Horse Colic - Causes and Recovery

able to leave the stomach. Most mammals that overeat are able to vomit to relieve the pressure of a full stomach but due to the anatomy of the equine soft palate and epiglottis vomiting is usually not possible for the horse. Stomach rupture can occur in rare circumstances where the stomach contents cannot move further into the digestive tract.
The impact of parasites on equine health is not as significant as it was before the development of inexpensive and easily used deworming preparations. Bot fly larvae spend part of their life attached to the lining of the stomach where a light infestation usually does not significantly affect the horses health. Heavier parasite loads sometimes cause irritation or ulceration of the stomach and perforation and peritonitis occasionally result. Horses that are not regularly dewormed may support bot larvae in sufficient numbers to block the passage of food out of the stomach and gastric rupture has been reported in such cases.
Anyone who has observed a colicky horse will recall the relief to horse and handlers when the intense pain finally subsides. Usually this occurs fairly rapidly after a veterinarian administers an injection to calm the horse and relieve discomfort. A sudden cessation of colic pain is not always a positive development however as it may be a signal that the stomach has ruptured. The horse initially feels better because the pressure of an overfilled stomach is no longer causing pain but will soon show muscle tremors rapid weak pulse fast shallow breathing and dropping body temperature. A ruptured stomach is almost always followed by death within a few hours.