Colic is a complex of diseases of varying severity, manifested in the abdominal area, caused by various factors. In horses, the pathological process is often observed, usually mild in nature, manifested by short-term flatulence, but there are also serious cases that threaten the death of the animal. To combat colic in horses, veterinarians use medications and surgical treatments.
Why does colic occur in horses?
Colic is one of the most common equine pathologies. Painful stretching of the walls of the digestive tract is provoked by many factors.
Intussusception
The term refers to the introduction of a certain section of the intestinal tract into the neighboring one. The length of the abnormal area ranges from 5 cm to 1 m. Provocateurs of the pathology include spoiled food, cold water, inflammatory and spastic processes, and flatulence.
A common cause of the pathological condition is parasitic infection of the horse’s intestinal tract. Various pathogenic microorganisms cause colic:
- the helminth Anoplocephala perfoliate (anoplocephalidosis) is the most common pathogen;
- nematode Parascaris equorum (parascariasis) – the cause of blockage of the small and ileal intestines;
- larvae of gadflies of the genus Gastrophilus (gastrofilosis) – provocateurs of inflammation of the gastric walls;
- nematode of the Strongylidae family (strongyloidiasis) - disrupts blood circulation in the intestines, resulting in inflammatory reactions, degenerative changes and damage to the walls of the organ.
Sand colic
In horses they are rare, but are chronic. Such colic occurs in animals that love to eat soil. Painful sensations occur when a horse swallows large amounts of sand. An effective remedy in this case is liquid paraffin, which acts as a cleanser in the intestines.
Volvulus
Colic associated with volvulus occurs due to parasitic infection, sudden hypothermia, physical overexertion of the animal, or poor diet.
Sometimes the causes of the pathology are sudden movements of the body, falls, tumor formations and other factors due to which the pressure in the horse’s abdominal cavity changes.
Thromboembolic colic
The main provocateur of pathology is strongylid nematodes. They capture large mesenteric vessels, provoking the formation of blood clots in them. Less commonly, such colic occurs as a result of physical overexertion, for example, participation in horse racing.
Internal blockage
Curled helminths, coprolites, and stuck foreign objects can clog the intestines, causing colic.
Colon congestion
Colic occurs when a horse is forced to eat roughage food that is low in nutrients for a long period of time. This food clogs the colon. Also, stagnation occurs in the intestines due to insufficient intake of fluids and juicy foods, and low physical activity. In older horses, colic occurs when the teeth chew food poorly.
Small intestinal stagnation
The main reason is coprostasis - the accumulation and hardening of feces in the small intestine. Colic occurs when a horse regularly eats rough dry food, suffers from vegetative-vascular dystonia, or feeds irregularly without following a regimen.
Bloating
Colic occurs due to excess accumulation of gases inside the intestines. This happens when a horse eats food that begins to ferment in the digestive tract.
Acute gastric dilatation
Colic occurs when a horse's stomach becomes distended due to gas or excess food intake.
Main symptoms
The main symptom of a pathological condition in horses is pain, which, depending on the severity of the problem, can be mild or intense, long-term or short-term.Painful sensations are:
- spastic, caused by increased tone of smooth intestinal muscles;
- distensional, associated with stretching of the intestinal walls due to the pressure of accumulated gases;
- mesenteric, provoked by changes in blood circulation in the vessels of the digestive tract.
Colic in horses is accompanied by different symptoms depending on the cause and intensity of the pathological process:
- Weak manifestation - the horse does not want to eat food, is worried, bends its neck to look at the belly, touch it with its lips, tries to reach the belly with its hind limbs, digs the bedding in the stall with its hooves. This list of symptoms is typical for intestinal blockage.
- Moderate manifestation - the animal rushes around the stall in restlessness, lies on the bedding with its back down, tries to bite or kick its own stomach. There is an increase in temperature and profuse sweating. Symptoms are characteristic of volvulus of the intestines and stomach.
- Intense manifestation - the horse is depressed, lethargic, breathing frequently. Tachycardia is noted, the animal's body is cold to the touch and covered with sticky sweat. Such symptoms are accompanied by colic at a late stage, when the walls of the digestive tract organs rupture and tissue necrosis begins.
Diagnostic methods
First, the veterinarian collects anamnesis and obtains the following information from the horse owners:
- how long the animal has had pain and other symptoms;
- how colic manifests itself (their intensity and frequency);
- appearance of feces;
- when the horse had its last bowel movement;
- feed used;
- whether there was a recent change in diet;
- whether preventive veterinary measures were carried out (vaccination, antiparasitic treatment);
- does the horse have chronic pathologies?
- whether the mare was pregnant and when she last gave birth.
After collecting anamnesis, the veterinarian examines the animal. Usually after this procedure it is already possible to establish, if not an exact, then a preliminary diagnosis. For example, if a horse shifts from foot to foot, the veterinarian suspects intestinal volvulus. If the animal's body is sticky from sweat, then there is a high probability of rupture of the stomach or intestinal wall. When making a diagnosis, horses are not given analgesics, otherwise the symptomatic picture will blur.
Next, the doctor listens to bowel sounds. To do this, select the area of the body between the last rib and the sternum. If the intestines are healthy, then noise rolling is heard with a frequency of 2-3 minutes. There is no noise when there is an intestinal blockage. Probing is used to make an accurate diagnosis. The tube is slowly inserted into the stomach through the esophagus. Using a probe, a sample of the organ contents is taken to analyze the composition and acidity level.
The normal volume of gastric juice in a horse is 500 ml; if the stomach is blocked, the content of the liquid mass increases to several liters.
A rectal examination is carried out to identify the anatomical and physiological state of the abdominal organs. The procedure is carried out with extreme caution to avoid intestinal tearing. For this reason, the procedure should not be performed during severe intestinal bloating, or in foals.
Pathological changes observed during rectal examination:
- the release of liquid feces is a sign of blockage of the cecum;
- dark stool – intestinal bleeding as a result of ulceration or rupture;
- release of mucous masses - weakening of intestinal peristalsis, slagging of the colon;
- excessive accumulation of gases in the thin section is a sign of intestinal obstruction;
- increased tone of ligament tissues, thickening of the intestinal walls - blockage of the blind section of the intestine;
- narrowing of the lumen of the small intestine is a sign of spasms;
- compaction in the right area under the lower back - intussusception of the iliac spine into the blind.
If a rectal examination is not possible, then the ultrasound method is used. With its help, excessive accumulation of gases and liquid substances, changes in the walls of the digestive tract, blockage and intussusception of areas, and volvulus are detected.
Also in some cases, the following diagnostic methods are used:
- a puncture to remove internal liquid contents from the abdominal cavity (the analysis reveals a rupture of the intestinal wall and infectious inflammation);
- laparoscopy;
- gastroscopy to identify inflammatory processes in different parts of the digestive tract;
- radiography.
Treatment rules
The horse is treated, taking into account the nature and course of the specific disease, using therapeutic or surgical methods.
Therapeutic
Therapeutic methods (medicines, injections) are used for:
- excessive formation of gases;
- fullness of the stomach;
- ulceration of the gastric walls;
- inflammatory process;
- obstructive intestinal obstruction (blockage by helminths, foreign bodies).
First aid involves pain relief with analgesics and antispasmodics, intravenous administration of toxin serum, glucocorticoids, and electrolytes. The stomach contents are removed with a probe.
After an accurate diagnosis, specific treatment is used:
- laxatives and enemas for intestinal congestion;
- antibiotics for infectious inflammation;
- anthelmintics for parasitic infections;
- cholinesterase inhibitors and peristalsis stimulants (Cerucal, Neostigmine) for spasms.
If the intestinal loops are twisted, it is strictly forbidden to use the above remedies, otherwise the walls may rupture.
Surgical
A horse has to undergo surgery if:
- colic does not go away after administration of analgesics;
- diagnostics confirmed obstruction, edema, tumor or intussusception;
- the small intestine is palpable, which should not be the norm;
- analysis of the gastric fluid removed by the probe showed an alkaline environment;
- puncture showed the presence of an opaque bloody substance in the abdominal cavity.
Whether the outcome of surgery will be successful depends on the timely detection of symptoms. Thus, with strangulation intestinal obstruction, accompanied by pinching of the mesentery, the necrotic process begins within 2-3 hours.
The operation on horses is performed primarily by medial laparotomy with the introduction of saline into the abdominal cavity to prevent rupture of the intestinal walls. After the operation, the horse is kept in a stall under 24-hour supervision; electrolytes are regularly administered, temperature and heart rate are measured, and antibiotics are prescribed.
Preventive measures
Colic in horses can be prevented by following the recommendations below:
- Buy high-quality food without traces of fungal and bacterial infections.
- Do not feed the animal hot or cold food. The same goes for drinking. Food should be at room temperature.
- Include in the diet 60% roughage, 25% concentrated, 15% juicy.
- Provide your horse with access to clean drinking water at all times.
- Do not feed the animal after exercise. The rest period before eating food should be at least 30 minutes.
- Do not keep your horse without physical activity for more than 12 hours.
- Use sedatives if the horse is going through stress, such as a long journey.
- Carry out preventive anthelmintic measures regularly.
The above recommendations must be followed, since colic in horses is common and often serious. Proper care and proper nutrition are the keys to animal health.
