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Keeping colic at bay

Ruth Bishop

17 February, 2005

Not every case of colic is related to nutrition, but there are plenty of nutritional factors that can cause the condition. The abdominal pain that characterises colic leads to the classic symptoms of restlessness, kicking and pawing, rolling, sweating and raised pulse and respiration rates.

While the symptoms may look the same, there are three main types of colic — spasmodic, impaction and sand colic.

The vast majority of colics are spasmodic — spasms of the intestinal wall that last for a relatively short time. Impacted colic occurs as a result of a blockage, usually in the large intestine, and is often followed by a large release of gas. Sand colic is relatively rare. It is caused by the prolonged ingestion of grit or sand, which, once in the horse's system, is difficult to get out, leading to recurrent bouts of colic and a need for large doses of liquid paraffin.

Though maintaining worming and dental programmes and preventing horses becoming chilled after strenuous work can avoid a bout of colic, slight changes in dietary management can also tip a horse over the edge.

The most common of these is a sudden change in diet. This can be due to changing the hard feed to one with higher energy or more starch, but it is far more likely to be related to a cut or change in the forage, for instance, as you change from batch to batch of haylage or as the grass suddenly starts or stops growing.

Horses eating what they're not supposed to can also cause problems — large amounts of straw (or other bedding) consumed in preference to hay or haylage can lead to impactions. So, too, can failure to drink, as a result of a lack of water or water that is unpalatable.

The common denominator is stress and the management of it, plus knowing your horse: horses have a huge capacity for work, so strenuous exercise won't hurt a fit horse, but poor feed management and aftercare are likely ways to bring on colic.

Top tips to avoid colic

• Keep an eye on forage quality to ensure it is not suddenly changing

• Have the horse's teeth checked regularly

• Keep to a good routine to reduce any stress at mealtimes

• Add some chopped fibre to the bucket to encourage longer chewing times

• If in doubt about the effectiveness of your worming policy, contact your vet for a faecal egg count

• Cribbers and windsuckers often become worse at mealtimes, which can increase the risk of colic

• Allow horses stabled for long periods to have some exercise, either in-hand or loose in a school, to allow movement of gases built up in the digestive tract

This feed forum article was first published in Horse & Hound (3 February, '05)

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