A diagnosis of equine colic is a situation that worrries any horse lover. But what is equine colic? What signs should you keep an eye out for?

Colic refers to pain which stems from the abdomen. Generally horses do not hide pain of the abdomen well. So if there is any disturbance of gut functioning they will usually show signs of distress.

Visible signs of mild discomfort could be stretching, a stance as if to urinate, and pawing the ground. If the pain is greater the horse will get up and down, and roll to try to become more comfortable.

It will likely start sweating. In more severe cases it will get up and down and continuously roll.

What Can You Do?
Should you believe your horse is suffering from colic, you should call an experienced equine vet immediately. The vet will be able to provide rapid pain relief and decide whether additional treatment is appropriate.

Is there anything you can do while waiting for the vet? Leading your horse for a walk can help. It can sometimes encourage his guts to work ina normal manner and help soothe any pain. It could also stop the horse lying down to roll. If however he is already lying on the floor peacefully then let him stay there.

It used to be thought that a horse could cause a twisted gut by rolling around. That has been proven to be probably not true. However it is best to restrict him rolling around if you can. This way you will stop your horse causing injury himself by knocking himself on the stable walls. Of course take care that you don’t hurt yourself. Horses often lose all their normal manners when they are in pain.

There are many different reasons for horses to get colic. Often the signs look the same regardless of what caused it.

What will the vet do to look into the issue? He or she will have a listen to the abdomen with a stethoscope which will show them if there is more or less activity in the intestines than there should be.

Monitoring the heart rate helps give a good idea of the severity of the discomfort and the seriousness of the colic. Usually a horse with a regular heart beat doen’t have a sever case. However higher heart rates are not such a promising sign.

A very useful area of the examination will be the rectal examination. By feeling the intestines, vets could be able to identify the cause of the problem. Without doubt this is a very complicated procedure, that could be hazardous for both the vet and the horse. But for an experienced equine vet the knowledge it gives is incredibly useful in concluding the nature of the issue. It may reveal a blockage, or a swollen area of gut as a result of a twist or another intestinal issue.

It’s likely that in all but the most straightforward scenarios vets may inset a tube through the horses’ nose an into the stomach. It sounds uncomfortable but often may make your horse more comfortable by lowering the built up pressure from the stomach. This process can also give the vet detailed information as to whether the stomach is emptying correctly.

On occasion a horse might be so much pain that it is impossible for the vet to diagnose properly without first giving a quantity of pain killer.

Only by considering all of the information provided by a careful examination is the vet able to make a tentative diagnosis. Though it might not be possible to diagnose exactly what is going on.

Occasionally, after the first inspection, your horse requires surgery. But more usually the vet will choose to treat the horse with a fast-acting painkiller and monitor his condition after a few hours. Most examples display a quick improvement. Although some will show no response to the treatment, or they might respond at first, then start displaying signs of discomfort again later on.

Rather than having to call the vet out several times, it is usually better to move these cases to a specialist practice where they can be monitored closely and operations can be performed if appropriate.

Conclusion
Fortunately most colic cases respond well to medical intervention. Although if surgery is necessary – it is important to operate as soon as possible. The likelyhood of a successful outcome is far greater if the surgery is carried out before too much damage has taken place.

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