Emergencies and your horse part 1: COLIC

Emergencies, the one thing that every horse owner fears. You come home from work and your horse is down in the field with colic. Or perhaps you approach your horse who has blood everywhere and you see that he ran through a t-post. Maybe you are at a ride and your horse experiences severe dehydration and thumps.

There are so many things that can go wrong, we need to be aware of what to look for and know how to react to be able to save our companions and pets. 

The leading emergency: Colic. If you are reading this, it is probably because you think your horse is colicky. I know how scary this is. First, look at the symptoms and determine how serious it is. 

Is he laying down, and trying to roll, biting at his sides, lethargic with head hanging low and not willing to move?

(think of how a person gets with a stomach ache, doubled over holding sides, laying still, lethargic, don't want to move)

If this is the case, determine severity:

Did he roll a lot or a little?

Can he get up and walk/stand? If not, GET A VET NOW! They will put a tube in him with oil to help their digestive system start processing, and straighten it out if they can. 

If he can get up, get him up. You don't need to walk him- just make sure he stays standing.

Get him Banamine immediately- THERE IS NO WAY AROUND THIS. If you don't have any on hand, call all vets, call emergency numbers, call everybody you know with horses.

If you can't get Banamine, go to the drug store and get some mineral oil that will cause their digestive system to flow. Now remember - depending on the type/severity of colic, this may help, it may not. Either way, it will not hurt the horse. All of my colic experiences have been based on stress and sudden food change (they get into a bag or something) or a combination there of. I have caught it pretty early (a few hours later), those kits that are sold at the feedstore worked for an hour or two, but symptoms returned soon after. 

Ok, now for the details (once you have talked to the vet and you know what is going on). There are multiple types of colic. If you know what caused it, then it is much easier to diagnose it. Sand colic and sudden feed changes/stress are the most common. If it is in fact a sand impaction, then you need a vet to come take a look. If it is just feed related and they didn't roll severely, causing twisting of the gut, then banamine will be enough to make them feel better. for anything more severe, contact a veterinarian and have them come out- or take the horse in. I am not a vet and don't want to provide false advice. This is from personal experience and knowing when I need a vet, and when I can handle the situation. Whatever you do, don't leave your horse. Once you administer the Banamine, give them about 20 minutes, and their head should lift, their eyes should become more alert. After about 45 minutes, they should be back to normal. If not, YOU NEED A VET.