Once the veterinarian arrives at your house, he or she will check the horse's vital signs--heart rate, intestinal motility, eyes, nose and mouth, temperature and droppings. An elevated heart rate and irregular sounds in the intestines (e.g. the left side has gurgling, but the right side has no sound), and if the horse exhibits any signs and symptoms of colic as described in my earlier post, the vet may suspect equine colic. Among the various treatments, a vet may do one or more of the following things to alleviate colic in horses:
1. Using a long, lubricated plastic glove, the vet may perform a rectal probe, if possible, to remove impacted feces, and to feel for solid lumps, lesions or obstructions that may be causing your horse distress or colic. Oddly, many sick horses don't seem to mind the rectal exam, which often acts as an enema. If the feces appear surrounded in mucous, it might mean that the blockage has been building up for a while. If the horse has a temperature, it may suggest irritation, or perforation of the intestinal wall, in which case, many vets will start the horse on a course of antibiotics. (horse colic remedy)
2. The vet may inject the horse with a pain relieving prescription drug like Banamine, that is used to help a horse with equine colic to feel better. Veterinarians are careful about using this drug, because it may hide the symptoms of colic--that is, the horse feels better, but still has colic, and needs time to recover before going back to its ordinary work and feed schedule. (treatment for pain in colicky horses--equine colic)
3. Veterinarians sometimes decide to tube drench the horse with mineral oil. Using a long plastic tube, the vet inserts one end down the horse's nose, into it's stomach. Then about a gallon of mineral oil is pumped into the animal's stomach. Eventually, the oil works its way through the intestine and hopefully pushes the blocked mass out. Some people insert a tube rectally and pump mineral oil that way. However, many veterinarians eschew this practice, because the blockage needs to be pushed out of the intestine from the other direction, which makes sense, if you think about it. (horse colic reduction)
4. The veterinarian may advise that you feed your horse wet grass if possible, or hay that has been soaked in water for a while, if nothing better is available. Grass has a laxative effect. Most likely, grain and dry hay will be withheld. Salt and plenty of water will be strongly encouraged.
1. Using a long, lubricated plastic glove, the vet may perform a rectal probe, if possible, to remove impacted feces, and to feel for solid lumps, lesions or obstructions that may be causing your horse distress or colic. Oddly, many sick horses don't seem to mind the rectal exam, which often acts as an enema. If the feces appear surrounded in mucous, it might mean that the blockage has been building up for a while. If the horse has a temperature, it may suggest irritation, or perforation of the intestinal wall, in which case, many vets will start the horse on a course of antibiotics. (horse colic remedy)
2. The vet may inject the horse with a pain relieving prescription drug like Banamine, that is used to help a horse with equine colic to feel better. Veterinarians are careful about using this drug, because it may hide the symptoms of colic--that is, the horse feels better, but still has colic, and needs time to recover before going back to its ordinary work and feed schedule. (treatment for pain in colicky horses--equine colic)
3. Veterinarians sometimes decide to tube drench the horse with mineral oil. Using a long plastic tube, the vet inserts one end down the horse's nose, into it's stomach. Then about a gallon of mineral oil is pumped into the animal's stomach. Eventually, the oil works its way through the intestine and hopefully pushes the blocked mass out. Some people insert a tube rectally and pump mineral oil that way. However, many veterinarians eschew this practice, because the blockage needs to be pushed out of the intestine from the other direction, which makes sense, if you think about it. (horse colic reduction)
4. The veterinarian may advise that you feed your horse wet grass if possible, or hay that has been soaked in water for a while, if nothing better is available. Grass has a laxative effect. Most likely, grain and dry hay will be withheld. Salt and plenty of water will be strongly encouraged.
5. The vet may advise you to walk the horse every hour or so to get the bowels moving. Sometimes a ride in a horse trailer helps. Don't over exert or over stress the horse.
Hopefully, one or more of these measures will correct the condition. If the colic is not correctible by any of these measures, your vet will probably have to move to more aggressive treatments.
Hopefully, one or more of these measures will correct the condition. If the colic is not correctible by any of these measures, your vet will probably have to move to more aggressive treatments.
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