How to recognize and treat Colic.

In this article I will explain how to recognize and treat Colic.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Banamine
• Long Lunge Line
• Tool to move a horse forward (lunge whip).
• Lead Rope
• Halter
• Bran Mash
• Oil
• Soft Feed
• Horse Trailer
• Round Pen is helpful, but you don't have to have one.

1. 
   http://www.centenarycollege.edu/cms/fileadmin/user_upload/prospective_students/ugrad/colic.jpg

   Any abnormal behavior for your horse could be a sign of Colic which can be fatal.
   Things to look for include (but are not limited to) aversion to feed, nipping/kicking at belly, thrashing, lying down frequently, etc.

2. First, if the horse is lying down, use a halter and lead rope to get him up immediately. Once he is standing, check for gut noises. Put your ear up to the horses belly, and listen for sounds. Deep rumbles that are frequent is a good sign. If the rumbles are infrequent, that is Not a good sign. If there are no sounds at all, it could be an emergency situation.

3. Depending on the severity, give the horse Banamine (muscle relaxer). I would recommend giving Banamine in the event the gut noises are infrequent or not at all.
   Now, you need to keep the horse moving to help promote a bowel movement. Walk the horse approximately 20 minutes. If a bowel movement does not occur, lunge the horse 20 minutes, and then walk the horse 20 minutes. Do this exercise for about 1 hour.

4. If there has still been no bowel movement, load the horse into a horse trailer. Drive for 15 minutes, then check for a bowel movement. Do this for about 1 hour.
   If there is no improvement after trailering, contact your Veterinarian Immediately.

5. If the horse Does have a bowel movement, that is a Very good sign. At that point I recommend changing the horses feed to a soft feed, adding oil, bran mash, and warm water. Also, keep an eye on your horse for the next few days to insure he/she is no longer showing signs of colic.

Tips & Warnings

• Possible reason for colic include (but Again, are not limited to): Change in Feed, Dirty Water Consumption (Check for Growth on the Walls of Water Tanks), etc.
• To help prevent Colic I recommend a regular diet, high forage and fresh water.
• Make sure if you use a bran mash, it is completely SOAKED with water to prevent further colic problems. The mixture needs to be almost like cereal with too much milk =)

[texasag]

on 3/17/2009 Good article, except that I would definitely call your vet BEFORE you give your horse any medication, including Banamine.