Preventing Stomach Pain in Horses

Abdominal pain, also known as “colic” in horses, has always been a common and unfavorable issue in horse barns. Severe colic episodes may sometimes cause destructive symptoms and lead to the death of the horse. Usually, colic refers to a digestive illness, but nowadays, the term colic has a broader meaning and can describe any abdominal discomfort experienced by the horse. This can include various disorders in the abdominal area and cause discomfort and pain to the horse.

Abdominal pain in horses can be easily detected as your horse will let you know that something is wrong. The most common signs of colic in horses include depression, the continuous urge to roll on the ground, stomping the ground, and making weird postures. These signs are the horse’s way to relieve the pain. You may also notice that your horse has the urge to defecate but is unable to, and you may see that they turn their head to their abdominal area where the pain is present. In severe cases of abdominal pain, the horse can dangerously injure itself by excessive rolling on the ground. They may bump into some objects, causing some wounds and other injuries.

The causes and types of colic are vast in horses, several internal and external factors can cause this pain, and these include:

Gas colic: The simplest and most common forms of colic in horses are basically due to the accumulation of gases in the horse’s intestines. This gas can cause abdominal discomfort and pain, but it can be easily dealt with and eliminated by some practices as it is not an extreme issue.

Impaction colic: Also known as obstruction colic, a common type of abdominal pain. This obstruction can occur due to the buildup of feed material in the intestine, leading to the complete blockage of the digestive pathway. This can cause severe pain and could be due to adding new material to the horse’s diet. This one can also be caused by an accumulation of foreign substances such as sand, which also leads to the intestine’s blockage.

Spasmodic colic: It is an abdominal pain caused by the excessive contraction of the bowel. It occurs due to overactivity in the intestinal tract causing painful and irritating spasms. The exact cause of this excessive movement of the bowel is still unknown, but it can be easily treated by simple medication administration.

Enteritis colic: This type is a little more severe than the others. Enteritis refers to the inflammation of the intestines, which various factors can cause. These include parasitic infestation, bacterial infection, and more. This should then be treated differently from the other types of colic as it will need a more specific and prolonged treatment.

Displacement-Strangulation colic: These two types are the most severe and dangerous types of abdominal pain that you can encounter in your barn. These basically include the displacement of the intestines and their changing of position, which can lead to the loss of blood supply to the intestines (strangulation).

These often require surgical interference where the veterinarian aims to restore the original position of the intestine. This type of colic is able to kill the horse if not immediately identified and treated.

The treatment of colic cases depends on the type and severity of the colic. But there are certain critical practices that you should follow in your barn when you encounter a colic case which you can use while the veterinarian gets to you. As mentioned before, colic can cause horses to lie on the ground and roll themselves, this is not exactly a harmful behavior, but it can lead to severe injuries. So the first thing you need to do is to take your horse out of their box and place them in the field. Secondly, the most important thing is to remove any food from your horse’s reach as it can make their situation more difficult. Another practice you can perform is to walk your horse for a certain period of time to enhance intestinal movement and distract them from the pain. This practice is very beneficial for cases of gas and impaction colic. The horse’s walking will facilitate the passage of rough foods and make defecation easier. Once you see that the horse let out some gas or feces after a walk, you will know that they have some relief. These three simple practices can be done in your barn by yourself while the veterinarian reaches your location. And even though these can be very beneficial in some cases of colic, you immediately need to contact your veterinarian as the situation can be more serious than you anticipate.

There are certain procedures you can follow to decrease the risk of colic in your barn. These include having a continuous and immediate water supply to the horses. Additionally, follow up with your veterinarian’s preventative medication for internal parasites, which can be a very common cause of colic in your horses. Moreover, if you want to introduce a new diet to your horses, you should gradually add the new feed into the old feed in order to aid the digestive system with getting used to this new type of food. To prevent colic episodes, you can also increase the forage qualities in your horse’s feed. Generally, allow your horse’s food to be proportional, nutritional, and containing several nutrients, and make sure that the food never has a tainted or moldy appearance. Lastly, to help improve your horse’s health, try to reduce the horse’s amount of stress and discomfort.

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