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what are the first signs of colic

4K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  florasbell 
#1 ·
i went to see my horses this evening to find my yearling feeling sorry for herself i brought her in she was holding her head very low to the ground i gave her dinner and she refused it after one mouthfull when i walked her back to the field she was walking very slow with her nose on the ground the whole way i turned her out as she doesnt like being in a stable and she started iching her legs and biting her belly i asked the yard owner to keep a eye on her as he lives on site and im taking it everything is ok as iv had no calls im hopeing it might just be a belly ach we will see 6oclock tomo morning a friend said they saw her eating somin over the fence this morning so maybe she eat somin that doesnt agree with her
 
#2 ·
First someone needs to call a vet, don't wait for a forum to answer your questions, does not sound like colic to me, it could be numerous things.

Most horses will show some restlessness or uneasiness as the digestive process starts to go awry. As the discomfort increases a horse may paw, look at his flanks, nip at his flanks, kick at his abdomen, keep getting up and lying down, roll or stretch into odd positions, stand and rest in odd positions, rock back against a solid object and repeatedly change weight on the hind legs.


Oftentimes the first noticeable difference between a resting horse and a colicing horse who is laying quietly on the ground is unusual and frequent jaw movements such as partial yawns, rocking of the lower jaw, raising of the upper lip and curling of the tongue when the mouth is open. As the colic intensifies, the symptoms usually become more pronounced. As the heart and breathing rates increase and the inner eyelids become congested (show a brick-brown to a bright red color), you are rapidly approaching a terminal situation.


Assess the situation. What has recently happened (the probable cause of the colic)?
Take vital signs.
If things don't look good, and especially if it appears that you are approaching "red alert" conditions (as agreed upon by your vet and you), immediately phone your vet with your findings.
Don't medicate the horse unless it is part of your veterinarian's "standing orders."


There is so much that can go wrong, you need to call a vet, asap...
 
#4 ·
you should take her temperature and heart rate. Any increase is significant. Horses don't just get 'belly aches' or not feel like eating. They have extremely sensitive GI systems and any upset is important/could be problematic. A lot of times the first sign of colic is a horse that doesn't want to eat or is looking at their flanks. When it comes to signs of illness, horses are like extreme sports cars- go from zero to 60 in no time flat. Call a vet please.
 
#6 ·
When my gelding got colic he would lay down and roll. He would not eat and he did not want to get up.

He has only had it once and we walked him until the vet got there. Then we walked him more (had to make him walk by hitting his butt) and then took him to the equine hospital. He nearly died.

Walk your horse if you think he might have colic and talk to your vet.
Good luck
 
#7 ·
Could be a number of things. Sounds like she might have been tieing up (check online if you dont know what that is). I have had some very scary colic experiences working with horses and the first thing I personally always check for is gut sounds. If there is no gut sounds or very little, I would be calling a vet ASAP. Some horses will have a sweaty forehead (fever) and will not look well (glazed eyes, head down, unable to stand, wanting to lay down, pawing, trying to "run" from the pain, breathing harder). A noisy gut is a healthy gut, if there is no noise things are not moving the way they should and only the vet can help them if this is the case. If you think something isnt right and she isnt getting better by walking her, call the vet. Colic can take your horses life before your eyes. With that said, horses can get stressed or upset just as we do and refuse to eat. If this is a new horse and you dont know her very well, I would be calling a vet just to have her do an assessment over the phone at the very least...
 
#8 ·
i went to see her this morning brang her at a very fast pace took alot for me to catch up with her lol she seemed fine put her in the box as normal and she eat all her dbreakfast and hay no problem i then groomed her she was fine with that the only thing i can think of was that she wasnt happy yesterday and the change of me feeding her on the yard not in her box made her worrie today she seems fine i spoke to the vet last night and she said doesnt sound like anything to worrie about at the min if o change by this morn then she would come out but she seemed her self i have the vet coming out on tues anyway for my other mare so she going to give her the once over then anyway but thanks for the replys
 
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