Understanding Equine Colic

While waiting for your veterinarian to arrive, Duran says to remember to stay calm. Remove feed and straw bedding from your horse’s stall and make sure the animal is in a safe place since a horse in pain may be unaware of its surroundings. If possible, hand walk your horse to stimulate gut motility and to prevent the animal from rolling.

It’s also a good idea to prepare your trailer in case your horse needs to go to the veterinary clinic. If you don’t have transportation, contact neighbours and friends to see if anyone is available to help. Before any emergency, Duran says horse owners should have a plan in place for transporting a horse to the local veterinary clinic.

Before loading your horse, Duran recommends removing the trailer’s dividers since some horses tend to do better with more space — but this varies from horse to horse. Most importantly, do not ride in the trailer with the horse, as doing so will put you at risk of being injured.  

Your veterinarian will usually begin by performing a physical exam on your horse and reassessing its vital parameters. The clinician will then conduct a rectal exam to help determine if there is something in the abdomen that can explain the colic.  

Veterinarians often pass a tube through the horse’s nostril and into its stomach. The amount and type of fluid that is recovered from the stomach can help to determine the cause of the colic, and the tube can also relieve tension in the organ. Since horses cannot vomit, severe distension of their stomach puts them at risk of rupture.

“Depending on the results of the first assessment, the vet may also take a sample of abdominal fluid, which is called an abdominocentesis,” says Duran. “As well, when available and indicated, the veterinarian may perform an exam to try and find something in the abdomen that is going wrong.”

Based on results, your veterinarian will determine the most appropriate treatment for your horse and if it needs to be admitted into a veterinary hospital for further diagnostics and treatment. Some of the factors that your veterinarian will consider include the horse’s level of pain, its response to pain medications, and findings from the physical exam. For example, the physical exam may suggest a twisted or displaced gut that requires surgical treatment, explains Duran.

We can’t prevent colic, but what we can do is reduce the risk significantly with what we do, management-wise,” says Duran.  

To help reduce the risk, she recommends feeding a diet of mainly forage, and when possible, try to avoid feeding concentrates. Make any changes in the diet or schedule slowly. Duran also points out that frequent feedings are better for horses than one large, single meal. Ask your veterinarian to regularly check your horse’s teeth and work with your clinician to develop an appropriate deworming strategy for your horse.