Though colic is often associated with cold weather, warmer weather is no time to ease up on colic-watch vigilance.
In particular, two types of colic are more common in warmer weather, reports EQUUS magazine.
If horses live on fields in an area that experienced rain after a drought, they may be at risk of gas colic. As the grass recovers from the drought, it will produce sugars that can ferment in the horse's digestive tract if he hasn't been turned out on lush grass in a while.
Gas colic can be very painful for the horse as the bubbles work their way through the digestive tract. Diagnosed by rectal palpation, gas colic is often resolved with a dose of buscopan or flunixin meglumine. Time is usually all that is needed to resolve a gas colic, but a large gas bubble can cause intestines to twist, which will cut off blood flow and require surgical intervention.
Gas colic can best be prevented by careful management of grazing time when pastures are growing, either after winter or after a drought.
Another hot weather concern is that a horse may become dehydrated due to copious amounts of sweating or reduced water intake. Combined with dry pasture grass or hay, and the risk of impaction colic rises.
These impactions often occur in the pelvic flexure, which is where the large intestine loops back on itself. A horse with an impaction colic may seem mildly uncomfortable to extremely painful if the blood supply to the intestine has been compromised.
Diagnosed by rectal exam, the horse will often be given pain medication, nasogastric fluids, and possibly intravenous fluids to rehydrate him and soften the blockage, hopefully allowing it to clear on its own. If it does not, the horse may need surgery to remove the mass.
Impaction colic can best be prevented by ensuring horses have plenty of fresh water at all times.
Read more at EQUUS magazine.
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