Do you want to prevent colic in your horse?

In this cold spell, horses and ponies are at high risk of impaction colic. With frozen or chilled water reducing water intake and horse spending longer in their stables, ingested forage moves more slwoly through the gut and becomes dehydrated potentially causing a blockage. Early signs of this prior to colic symptoms may include decreased faecal production and drier than normal droppings.

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!! In most cases, this is a preventable form of colic !!

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Increasing water intake is one of the key ways to avoid this form of colic.

• Provide a water buffet - one bucket of plain water and one with electrolytes or a small splash of apple juice or molasses.
• Soak or dampen hay being fed in stable
• Add additional water to any bucket feed or feed sloppy mashes
• Ensure water (particularly in the field) have the ice broke promptly.
• Add some warm water to water buckets as some horses will not drink ice cold water.

Ensuring horses that are stabled for longer than usual still get out for some exercise, even if that is just hand walking a few times per day if normal turnout or ridden work is not possible. This helps stimulate gut motility.

Treatment of impaction colic involves frequent repeat visits for nasogastric intubation to administer oral fluids to help clear the blockage.

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Prevention is therefore better than cure!