How Do You Treat Colic In Horses?

One of my horses has been sick with colic recently.

He’s been a trooper through the whole thing, but it has been really hard on him.

He’s on the mend now and feeling much better, but this was my first time dealing with colic, and I wasn’t exactly totally prepared for it.

Nonetheless I’ve learned a lot now, and I thought I would do my best to share that information with others.

So, how do you treat colic in horses?

In most cases, colic can be treated at your farm or homestead with medication and/or a stomach tube to relieve gas problems. In more serious cases, internal organs can be displaced or impacted, which requires surgery. The best thing to do is speak to your vet.

So, colic is relatively easy to treat in most cases.

Catching it quickly and identifying it is important so that you can treat it before the condition gets any worse.

As long as you do this, colic can almost always be treated without needing to move your horse anywhere.

Let’s look further into this question.

What is colic?

Colic is essentially a symptom of pain in the abdomen—very different from colic in humans, which refers to excessive crying in infants.

For horses, colic is a very specific symptom of gastrointestinal discomfort.

Often, it is caused by things like undigested food.

So, colic is not exactly a disease or illness of itself.

It is the term we use to describe a particular symptom of stomach and intestinal pain which occurs as a result of certain conditions.

Gas, for example, often plays a big part in colic, as gas is often caused by foods in the gut not breaking down properly.

So, what is colic usually caused by?

Let’s look into it.

What is the most common cause of colic in horses?

So, as I said, colic itself is not a disorder, just a symptom of discomfort.

It can be caused by a number of different things, usually related to the diet.

Often, colic is a problem for horses that eat things that shouldn’t really be in a horse’s diet, like anything highly processed.

The single most common cause of colic is excess gas.

Excess gas is produced as a result of attempting to break down complex foods a horse has eaten.

This excess gas causes bloating, which in turn is very painful and uncomfortable.

Colic can also be caused by excess grains eaten, as sometimes horses cannot stop on their own.

They can also get colic from ingesting sand, and even sometimes from parasitic infections.

The most common cause of colic in horses that are owned for recreation is feeding them unsuitable foods.

Since horses have such a simple diet of mostly grass and hay, large quantities of anything else are going to be difficult for it to digest.

This tough digestion will create excess gas and bloating, leading to colic.

Keeping a careful watch on your horse’s diet is the best way to avoid colic in the first place.

Can horse colic go away on its own?

No, is the simple answer.

Even if there was a possibility of it going away on its own, there’s just as much of a possibility of it getting worse and becoming a serious problem.

If you leave it, it may go away, but the likelihood is it will not, and you will have lost precious time in treating it.

If your horse is showing signs of colic, you should contact your vet immediately.

They will be able to diagnose the problem and suggest proper treatment.

As I said, it’s usually quite simple and can all be done at your home without having to move your horse anywhere.

How to treat colic

The only thing you really need to know how to do is call a vet.

Aside from making sure to avoid any possibility that it will get colic in the first place, once it does have colic, there isn’t a lot you can do; the horse needs medication and a stomach pump, so call the vet.

If you don’t get help to your horse quickly enough, then the displacement of internal organs or the impaction could cause longer term problems.

It’s essential, then, that you call your vet as soon as possible.

Otherwise, your horse may need to be taken away for surgery—which will be worlds more expensive than simple, on site medication.

So, as long as you can identify it early on, in most cases your horse will recover just fine from colic and won’t have any long-term problems as a result.

That said, you should always treat it like a serious illness, and that it has the potential to cause your horse serious harm.

With that in mind, as soon as you see any signs, contact your vet.

The earlier it is identified, the easier it will be to treat.

So keep a close eye on your herd.