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  • From: Karen Nesbitt <spanishequines@yahoo.com>
  • To: MSAR <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [MSAR] Colic Prevention and good management.
  • Date: Mon, 7 Jun 2010 05:51:56 -0700 (PDT)

Good little article on preventing colic.  Simple ideas.  Some things the article does not touch on is types of feed that can cause colic.  Many horses are prone to colic on pelleted or processed feed.  Some of these feeds literally gunk up the guts of the horse causing grains to get caught in the diverticuli of the gut and they will actually act like a pearl in the gut growing like a stone and causing blockages.  Seems to, today with many of the processed feeds available, colic is not the only issue.  We hear more and more about cushings, founder, diabetes and other diet related problems.  And age can get to be a factor too when the elderly animals cannot consume what they used to and  the diets have to be adjusted to maintain weight.
 
Feeding poor quality hay or bad pasturing is never a good idea.  While some hay can be lessor in nutritional value and be ok to feed, hay that is moldy, spoiled or fed in deplorable conditions where the horses can consume their own filth too can cause problems.  Too rich a pasture can cause the runs and too poor can cause improper nutritional balances and both of which can also lead to colic.
 
In adeaquate worming and feeding horses or keeping them in filth is just another trouble maker for a horse.  Horses that are bored will eat dirt, manure, fencing, fight with each other, have other stresses that can give way to colic.  Eating disorders suce as manure consumption, cribbing or simply having too many horses in a fed lot always competing for feed is another problem and stall bound horses can have stress issues too that can give rise to colic from not enough exersize.
 
Not having ample water supplies, or eating too much can also cause colic and colic prone horses can be a poor managers nightmare.  One can never have too much water available when it comes to taking care of a horse properly.  Much of heat and winter stress can be eliminated by providing ample access to water. 
 
Much of colic can be preventable.  Dont feed grain in away the horses can ingest sand.  Feeding in a pan or where horses have to compete for feed with each other especially is not a good idea as the animals will spill feed and then the animals will consume the grain in the sand and eat the sand as well.  Buckets hung at a proper level or using a feed bg will prevent spillage and lesson the risk of the animals eating sand.  Feeding hay off the ground too can go a long way to prevent horses from eating dirt or their manure.  Lessens the waste and makes use of feed more economical as well.
 
Why anyone would want to continually feed horses in their own filth or  swill or in deplorable conditions is beyond me, but some people do and then they wonder why they have issues with health, stench, flies or irrate neighbors.  Keeping your barns and arenas, and pastures clean only serves to optimize the health of your horse and its better condition.  It goes a long way when you can prevent odors, pests and problems when you are trying to promote horse activities as well.
 
Keeping your manure managed away from your barn and properly turned and dispensed goes a long way to good management and helps reduce flies and other health pests reducing risk of things like West Nile, Potomac, and other biting insect problems. 
 
Stressing horses on a ride and when you are away from home and not having a consistant water supply or diet can lead to cloic as well.  Availability of water 24/7/365 cannot be stressed enough to avoid compaction and dehydration.
 
But it all boils down to good management.  Good management can eliminate a lot of miladies.  Horses are not machines, they require constant care.  Colic is one thng that really does not have to happen.
 
To view this short article online go here: http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news5225.html
       
Minimizing the Risk of Colic

Author: Ashley Mitek
<b>An archive of Pet Columns from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine is available online at www.vetmed.illinois.edu/petcolumns/.  Requests for reprints of this article may be directed to Mandy Barth, mandyb@illinois.edu.</b>


        Karen

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  • [MSAR] Colic Prevention and good management., Karen Nesbitt, 06/07/2010

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