Our beautiful appendix gelding (pictured below), “Docs Helio Gold” (nickname “Helio”), had a terrible bout with colic recently.
Over the weekend, we decided to buy a roll of coastal hay
instead of a square bale. I was talking to my farrier several weeks earlier
about buying a round and wanted to know if doing this would cause my horse to
colic. He said this normally doesn’t happen, but be careful and watch your
horse. During the third morning after he was eating on the round hay, my
husband was leaving for work around 7:00 a.m. and yelled out “Helio is down on
the ground!” “OMG, He’s colicking!”, I yelled back. I pulled on my boots and ran
outside in my PJ’s and sure enough he was laid out in our field. He got up when
we called, but went right down again. I grabbed the halter and lead and ran out
to him and put the halter/lead on him and made him get up. Helio has colicked
in the past and I’m very familiar with what his reactions are when he gets colic.
Anytime a horse gets colic and is laying down, you must get them up off the
ground and walk them. Walking them can help to relieve anxiety and it can
prevent intestinal twisting, which can occur when they roll. A twisted
intestine will require immediate medical attention and surgery! Make them walk
nonstop—for as long as it takes. (This could be hours.) If after 30 minutes the
symptoms seem to be getting more severe, call your vet! In this case of colic,
Helio ate too much hay and he had an impaction in his digestive tract. And he was
in pain from gas that built up. Walking them also helps to move the impaction
down—hopefully so they can poop. Also, listen to their belly for any sounds--
if you hear sounds of gas or gurgling, this is good news. This means they are
digesting the food. While my husband was walking him, I looked out in the field
for fresh poop. I did see some, but it was very dry and full of hay. Not good!
I ran in the house and grabbed my therapeutic grade peppermint essential
oil and applied 10-15 drops in his bottom lip. This helps calm the belly and
the digestive tract. The next important thing is to get fluids in the horse-- this
includes water and oil. I also gave him 1 tablet of Phenylbutazone (Bute) for
pain during this episode that was purchased from my vet a while back.
This is our recipe created for horses with mild colic:
First Line of Defense: 10-15 drops of Therapeutic Grade Peppermint essential oil in bottom lip. (Our choice--Young Living essential oils)
Given Orally or Rectally:
15 drops of Therapeutic
Grade Peppermint essential oil (Our choice--Young Living essential oils)½ cup Rice bran oil or Vegetable oil
4 cups warm water
Turkey baster, or needleless large syringe
Stir all ingredients in a bowl.
Oil and water don’t mix, so make sure you shake this solution
vigorously before drawing it up in your syringe.
Give every 15 minutes using a turkey baster or a large
needleless syringe. Make sure you walk your horse between each dose. Your horse
should become gassy and start passing gas. This is good!
Helio would not take this solution orally. You will find
most horses won’t. Horses will hold this solution in their mouth and won’t
swallow or they will spit it out. We had to give his dosage rectally. Also, if
your horse can walk over to his water trough try to get him to drink. Helio
wouldn’t drink, but he dipped his muzzle in the water and splashed his head
around in it. We feel he does this because it feels good, just like humans
wanting a cold wash cloth on their head when they feel ill. Caution: If your horse is “hot”
from vigorous exercise, do not offer water—this could lead to other serious
problems, such as laminitis. We continued walking him and giving him this
solution until he started passing gas. Yeah! This is good news… After a while
he wanted to stop walking and he took a rest-- he actually sighed while
standing. He continued to pass gas while he was resting and after his 20 minute
standing nap he started nibbling on grass. What a relief! The horrific episode
was over! I continued to watch him the rest of the day and noticed he pooped
again. He was still passing gas hours after this episode—those sounds are music
to ours ears. (Not in all cases…)
When a horse gets colic, it’s a very stressful situation on
the horse and the owner. There are
many types and causes of colic. Parasites,
deworming medicines, sand, lack of water, moldy silage, too much feed, or a change
in diet, are some of the possible causes of colic. We knew in this situation
that a change in Helio’s eating habits and his feed contributed to the
colic. Make sure if in doubt, always
call your veterinarian.
This information given is only for educational purposes and only
represents a guideline for the (reader) or purchaser. The author will assume no
liability for any loss or damage of any nature. If you have any doubt about your
horse’s behavior, by all means contact a professional.
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