The 6 Types of Horse Colic

       So, what is colic? If you read my last post, you might be wondering what exactly happened to Stormy. Well, let me explain. Colic is not actually a diagnosis or a disease, rather, it is the generic term for abdominal pain/sickness in horses. It encompasses all forms of gastrointestinal pain and problems. They are sorted in six categories:

1. Gas accumulation in the intestine

2. Simple obstruction

3. Strangulating obstruction 

4. Non-strangulating infarction 

5. Inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract or the peritoneum
6. Ulceration of the gastrointestinal mucosa

       

       The first of these (gas accumulation in the intestine) usually occurs when horses have a change of diet or when they get parasites. These things can cause fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract, which causes a buildup of gas, which distends the intestines and causes extreme pain for the horse.
       The second (a simple obstruction) is what our horse, Stormy, had. A simple obstruction occurs when the horse gets either food or foreign bodies lodged in its gastrointestinal tract. When this happens, the horse experiences severe cramps. However, there are worse problems. First, the gastrointestinal tract swells because of the blockage, and causes the blood vessels in the horse's body to tense, which can cause vascular blockage and clotting, which causes the cells and tissue in the horse's body not to get enough blood, which can result in cellular death. One of the ways that a simple obstruction can occur is if (like in Stormy's case) the horse is eating too much hay and it creates an impaction in their bowels, or if the horse is eating to close too the ground, and ingests sand and dirt.
       Ok, the third way that a horse can contract colic is by a strangulating obstruction. This is exactly the same thing as a simple obstruction, but in a strangulating obstruction, the blood supply is immediately affected. Also, a torsion can occur in the intestine, or it can fold up on itself, like a telescope, causing serious problems.
       The fourth type of colic is the non-strangulating infarction. In this type of colic, there is no obstruction in the intestine, but there is still a tensing of blood vessels, and the resulting local cell death. It is most often caused by Strongylus vulgaris larvae in the intestine.
       The next two forms of colic are similar- inflammation or ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract or the peritoneum. If any kind of inflammation or ulceration on the GI tract occurs (usually due to damage done by stomach acids or their alteration), this can automatically cause digestive problems and swelling.
       These are just a few of the many diverse types of colic. They can happen to any horse, even in the best of situations. Colic is the leading cause of premature death in horses. All horses have anywhere from a four to ten percent chance of contracting colic in their lifetime. So, if you notice that your horse has been rolling in pain, kicking their stomach, or pawing at the ground, you should check them for further signs of colic. You will know for sure that your horse has colic if he has not passed solids in a few hours, is dehydrated (pinch his skin gently, if it stays elevated for more than a few seconds, he is probably dehydrated and has not gotten enough water in his system to loosen his bowels), and is sweating more than usual. If a horse does contract colic, the best choice is either to get the help of an experienced friend or a vet, and give the horse a shot to relax his GI tract. Banamine is a common shot that contains the anti-inflammatory and analgesic Flunixin Meglumine. It is used on horses that have an intestinal blockage to relax their muscles so that they can pass solids. Also, making sure that the horse has fresh water is important. To encourage the horse to drink, you can either give him a mineral block, or (for more critical situations) you can give him feed soaked in water with salt to induce more drinking. Giving the horse a tube of electrolytes also may help the obstruction be thinned and broken down. If all else fails, giving the horse a ride in the trailer can help relax his bowels and loosen any obstructions.
       I hope these tips were helpful to all of you horse lovers! As the weather changes and we are more prone to storms and bad weather, keep on the watch for colic, as it often strikes during weather changes (no one really knows why this is, but this can be the case). Riding your horse often to stay in the know about his physical condition is always important, as is keeping fresh water and pasture space open to your horse, and the more you are with the horse, the more you will be able to find and diagnose abnormalities in his/her behavior. 

Christmas and the First Horse Sickness

       Hello friends! It has been a while since I last posted here. We have been very busy preparing for the Christmas season. If you are like my family, the beginning of December is quite busy between decorating the house for Christmas, preparing advent, making Christmas cookies, learning Christmas songs, and all things generally Christmas-related. However, if you are like my family, you also know that sometimes, December in Texas doesn't really feel like Christmas at all. In case you have never lived in Texas, here is a quick (really quick) summary of Texas weather. Now that we are all on the same page, you can understand why I was galloping my buckskin horse out in the still-faintly green field of waving grass in- short sleeves- just a few days ago. There was a clean, cold breeze whipping through my hair, and I leaned forward as Chico broke into a canter. The sun was shining brightly, and the sky was virtually cloudless. I pulled Chico to a stop, and together, me and my sister trotted the horses up to their pasture, where they had fresh hay and water, and we untacked them and let them off to graze.

       I didn't go back out to the horse pasture until late that night, when I had to put up the chickens, ducks, and geese (who share a pasture with the horses). The temperature had dropped sharply since the warm afternoon, and I was in a hurry to finish putting up the poultry. However, geese are (by nature) perverse and ducks are (by nature) willing to copy whatever the geese do, so it took me a little while to herd them all into the coop. 

       Finally, after shepherding all the poultry into the coop, I started walking back up to the house. On the way up, I saw my sister's horse, Stormy, laying on the ground. He was rolling around, and sort of rubbing his stomach against the hay. I laughed. Often, after a heavy ride, horses like to get the feel of the saddle off of their backs by rolling on the ground. I kept on walking, but something didn't feel right. Something was bugging me. All of the sudden, I heard a strange noise. It sounded like a cat's meow, but I checked, and there were no cats around. Confused, I tried to laugh it off. It was dark, I was tired, and my mind was probably just making things up. Then, I heard the noise again. Turning around, I realized that Stormy was making the noise. All of the sudden, I had a sick feeling in my stomach. 

       Running inside, I quickly grabbed my laptop and researched "symptoms of horse colic". Though I had never seen it happen, I knew enough about colic to suspect something. Sure enough, all of the signs pointed to it. 

       I found my horse teacher's number, and managed to call her. Johnny Taylor and Darla Smith run the Winnsboro Rodeo, and they know a thing or two about horses. Ms. Darla confirmed my worry, and assured me that even though it was 7:00 PM and pitch black outside, she would drive fifteen minutes to our house and do whatever it would take to help us get our horse healthy again.
       It turns out, Stormy had colic, one of the most common diseases contracted by horses. Sometimes, when horses are switching over from grass to hay, they eat too much hay, and it gets lodged in their GI track. They can experience severe pain, and other worse symptoms if the GI track is not relaxed so that they can pass the solids through their system. This is only one of the many types of colic that horses can get.
       With the help of our teacher, we gave Stormy a shot to relax his muscles and GI track. Then, we fed him a small amount of food soaked in water to help loosen the obstruction. We also put a salt block out to encourage him to drink more water. Thankfully, after just a few hours, Stormy passed the solids blocking his system, and was back to normal.
       This was our first experience with a sick horse, so you can imagine that I was pretty scared! Thankfully, Stormy is doing much better, and I think that if he ever gets colic again, we will know what to do.