Colic can strike fear into any horse owner, so it is not surprising that there is a lot of information and advice around on what to do if your horse has colic, or even how you know if they are suffering from colic in the first place. When we are worried, we look for as much information and advice as possible, but it is very important that this advice is correct!
Myth #1: A horse doesn’t have a serious colic if it is passing manure.
Unfortunately, this is false. A horse’s whole gastro-intestinal system is very long (about 30 metres) and if the problem causing the colic signs is in a different area of the intestines, then there will still be manure present and able to be passed. It is, however, always important to monitor whether a horse or pony is passing manure in a case of colic, and let your vet know.
Myth #2: A horse must be rolling to have colic.
This is also false. There are very many signs of colic, and rolling is only one of them. Early or subtle signs are being lethargic, not eating, turning to look at their belly, doing Flehmens response (where they curl their upper lip up); even frequent yawning can be a sign. Then pawing at the ground, kicking at their belly, frequent stretching out as if to urinate and restlessness. Some horses will throw themselves onto the ground and roll with even a mild colic, and some will not do this until they are in a great deal of pain. It is good to regularly watch your horse or pony so you know their normal behaviour, which will help you pick up early on any changes which may indicate a problem.
Myth #3: Repeated standing stretched out, posturing to pee, is a sure sign of a blockage in the urinary tract, not colic
Hopefully you worked out this is false, as it was mentioned above as a sign of colic. Certainly, it can be a sign of a blockage in the urinary tract, but this is much less common than colic. Vets often see this stretching out as if to pee as a sign of colic; it is likely that the stretching out relieves some pressure or pain in the intestines or stomach.
Myth #4: Giving your horse a bottle of beer can cure colic
Who knows the origins of this myth, which by the way is false! Vets sometimes hear of cases where a horse with colic was given a bottle of beer, and it recovered, and you may have heard this too. However, it’s important to note that correlation doesn’t mean causation, and some colic cases recover on their own without treatment; it’s likely that in the ‘beer bottle’ cases that the colic resolved on its own, and as this happened after a bottle of beer was given, the recovery was credited to it. By far the majority of horses with colic (up to 95%) don’t need surgery, but will be treated with medication including pain-relief and anti-inflammatory dugs (among other treatments). This is because pain from the intestines actually causes the movement of the intestine to slow down, which makes the problem worse. Removing the pain helps get the intestines back to normal function (as long as there isn’t a more serious problem).
There is one particular type of colic, gastric impaction, that fizzy soda is sometimes used as part of the treatment. Here the stomach is tightly full of food, causing pain and stopping normal movement and emptying. This is an unusual cause of colic; the fizzy soda is thought to help break down the tightly-packed food in the stomach and is sometimes used alongside other treatments. It may be that the idea of a bottle of beer for a colic came from this treatment. In any case, what is really important to remember is that early veterinary treatment for colic is critical. There are lots of causes of colic, and the right treatment needs to be given as quickly as possible to give the best chance of a successful outcome.
Myth #5: You must never let a horse roll when it has colic, or it will get a twisted gut.
This used to be thought to be true, but has been shown more recently to be false. The rolling does not cause a twisted gut. (It is usually the other way around; a twisted gut is very painful and can cause horses and ponies to roll violently). It is usually still recommended that we try and prevent a horse with colic from rolling (if it is safe to do so) but this is only to prevent them from injuring themselves. If a horse insists on rolling and it is not possible to safely prevent it, then the best thing to do while waiting for your vet is to make the surrounding area as safe as possible.
Myth #6: You must keep walking a horse or pony with colic.
This has some basis in fact, but it is not a totally true statement. Walking can encourage movement of the intestines, so can help the horse pass gas or manure in certain cases but 1. we don’t want to be walking an already sick horse until it is exhausted; and 2. it will only help in some cases.
Your veterinarian will be able to advise you if walking may help your horse, or at least do no harm. Some horses just want to lie down and rest, which we can understand if we think what it is like for us with stomachache.
Myth #7: Horses cannot vomit
This is not a myth, it is true. Horses have a tight valve at the entrance to the stomach preventing vomiting. This can cause serious problems if the stomach becomes full of fluid due to a blockage further down, as the fluid has nowhere to go. Veterinarians check for excess fluid in the stomach in cases of colic by passing a stomach tube and attempting to syphon off fluid. If the fluid is allowed to build up, the stomach can eventually rupture, and euthanasia will be required.
- This article was first published in the November 2019 issue of NZ Horse & Pony
