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All about colic
15 May, 2002
The word colic means abdominal pain. It is crucial to recognise when your horse has colic because it can potentially be an emergency. There are many causes; some are indigestion which resolve without treatment, while others need skilled surgery to cure.
Signs of colic
- Restlessness
- Looking at the flank
- Kicking at the abdomen
- Sweating and rolling
- Pawing the ground
- Lying down for longer than normal
- Repeated stretching as if trying to urinate
- Dropping suddenly to the floor and/or rolling
- Buckling at the knees as if trying to lie down
- Failure to pass any droppings in a day
In severe instances, a horse can thrash around alarmingly. In such cases, you will need to call your vet immediately.
It is sensible to call your vet if even mild colic signs persist for more than half an hour.
What you can do
Try to calm your horse as many will panic with the pain.
Walking him around, particularly on hard ground - where he is less likely to roll - may help short-term.
If he is determined to roll, make sure he has a big box with a deep bed and no fittings he could injure himself on.
Rolling is unlikely to make colic worse, as by this time, the guts may already be twisted.
- Don't exhaust your horse by walking him for hours
- Remove all feed from your horse's reach
- Don't give colic drenches without your vet's approval
- Have clean water, soap and towel ready for the vet
- Ensure transport is available in case it's needed
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Read more about colic:
- Causes of colic explained
- Coping with colic
- Care after colic surgery
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- William Fox-Pitt's Moon Man put down during colic surgery
- New colic website from University of Liverpool
- University of Liverpool launches equine colic website
- Zebra successfully undergoes colic surgery in America
- Summer problems: mild colic
- Colic and peritonitis in the horse
- Lord of the Rings equine star has emergency colic surgery
- Feeding a horse prone to colic
- Understanding colic surgery
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