My horse is colicking, what should I do?

There are many different types of abdominal pain. As an owner, it may be difficult to tell the severity.  

Some important signs of colic are inappetence, pawing, flank watching (looking back at the stomach area), laying down, or rolling. Some horses may stretch out and geldings or stallions may repeatedly try to urinate. This is an effort to relieve abdominal pressure.  

If you notice these signs, what should you do? 

1. Take your horse’s heart rate or pulse rate. This can be done with a stethoscope placed on the chest just behind the point of the left elbow. You can also feel a pulse along the inside of the jaw line. The facial artery will feel like a thick spaghetti noodle and will pulse against the finger tips. Count over 30 seconds and multiply by two to get the beats per minute. Most normal horses will have a heart rate < 42 beats per minute.  

2. Take your horse’s rectal temperature. It important to keep a digital thermometer at the barn. A normal rectal temperature is <101.5 F.  

3. Listen for gastrointestinal sounds (GI). This can be done in the flank region, upper and lower. The upper portion is front of the hip bones (tuber coxae). The lower is just above where the abdomen starts the round. You should hear about 1-3 gurgles per minute. If there is silence or hardly any sounds, that is abnormal. 

4. Take a note of how many piles of manure your horse has passed in the last 12-24 hours, if they have eaten breakfast or dinner, and approximately how much was they have consumed in the last 12-24 hours (liters or gallons).  

5. Call your veterinarian. Give them all of the above information from above and follow their recommendations.  

What if you can't get a hold of your veterinarian? 

• Try calling other vets in the area 

• Walk your horse, but for no more than an hour. You don't want them to be exhausted, but movement can help gastrointestinal motility.  

• If your veterinarian can't get there for a few hours, they may recommend administering Banamine (Flunixin meglumine). Make sure the dose is appropriate for your horses’ weight! The injectable version can ONLY be given intravenously or orally (NEVER in the muscle). The paste can be given orally and has notches based on weight.   

• DO NOT feed your horse. Many people think it's a good sign that horses are eating, but it can make an impaction or strangulating lesion worse.  

• Provide them with water. Give them a fresh water bucket and maybe a flavored water bucket to help with dehydration. Most of them won’t drink, but it's worth trying. NEVER put a hose/tube in your horse’s mouth or nose to give water as the risk for aspiration and pneumonia are high. It is not the same as in cattle.  

• If you horse’s condition persists or worsens (laying down, rolling, can't keep them standing) and an ambulatory vet is unavailable, hook up your trailer or call a hauler and get them to a referral hospital. It’s better to get it dealt with early than to risk a life-threatening cause of colic. Some causes of colic require surgery and early surgical intervention improves the prognosis. Even if you can't afford surgery, intensive medical management may be an option and your horse will get care faster.  

Hopefully you will never be in a situation that requires the above tips, but its best to be prepared.  

Check out our natural veterinarian designed herbal supplements to keep your horse healthy and happy! Equi-cola is helpful to maintain hydration and Equi-Gut+ promotes a healthy digestive tract.  

Wishing the best for you and your horse!