse comfortable with loading and trailering is the biggest step. The horse must understand that trailering is not a big deal. Two to three days prior to trailering feeding electrolytes and calcium (Tums) to hydrate and settle the acidity of the stomach and help with ulcer prevention due to stress of travel. In extreme cases such as loading onto a plane sedation can also be used. 

Post Training Colic Prevention:
When a horse isn't cooled properly after work and prior to rehydration water that is colder than the horses' resting core body temperature can cause shock and put the horse into colic. Before turning the horse back out or offering him water make sure the core body temp has lowered to almost normal and breathing has come down to normal as well. 

Sand Colic Prevention:
Sand colic is caused by the accumulation of sand in the horses' hindgut. Horses eat off of the ground and sometimes eat dirt in order to acquire necessary minerals within it. But sand ultimately gets swallowed. If the sand never gets pushed out it will cause the gut to stop and the horse colics. There are so many products out there that state they take care of sand in the horses' gut but clinical studies putting these products to the test show they ultimately don't work. The best thing you can do to clear sand from the hindgut is to feed clean hay. Free choice hay will push all that out; clinically proven. 

Colic Prevention While Feeding:
Gradual feed changes and feed soaking is huge in preventing colic. Horses gut enzymes need to be familiar with what they are digesting in order to do it. If your horse is fed a new feed (not talking hay or forage) you must introduce it gradually in order for the body to become familiar with it. 
Soaking feed is beneficial since water is essential in digestion. If a horse is fed dry pelleted feed or cubes it cannot digest properly until they are rehydrated and broken down in the stomach. This requires the horse to drink a large amount of water right after eating which may or may not happen depending on if he feels thirsty. If dry feed sits in the stomach too long trying to rehydrate and expand it can also contribute toward the development of ulcers. Soaking prior to feeding will greatly minimize these dangers. Soaking also gives you the ability to add things like supplements and electrolytes to the feed and more evenly distribute them within the meal increasing palatability. I like to dissolve any powders in warm water first and pour that over my horses' pellets (pictured below). I usually start soaking when I arrive at the barn and it's ready by the time I am done catching, grooming and training. The feed ends up being the consistency of oatmeal.  

So I listed the most common causes of colic. Of course there are many other ways things can go wrong but having the basics in mind is best.