Horse Down

It was time for nightly feeding and all seemed well.  All the horses were eager for their food and dove into their hay as if it had been a week since the last feeding.  After eating my own dinner I returned to turn horses out when the dreaded signs of colic showed in my older gelding.  While all others were busy looking for the final pieces of hay, he was lying down with his nose on the ground.  Trying not to panic I begin the process of evaluation of his condition and much to my dismay all signs pointed to gas colic.  I tried in vain to contact the vet as I watched my horse writhe in pain every time his bowels moved.  I went to the house and collected the shot of pain killers my vet had left me too long ago for me to remember how and how much to administer.  Like a fool, I failed to write down the directions and leave them with the shot.  So there I stood with help in my hand, horse on the ground, and no one to tell me how to help him.

This is an all too common event, where we are left unprepared for an emergency situation that could cost a life.  Now while it is true that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, sometimes we need a cure even with the best prevention.  This is the season for colic of which a lot of cases could be avoided with simple steps of prevention.  Especially in the dry arid regions, water consumption is vital to the horse’s well being.

I am no stranger to colic and every time it has hit, there has been some preventative measures that had been overlooked.  When young I was traveling across country and my horse had hay impaction on the road, I did not know the importance of monitoring water consumption on the road, even in winter.  Later I learned about the dangers of sand at my new home when a horse of mine had to have surgery for a sand impaction.  The next case was fatal when I lost a horse to a twisted gut.  I was unaware of the danger and ease of dehydration in my new desert home.  And when the pain killers the vet gave did not help her I did not listen to the small voice that told me to haul the horse straight to the equine hospital.  And most recently, the story of my gelding that I shared earlier.  I now understand how difficult the heat can be for an older horse and how much more susceptible they get with age.  Each case could have been prevented with a better understanding of my horses’ delicate digestive system and the need to maintain the guts health and proper hydration.

Now that I have said that, there are those cases of colic that seem to come from nowhere.  One morning while warming up my horse he started moving funny and then acting like he would lie down.  Within five minutes he was in so much pain it was all he could do to stay on his feet.  Thankfully, I had a friend riding with me who was able to administer a shot of pain killer and it was enough to allow my horse to stay on his feet.  Having learned from previous cases, I then hooked up my trailer and took him straight to the equine hospital.  Once there he recovered completely and did not need any surgery.

Let’s focus on some preventative measures we can all take to help our horse’s transition from fall to winter and spring to summer.  These tend to be the seasons of colic as the temperatures fluctuate, but the horse may not change his drinking habits to compensate for his water loss.  The simple remedy is to be sure your horse has free choice of clean water and salt of some kind.  For horses that will not lick a salt lick and those who eat salt like candy, you may need to put electrolytes in their water or grain (following manufacturers directions) or put a small amount of loose salt in their feed (ask your vet for the correct amount for your horse).  DO NOT give your horse common table salt that contains iodine.  Be sure to start giving your horse salt before the season changes as it can take up to a week for it to make changes in their hydration.

Make a habit of checking your horse’s hydration before work outs.  Pinch the skin where the neck and shoulder come together.  The skin should snap back into place when released.  If it is tacky and is slow to return to normal, your horse is dehydrated.   This test is especially helpful if there are unseasonably warm days in the winter in which the horse may not be drinking enough water.  If the horse is showing signs of dehydration, you may want to consider not working the horse and placing electrolytes in his feed or administering paste electrolytes.  If the horse is already dehydrated and not accustom to the electrolytes in his water, it may discourage him from drinking and therefore making a bad situation worse. 

The danger is that just like people, the horse’s intestine needs moisture to function properly.  The horse’s digestive system is designed to process live material that contains moisture and therefore the body does not use as much water to digest its food.  We feed the horse mainly dry matter that requires more moisture to digest.  If the horse becomes dehydrated the body takes moisture from the gut which slows digestion and in severe cases stops it as the dry material can no longer pass.  In essence the horse becomes constipated. So working an already dehydrated horse is a fine recipe for disaster.

There is also gas colic that can be brought on by changing food too quickly, over eating, worms, eating poisonous plants or feed, an upsetting situation for the horse or ulcers.  Again, if the horse is allowed to roll, the chances for a twisted intestine are present as the pain the horse incurs causes the digestive system to shut down and can cause an impaction as well.  Although this type of colic may be triggered by things we don’t understand, there are some actions we can take to minimize the chances.

Changing feeds is one of the easiest ways to upset your horse’s gut.  The horse’s gut is full of bacteria that help break down food.  However, not all bacteria live on the same food.  So when you change food the present bacteria will die and it takes time for bacteria to grow that will digest the new food.   It is especially dangerous when you change to a higher protein diet.  If you change ‘cold turkey’ the gas from the dying bacteria and the body’s inability to digest the new food is the prime stage for gas colic, founder, and laminitis.  The same is true from over eating of grains, high protein feed, or moldy feed. 

While feeds are easier to control, you may not know your horse has ulcers until he becomes sick.  If your horse has constant bouts of diarrhea, mild colic, or seems anxious in strange situations you may want to have your horse checked for ulcers.  What may appear to be ulcers may be your horse’s inability to digest its current feeds.  Some horses do not do well on alfalfa, soy, or high protein diets.  If your horse has repeated health issues, it would be best to have a vet diagnose the problem.

Other things to help keep your horse out of the hospital are maintaining a de-worming program, proper teeth care, and if you live in a sandy area or your horse has access to sand, a program that removes sand from the horse’s intestine.  All three of these items, if not maintained, increase the chances of impaction in the horse.   A horse with an obstruction caused by a build up of worms, improperly chewed hay, or sand can easily become a fatal form of colic if the horse should be allowed to roll causing the blockage to flip over and twist.  A dehydrated horse can suffer the same ends when a blockage of overly dry matter causes a blockage.

Another thing to understand is the horse is designed to eat small amounts all day.  Although many of us cannot simulate that we can spread the horse’s feedings out over the day with a minimum of two feedings.  It is also important to spread out grain feedings of over a pound to more than one feeding as well.  The digestive system that is bombarded can not fully digest the feed as it will be too much too quick for it to process correctly.

Before disaster hits, have a plan.  If you do not have a trailer, have one lined up either a friend or professional you can call in an emergency.  Talk to your vet and find what they recommend you keep on stock in an emergency kit.  Keep instructions, phone numbers, and other important information with the kit.  Be sure your horse loads as an emergency is not the time to train.  And know where you will be going if needed.

So, what do you do if your horse becomes ‘colicy?’  Take your horse’s vitals.  Know what is normal for your horse for a comparison as rapid breathing and rapid pulse will mean something different from a high temperature and slow pulse and slow breathing.  If the horse is lying quiet, let him be.  If the horse is trying to roll keep him on his feet and if necessary walking.  An already tired horse will not do well being forced to walk until it is exhausted.  If the horse must be walked, let it take breaks in a cool area as long as it will be quiet.  A colicy horse may look back at its sides when there is pain or kick at the belly, so be careful.

Check the pulse, respiration, heart rate and temperature.  Listen for gut sounds to appear every 3-4 seconds at the flank both high and low, both sides.  Pinging sounds indicate gas, no sound indicates an obstruction.  Check the mucus membrane at the gums.  Are they dry, sticky, normal?  Are they white, pink, or reddish brown?  Check capillary refill by pressing the gums just above the tooth.  How long does it take for the gums to go from white to pink again?  Take note of all these items and call the vet.  If the horse is in so much pain you cannot check vitals, call the vet or if possible, load the horse and take them to a hospital.  Time is of the essence when dealing with a twisted gut as the longer it goes untreated the more gut that dies from lack of circulation and chances of survival decreases.  And there is no way to see into the horse to diagnose it until it may be too late.  If your vet can get there soon enough he may be able to palpate and feel it, but if there is one he will tell you to take it in as the only remedy is surgery.

There are even more ways to insure a healthy happy digestive system for your horse.  These are just guidelines and you should contact your vet for more help on this subject.  What you need to do is know your horse, know your climate and how to care for your horses needs in that climate, and know your vet and vet hospitals.  There is a lot more to keeping a horse than throwing some hay, filling a water bucket and going for a ride.  Please learn as much as you can about the health and needs of your partner and friend.  A lot of frustration can be avoided with proper horse husbandry.

Back to my last incident, after what seems like hours I finally reached a vet that could help me make my horse comfortable.  Although the vet was able to help over the phone, I was still left to wait and see if I would need to trailer him to the hospital, an option I had because I have a trailer.  I also had the help of a friend who had special equipment to help my horse to recover quicker and without a trip to the hospital.   It is my hope that you may gain some knowledge from my experiences and not have to make life changing decisions that could be avoided with proper care and awareness.