[speedy da fish]

My horse doesn't seem ill in any other way but yesterday he started swishing and kicking his back legs, sometimes kicking his belly. Yesterday afternoon I saw a strand of hay stuck to his furr on his belly, I took it off and it made me and him jump :-|. He swished his tail and kicked out a bit but I don't really blame him, I didnt realise how stuck it was. Since then he has been doing it a lot, I think it could be him being cheeky as he now knows that that makes me jump (thats the way he works and he's too smart for his own good). Last night I took him in the trailer to the stables; he travelled fine and he was fine being ridden (jumping for half an hour). He is eating fine and normally, drinking normally today (although he only drank half a bucket or so last night, usually it is the best part of 2). I came home from college today and went to see him in the feild and he was stamping his legs a bit, could be to to with the temperature change today (been a bit warmer and there are some bugs around). Another thing is when he was having his dinner earlier I could hear his digestive noises as he was eating?
I dont know much about the symptoms of colic but I know kicking the stomach is one of them. What do you think I should do?

Thanks for reading all that, feel free to ask questions if you want to know more.

 

[Ryle]

If you know how, go ahead and take his temperature, heart rate and respiration rate and then call your vet and discuss what you are seeing and what those vital signs were. But if you don't know how to take his vitals, at least call your vet and talk about what you are seeing. Horses that are colicy can may still eat and act relatively normal if it's not a full blown impaction. And impactions can build up over time.

 

[speedy da fish]

thanks very much. good to see a vet here, very useful
ive done a little research and i have observed him, he is hard to diagnose without a vet i supose because he rolls and does the Flehmen thing a lot anyway, he always shakes after a roll and they are never very 'thrashy' rolls, just slowly from side to side, he does A LOT of poo and at the momemt it looks fine, moist and sometimes wet when he is nervous or travelling.
his temperature seems fine too and his extremities are no different, I will keep an eye on him.

 

[speedy da fish]

Update: just got back from checking on him, he has a lot more hay left than he usually does, he was resting in his usual spot, i could hear his digestive noises from outside his stable. he has done 3 poos and had a log drink when i was there.
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[Ryle]

If his gut sounds are louder or more numerous than normal you need to call your vet. It's not just a lack of gut sounds that can indicate colic and with the other things you are seeing you really should consider getting your vet out.

(BTW, I'm a veterinary technician--not a vet. )

 

[speedy da fish]

Ah, sorry he is fine today, nothing bothering him at all, ill see how he is later
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[huntergirl84]

If your horse's heart rate, appetite and temperature are fine, could be that he's just kicking at flies which emerge in warmer weather. Does he consistently kick high, as in he kicks or nearly kicks himself in the belly, or does he sometimes just kick lower? If he's just kicking lower with an occasional kick to the belly, may just be bothered by flies, but if he consistently (or moreso than usual) is kicking high, could be colic. This isn't a hard and fast rule, but so often it's the nuiances that make a difference between normal and abnormal behavior. You might look at his belly and check for raw spots or bumps too, as this could indicate sensitivity to fly bites and also be a reason for why he's sensitive to the touch down there.

 

[speedy da fish]

no he not kicking high, maybe once he did that. he seems fine today and he was yesterday, it seemed like he had wind, could it have just been that?