Colic prone horse, need help- (long post)

[Dreamer]

I have a horse I have owned a little over 2 years now and he is colic prone. Never had a horse colic as much as he does. I know sometimes it is us as owners who can cause our horses to colic and while I may be doing something wrong(and not know it) it is not all just me. I had a biggie dressage horse for 6 1/2 years that I sold a couple years back who never once coliced while I owned him. and my family has had the minis 15-16 years now and while I notice that minis tend to colic more than the biggies the other few my mom has only do so ocassionally. He is 5 years old now and colics several times a year. Sometimes I have no idea why but is seems some of the time the colics tend to be related to sharp diffences in tempature change. I plan on gradually changing out his feed starting next week to the nutrena safechoice perform to see if that helps. I read somewhere online that sometimes colics can be related to too much starch in the diet that can't be digested properly inThe hindgut. He is kept in a smallish paddock without grass as I show him but he gets out for an hour on pasture with grass several times a week and spends 5-6 days a week either being roundpenned or being driven for conditioning. Before I get blasted for having him on a smallish drylot and only a small time on grass he's got it a lot better than some show horses who spend a lot of time stalled. He's only stalled on really cold nights or in bad weatherOr if he’s been clipped and needs to be sheeted/blanketed due to too cool temps in the spring and fall. He's given fresh water every other day though I may be changing it to every day now. He is wormed regulary and because the area we are at is sandy gets a couple weeks of phsyllium 3 times a year. He gets soaked alfalfa pellets as part of his grain and is given electrolyes on a daily basis because he is not always the best of drinkers. My vet says I doing the right things and when I brought up changing his feed she agreed with me and said to give that a try. I am at a loss as to what I can do to prevent him from colicing as often. I get stressed and worry every time it happens and I know it is not good for him. What are some tips that you might be able to give me? I especially want to hear from those who have had to deal with colic prone horses.

 

[chandab]

Any chance that he's experiencing ulcers instead of colic? As a show horse, he could be experiencing more stress than your typical backyard horse, stress leads to ulcers. Just a thought.

I have a mare that I though was colicing and it turns out it was ulcers; she had several episodes the first year or so after she arrived, and then I guess she outgrew them, settled in, whatever, as they stopped. Ulcers can present with similar symptoms as colic

 

[shorthorsemom]

For my one boy I must feed an ultra fine grass hay or he will colic. I keep him off pasture during the freeze thaw time in fall until everything is crispy and dry and again in the spring when it is cold and warm and the grass is just coming up. Anytime with up and down temps and big changes in grass I keep him either off the pasture all together or turn him out for short periods with a muzzle. I really noticed a huge difference when I got very picky about the hay. I also feed probiotics during the spring and fall during the cold warm cold warm extreme weather shifting where the grass tends to be limp or partially frozen or frosted etc or growing up green fresh new.

With this management we do great with him. The fine grass hay seems to go down well.

I would also suggest that in addition to treating for sand by using psyllium, I would check for sand by doing the sand test on his manure to see if you are doing enough with your treatment. you have probably already done this but since I didn't see it in your post, I thought I would mention just in case.

 

[amysue]

I am sorry you are having so many problems with your horse. Colic sucks, period. I agree with Chanda, it sounds like he may have an ulcer. I have a stud colt with an ulcer and every time the temperature changes drastically he has an episode. Consider discussing the use of ulcer guard with your vet and see if that helps. If he is not much of a drinker that could cause colic as well due to impaction. Try refreshing his water at least twice a day to encourage him to take in enough water and stay hydrated. When cold, he may need warm water and when hot he may need juice or electrolyte added to make it taste enticing. I give my picky ponies starlight peppermint candy to encourage them to take a good drink. Also, the hour on grass several times a week could be upsetting his gut. The bacteria in the gut need to be gradually introduced to grass and since he is not on it every day, it could be too much. I hope the gradual switch to a new feed fixes your problem. Have you ever done the fecal sand test? If he is kept on a sandy, lot he may need a sand clear treatment more often. Have you done fecal egg counts for worms or do you just rotate wormers? He could have a parasite causing issues too. Ask your vet about pro or pre biotics as those could help regulate his digestion better. Good luck.

 

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

I don't have much experience with colic, but you may want to look into this program through SmartPak---

https://www.smartpakequine.com/smartdigest-ultra-6312p

 

[bevann]

I live in a very sandy area and have had many colic prone horses(knock on wood-none in quite a while)Mine all get Equus pellets daily(psyllium flavored like licorice) and they get their feed in water.Mine are on senior feed with beet pulp added and a scoop of powered electrolytes.2 of them also get paste electrolytes daily.Many of my colics were caused by lack of drinking and sand.When they are out in their paddocks I put a small amount of feed and beet pulp and powered electrolytes in the water.My colic prone horses are stalled so I know how much they are drinking.I also use heated buckets in the winter.Colic is not fun-hope you find something that works for you.

 

[disneyhorse]

Could be anything. A few horses I've known have had entroliths and when the entrolith would shift the horse would colic. Lots of sand can cause colic. Ulcers can cause colic symptoms. Some horses are just "wusses" about pain and any little gas bubble will make them feel icky.

 

He is kept in a smallish paddock without grass as I show him but he gets out for an hour on pasture with grass several times a week and spends 5-6 days a week either being roundpenned or being driven for conditioning. Before I get blasted for having him on a smallish drylot and only a small time on grass he's got it a lot better than some show horses who spend a lot of time stalled. He's only stalled on really cold nights or in bad weatherOr if he’s been clipped and needs to be sheeted/blanketed due to too cool temps in the spring and fall. He's given fresh water every other day though I may be changing it to every day now. He is wormed regulary and because the area we are at is sandy gets a couple weeks of phsyllium 3 times a year. He gets soaked alfalfa pellets as part of his grain and is given electrolyes on a daily basis because he is not always the best of drinkers. My vet says I doing the right things and when I brought up changing his feed she agreed with me and said to give that a try. I am at a loss as to what I can do to prevent him from colicing as often. I get stressed and worry every time it happens and I know it is not good for him. What are some tips that you might be able to give me? I especially want to hear from those who have had to deal with colic prone horses.

Well, living here in Florida, I only have 'dry-lots' that are total sand. Horses get psyllium for 1 week each month, and I feed Alfalfa hay for the protein boost and it being a tummy soother as well (pellets added to grain also). You might try increasing the number of times a year that you do the psyllium treatment for sand, but I would also try switching him to a senior feed which is gentler on the tummy and more easily digested. And I think I would try treating him for ulcers for a month, and see if you notice any improvement.

Good luck. Soaking the pellets is a good way to get the extra water into him, so you're doing great adding that to his diet. Hoping to see he's improving for you!

 

[Dreamer]

Thanks. Some good ideas. When he colics they are impaction colics and he seems to get clogged badly. I think I will be treating him with psyllium more often. He is kept by himself in the drylot so I know how much he is drinking. On the not so good days I will add horse quencher to his water and this usually works and I will soak his hay. This usually happens in colder weather even though he is given warm water. Seems like ulcers are a common thought. Never had a horse with ulcers, at least that I knew of. What are symptoms/signs of ulcers? I don't know much about them. The vet actually gave me a paste for ulcers when she was out for the colic this past week as she wanted to cover all bases so he is started on that. Is there a good supplement that I can give him on a daily basis to help prevent ulcers after he is done with his treatment?

 

[disneyhorse]

My pony seems to be doing well on SmartGut... By Smartpak.com but he has never been diagnosed by a vet as to actually be affected by ulcers. But it has helped an uncharacteristic grumpy attitude.

He may not be getting along with his hay if he's getting impactions. Some horses colic when fed very fine stemmed hay, for instance.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with Chanda about ulcers. Anytime a horse has intermittent colic episodes, that's a red flag for ulcers. Also, it being impaction colics. With ulcers they don't drink because it hurts their tummies, so they just play in it and end up with an impaction. I'm no vet, but I've had my share of ulcer prone horses over the years. I give them Ugaurd pellets in their feed after I've finished the Gastrogard. Good luck with him!

 

[Carolyn R]

I agree ulcers or prone to bouts of gastro enteritis. I also agree about a senior feed, doesn't have to be a senior horse, it is just easy on the stomach. I am a huge fan of soaked hay, soaked alfalfa or alfalfa Timothy cubes, probios and oil. I will hands down choose soaked hay cubes and soaked hay over grain anyday (If I had to choose, which I don't, so they get senior equine). I have had good luck with this and I don't hesitate to give some extra oil and soaked cubes if I see someone's manure is getting a little stiff. Having a horse kept on a small lot may not be ideal, but it is not reason alone for issues. Many stables have the horses stalled much of the time.

Some horses do have under lying issues that cause them to experience colic/impaction issues on a frequent basis, and unfortunately, sometimes when we have exhausted options, possible cures or underlying curable issues, and money, there sometimes comes a time when we have to think with our heads and not our hearts. It is never easy when that happens.

 

[Marty]

I .don't think minis colic anymore than big horses .My first thought was ulcers too. Ulcer attacks can easily be confused with colic. Sometimes I stand around for hours and still have trouble making the call between colic or ulcer. And you don't give banamine with an ulcer so if i call it wrong, I've caused more grief so I try to be careful in my decision. The first thing I notice with an ulcer is depression, not eating food but will continue to graze usually on hay or grass until its over the top painful. Laying down grazing is definitely a sign around here for me. I also think you are on target with the colic due to weather changes. We had a 50 degree weather change yesterday and dang it if I didn't have a mare out there considering colic. But seeing how your horse is doing it so often that would make me throw my hands up and cry. The only thing I can say besides putting him on ulcer meds for a good solid 30-40 days is to add Probios to your program a couple times a week and step up your de-worming program and make sure you are using something to kill the tape worms. Twice a year wouldn't get it for me. Also on your work program are you being too repetitious and doing the same thing day in and day out? that would drive a good horse bonkers. How about changing that up a bit too? I had show horses all my life but they were hardly ever worked in an arena or round pen so to keep it fun and keep them fresh, I'd ride them out on the trail and find a good space and work them in an open field for a few minutes and they didn't have a clue they were being worked I don't think. Last but not least does your horse have a good buddy to play and interact with?

I feel for you. Best wishes.

 

[SampleMM]

I had a Quarter mare that coliced every other month for a couple of years. My nerves were shot! I started her on of ABC (Applied Biological Concepts) probiotic at the first signs of colic and that seemed to help a lot. I've now owned her for over 13 years. She gets the same grain and same type of hay. So, what changed? I guess she had to toughen up. Because instead of calling the vet for the usual oiling and pain killer, I'd give her the ABC PROBIS and walk away. Of course I would periodically check on her but I couldn't let this colicy mare cause a near panic attack every other month. I'm happy to report that she hasn't coliced in over a decade. I do hope you get whatever is wrong with your horse figured out because the stress will kill you! Best of luck and please keep us posted.

 

[Dreamer]

Thank you everyone!!!! You will have I hope make my boy a healthier and hopefully happier horse. Since everyone agreed it was probably ulcers I did some online reading and consulted with my vet again and yeah it is we think ulcers. Since the tube she left me was only for a few days to see if it made a difference, and it did he is eating his grain a bit better now and looks like he feels a bit better, she stopped by yesterday while she was in the area and left me enough to treat him for the 30 days. I am going to be getting either the smartgut or u gard pellets to give him once he comes off the ulcer meds, and I am going to be looking into getting a safe slow hay feeder for him of some sort so his hay lasts longer and he will be getting a gradually increasing 3rd serving of hay before I go to bed to help keep his belly filled more since he doesn't graze 24/7. I try to take excellent care of him and I feel horrible that my ignorance has had him feeling badly and colicing so much.

 

[chandab]

Don't feel bad, many horse owners don't know about ulcers. More horses than we realize have ulcers; I couldn't believe it when we figured out my mare had ulcers, of all things the tractor driving by her paddock set them off, and around here that's every day in winter (gotta feed the cows); she finally settled in to our routine or outgrew it, as she hasn't had an episode in quite some time.

 

[HGFarm]

I lost a mare because she had entroliths... I didnt know. Knew her before from a previous owner and just loved her so when she came up for sale again years later, I bought her. She colicked 3 times in 6 months and the third time was very severe and couldnt save her. A friend also had a horse who, over the years, kept colicing. They ended up doing surgery and removed six very large and hardened balls of what appeared to be grass from his intestines. The vet said they had been in there a long long time. I would really consider having a thorough check up done on your horse by a vet to determine why it is getting colic so much.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

I would look into SmartDigest Ultra, I'm not sure if you would be able to get on the ColiCare program or not for your horse because it does say

• Horses that have had a previous colic and/or abdominal surgery, experienced colic in the past 12 months, or have a history of chronic colic are not eligible

Also I would look into getting SmartGut Ultra as well. All my show horses get the SmartGut supplement since they have the stress of training, traveling, and showing and confined. It's a good thing to do. If they are prone to ulcers like I had one last year she wasn't on a supplement due to just getting her and she was infested with bots she ended up with ulcers she would be on the SmartGut Ultra which is what I would put your guy on. With him having multiple colics the stress of that and I'm sure the stress of pain meds he had ulcers right a long with it.

Here is the list of reasons why they can have ulcers:

• Stress from training or shipping.
• No access to fresh pasture.
• Two or less hay feedings per day.
• Large grain meals.
• Irritability
• Declining performance
• Poor appetite
• Mild/recurrent colic
• Weight loss

 

[Julie/Azariah]

Most DEFINITELY would treat him for Ulcers. I have treated a few horses with 2 wks of ulcerguard or gastroguard 1/4 or 1/5 tube a day for the two weeks... then Progressive Soothing Pink daily.... I have had some horses with various symptoms all respond very positively to this. The smartpak Colic Care program is great too but they will not take a horse for a year after their last colic episode...

 

[ohmt]

Once the ulcers are treated and he feels better, alfalfa is the best feed to help prevent it from reoccurring. As many small feeding as you can do in a day helps (the slow feeder is a great idea!). Also, beet pulp, which is high in fiber and is a great replacement for starches for energy, which in result really helps the hind gut flora flourish (starch that gets the hind gut "kills" the good bacteria inhabiting it, which can result in colic and laminitis). If you do beet pulp and alfalfa both, ask your vet for a phosphorous supplement. I'd also add some aloe vera. Hope he feels better soon!

Eta: after doing a little but of research I found that when a horse is having issues with colic due to ulcers, it is usually hind gut ulcers that are the culprit (I found an article that said anywhere from 50-60% of horses have hind gut ulcers because of all the starches fed to them). Hind gut ulcers need a little bit of a different approach for treatment....Ranitidine and sucralfate.