Colic in horses
Colic is on e of the most common disease found in horses. In general term, colic is used to signify abdominal pain. Colic in horses is not a specific disease but a pain in the abdomen or other parts of the digestive system. Colic is mostly caused due to an accumulation of gas in the gut, or due to eating too much atone time. It can also be caused due to excessive feeding before work or from drinking very cold water. Horses that eat the bedding are more prone to this problem.
Symptoms of colic horse are - lying down and rolling excessively, turn his head to bite the flank, kicking at his belly with a hind leg and breakout in a patchy sweat.
When the pulse rate of colic horse rises above 50 or the condition is not calmed in half an hour or so then one should call the veterinary surgeon. The colic horse should be kept warm with light rugs and it should be change regularly. One should not ride horse constantly for hours as constant riding may tire him and lower his resistance, therefore it should be used with caution.
One can also have colic drink for their horse that is made up by the veterinary surgeon. It should be kept in the stable to use in mild cases, where colic occurs frequently. One should use it with care and only as first-aid treatment.
Colic can cause mild attacks of stomach ache that easily go away after treatment. Make sure that that such cases do not reoccur frequently. As this is a serious sign that signifies that something is wrong with the digestive system or the stable management.
Rectal examination can disclose that the horse is constipated and manual removal of the feces often relieves the condition. Enemas are also used at times, at times one can use effective drugs to relax the muscles and allow the normal functions of the digestive system. Surgery is significant in the cases where colic is caused by a twisting or rupturing of the gut.
The horse owner should carefully deal with following colic infection - Infected wounds, Skin diseases, Respiratory conditions. One can avoid serious infection of wounds by ensuring that the horse is regularly immunized against tetanus. One should keep the wounds of their horse clean and should treat it with an antibiotic powder to avoid bacterial infection.
Colic is a serious problem that can also be found in the best stables. It can also result due to carelessness, ignorance or both.