HELP! my horse is gas colicing!?

Of all the answers on here, I noticed that the only person who mentioned the issue of water consumption was Buck- and he's right. When you experienced the extreme temperature change like you did, the first response your horse made to it was to stop drinking as much water- and the inevitable result was that he colicked because he couldn't digest his food without the extra moisture. The best way to deal with this situation is to PREVENT it- and the easiest way to do this is to take care and make sure your horse drinks enough water ALL THE TIME, regardless of how warm or cold it is. The way WE prevent this kind of colic in our horses ( I live on a farm with 11 of them, one of which is my own) is by doing two things: first, they live outside 24/7/365, and only come into eat, work, get their feet done or get vaccinated in the spring, or if the weather is really cold or stormy. Living outside means they get to grow a heavy coat in the winter, and they must walk around all the time to get what they need- be it hay, water, or whatever. The constant movement is good for them, because it closely mimics the way the animals would live if they were wild and lived in a herd. Horses were NEVER MEANT to live the artificial lives we as people demand of them- they evolved as grazers on the cold, windy steppes of Asia, and their digestive systems are designed to accomodate a " little and often" type of feeding schedule, NOT the "3 square meals a day" approach which horsepeople often use. Horses also were not meant to live in stalls and never be able to move around freely. The fact that both of these factors were true for your horse, combined with the sudden, extreme temperature change, undoubtedly caused your horse a great deal of stress, which is why your vet said what he did. Haven't you ever noticed that colic and digestive problems seldom if EVER happen in wild horses or wild horse herds? All of the problems which plague domesticated horses, in fact, are EXTREMELY RARE in their wild counterparts, and the reason for this is because they are WILD. You mentioned that you are feeding your horse a large extra feed every night to put weight on him. A better approach would be to do the second thing which we do, and that is to feed your horse a lower energy, but still nutritious feed like wet beet pulp. Beet pulp, when fed correctly ( IT MUST BE SOAKED and fed wet, or it too will cause a LIFE THREATENING COLIC) increases the water supply in the gut, and helps keep things moving and prevent colic. Adding salt to the pulp, which is another thing we do, encourages horses to drink more water- and this also means that they get the water they need for their guts to work properly. Giving a horse a big feed of sweet feed at night does not accomplish what you want, because the horse frequently will have a hard time digesting that much protein and sugar all at once, and may not get the benefit from it. Plus, there is the temperature issue to think about. Horses keep themselves warm by eating feeds like hay and beet pulp- they ferment these feeds in their hindgut, and this helps generate the body heat they need. Sweet feed, on the other hand, is mostly sugar- and all it does is go into fat, rather than really doing anything to help the horse.

If you really want to put weight on your horse and avoid problems with this in the future, then you need to change to a "little and often" feeding schedule, and let your horse have free access to hay or pasture. Feeding beet pulp twice a day like we do is a good idea- and by all means, TURN YOUR HORSE OUT and let him be a horse !!! You did the right thing in calling your vet out as soon as you noticed your horse acting strangely, however. I would give him HALF of his normal grain ration today, and increase his hay somewhat. If he handles that okay, then you can gradually work your way back to his regular feed over the next week or so- and make sure you add PLENTY of salt to his feed so he'll drink, especially if you happen to get another cold snap. Since it's winter time, this is something which can come up at any time, so pay attention to the weather report and plan accordingly. At some point in the near future, you may decide to try feeding your horse beet pulp- and that's great, just be sure to soak it overnight or for at least 8 hours prior to feeding it, NOT the 30 minutes the packages always recommend. Beet pulp is easy to digest, and it really helps our horses hold their weight in the winter. Our oldest horse will be 26 on New Year's Day- and he looks great.

One other note before I end: you need to be sure to ask your vet for some Banamine to keep in your first aid kit- and get him to show you how to give it by injection. The drug is active within 30 minutes when it's given in the muscle, and within 15 minutes when given in the vein. Another thing you need to do is learn how to take your horse's vital signs, which are his temperature, pulse, and respiration rate, as well as how to check his capillary refill time and listen for gut sounds. All of this information will be of enormous help to your vet if this should ever happen again ( and please don't take it for granted that it won't) and it will allow you to monitor your horse's health a lot more closely in the future.

Good luck- it sounds like you did the right thing.

You did great getting the vet out. I have a mare that at least once a year has a bad case of gas colic. ( She likes to keep me on my toes.. LOL). They act as if its real colic and it is scary. If they "poop" you can probably bet its just gas. I keep banamine injections on hand, as we get the ups and downs in the weather, too. When I notice the signs, they get a shot. It won't hurt if they didn't need it, so it's a great precaution. If they don't feel better in 10-20 mins, they go to the vet immediately (mine is 12 miles away). I have dealt with this alot over the years and can pretty much tell if its just gas or the real thing. Sound like you watch your horse for abnormal behavior and take action! Way to go!! So, in answer to you question, he should be just fine, just watch him the next few days. Next few days, I would give a little more hay but not anymore grain. You done good! And you are right, when they refuse grain.. something is wrong!****My mare has had gas colic in the summer at 80 degrees, and the middle of winter on a mild 55 degree night. My mare in Alaska did not make it.. the temp went from +40 to -53 in 4 hours!

The extra feeding every night could be divided into two feedings, or it could be cut down, depending on what it is. If it is a grain feeding, and of any sizable amount, it will cause disruption in the hind gut that should be avoided. Your horse is better off to be fed forage, which you can safely increase as you monitor him over the next couple of days. Colic is a symptom, not a diagnosis. There is no way to know if there is a developing problem that was heralded by this episode, or if this was indeed related to the temperature change alone. I would contact the vet for advice on your feeding schedule before giving any grains.

wow...everyone keeps telling you to call the vet, but you already did lol your a good owner to get the vet out their as soon as you saw the signs :) He should be fine, my horse did the same exact thing this summer, my mom gave him a shot that the vet gave her if one of our horses coliced and he was fine. I gave him the next day off and when I rode him the following day he was perfectly fine a,d has been fine since.

My friend's horse recently coliced when our weather went haywire too (from 70 degrees all the way down to 20 degrees o.O) I was all alone with him too...but his owners came out and my trainer (who came, because of experience) to give him the shot and he was fine in a day or two...but he had cronic colic and nearly died over the summer, so the vet gave us the special shot he has to have when he colics, because he has a reaction to banamine :P

He should be fine, just call the vet if you have ANY worries :)

**I would continue feeding him normally unless he looks like he is showing signs again, maybe skip the extra feeding tonight and start it back up tomorrow if he looks fine.

Dont you love when people dont read the whole answer? If he was ok when you feed him this morning then he should be fine just occasionally check on him the next couple days but ur right horses will colic due to drastic tempature changes. and by the sounds of it he has colicked before so just be aware that he has colicked and who much extra are you feeding him? sometimes horses cant digest fast eneough and if they GULP it down as you say that can cause an upset stomach. instead of extra feed try a weight builder! if you want check out this sight www.smartpakequine.com did ur vet give you an extra syringe of banamine? if not you should ask for one just incase..

I still can't grasp onto the temperature colic.

It jumps from 80 degrees to 25 degrees overnight at times....30 for 2 days then back up to 70.

My guys never bat an eye. Maybe because they are not stalled. I dunno. I just don't believe that one too much.

If anything...it's a horse that is extremely sensitive to change of ANYTHING in his environment.

Did you change his hay? I mean did this hay come from a different field or a different dealer? Was it second cut instead of first? Did you add something to his water or a new supplement? Did you up his grain that day? Was he given a new treat? Was he confined to his stall more than normal that day? Did you not ride him that day and normally you do?

So many things can contribute and I guess temp change too but as I said..I don't believe that one unless it's a high test horse.

Banamine to help ease the discomfort and things will be slipping out better. The best thing is that he WAS pooping. No poop is bad.

you are all set and now you know his warning signs.

Just get yourself a tube of Banamine and be ready next time.

Your horse should be fine, but just keep an eye on him. Trust your vet, or find another one. Gas colic can be caused by a lot of things including the weather. You gas colic too for a lot of different reasons, but you can burp to get rid of it. Horses don't burp, so they get colic and sometimes need help releaving it. Light excercise (including walking) can help and blanketing when there are very cold nights and drastic weather changes can help. Also, if your horse got extra food because it was cold, try not doing that again.

If you go out to your horses one day and one of them is colicing call your vet right away. Colic kills horses more than anything else. If your horse is rolling and thrashing their legs then get your horse up immediatly and walk them around with the halter on. Your vet should arrive and be able to help you and tell you what to do. If your horse is lying down then it is ok to leave them there, he/she may be comfortable there and that is the best spot for them.

Your horse should be fine now. Go on with your normal routine, but keep an eye on him for a few days to make sure he doesn't colic again. If the temperature drops like that again try to keep him in his stall if possible to keep the temperature more level. Hope I helped.

make sure to call the vet the first thing. in the mean time, see if he eats something. make it something that he normally would gobble up, like a carrot. if he doesnt, and he's laying down and pawing at the floor, he definetly has colic.

if your horse was eating again, he's probably fine, but i would call the vet and have him check up on him just to mak sure.

hope your horse feels better!