Tips for avoiding colic when it's frosty?

[marychick]

As the title says really- any tips???

My girly got colic last night and I hate seeing her like that We don't know exactly what caused it but vet said she felt that there was almost a big gas pocket when she did her rectal examination.

So far I'm putting the causes down to:
Cold water
Frosty grass
or Sudden temp change.

Am I missing anything obvious? Is there anything I can do to avoid this happening again?

She wasn't tubed and the vet was hopeful that there was no impaction but we're still watching her closely. Left her eating a sloppy bowl of feed this morning so we have to see how she copes with it.

Thanks x

[clipclop]

What's her usual routine? Does this change when it's frosty? Quite often, colic in frosty weather is due to reduced availability of water and then having a big drink of very cold water when ice broken etc

Sent from my ST18i using proboards

[orangetails]

I read in a magazine once that adding a glug of oil to feeds helps everything 'slide' through the gut more thus helping prevent impaction colics. Not sure how true that is, and mine get a glug of oil anyway as it's good for their coats

I think the biggest reason for impaction colic is lack of water intake - it didn't rise above 0' here (in Hampshire!!) all day yesterday, so even though I broke and took out all the ice in the trough first thing, it still froze over again. Plus they are less inclined to drink icey cold water (I know how they feel, I always struggle to drink enough in the winter!) So things you can do to help - feed soaked (or steamed, which is easier in freezing temps) hay, not only will that add water consumption to their diet, forage also helps 'hold' water in the hindgut so things don't dry out and cause impactions. I also give them 'chilled' water in their stables overnight - which is a stupid term as it actually means water that has had the chill taken off ie adding a bit of hot water to the bucket so it's not icey cold from the tap. Even a thermos full of hot water from home will suffice if you don't have the means to boil a kettle at the yard. Sloppy feeds - particularly with something like beet which again helps 'hold' water in the hindget also helps - and made with warm water it's really tempting for them too

I make sure mine don't go out with an empty stomach on frosty grass (unlikely to ever happen as they have ad-lib hay overnight anyway) but I don't hold too much water in the theory of frosty grass causing colic, on the basis that by the time it actually reaches the gut it's warmed up anyway. However again I think keeping the forage intake up is important so I do still put hay out when it's frosty, as they don't eat as much of the frosty grass as they would if it wasn't frosty.

My old mare used to get spasmodic (gassy) colic when it got really cold Usually with her walking her round a bit to stop her tensing up 'holding' herself in discomfort, and maybe a bit of Equimins Colease helped - it was very mild cases she got, but they did worry her. What stopped them being an issue (for that cause at least, she had many 'triggers'!) was keeping her warm - the best buy ever for her was a Rambo underblanket (full neck) which was REALLY lightweight yet ever so warm, she wore that under her usual weatherbeeta belmont combo (again very light to handle, as she was very old) when it was cold. I also put stable bandages on if it was due to go below freezing, and she had a really deep straw bed on rubber mats. Again, I fed steamed hay as it kept her eating.

Hope your mare is better soon and doesn't have any recurrences. It was always such a worry with my old girl! Thankfully (touches wood frantically) not something I have experienced with any of my subsequent horses.

[Deleted]

Sorry to hear that Mary, I hope it passes quicky (pardon the pun!), it's awful not being able to really do anything.

I think oragnetails has it covered really, keeping water consumption up I think can be key. Also, was she warm enough? Just thinking if she's been clipped could she have felt the cold more and been hunching up to keep warm?

[clara81]

Oh dear, my old pony gets it occasionally and it's not nice. Glad your pony is ok. As others have said water is an important issue but usually with my old mare it is down to not getting enough forage through her, either because the grass is frozen or because she's been stood about waiting to come in and not eating. She has almost no teeth so it's a real struggle to get enough forage down her as she has all her food soaked which doesn't last as long. Can you put hay out when the grass is frozen?

[marychick]

Thanks guys, she already has soaked hay and feed in her stable over night but she's been slightly off her hay becuase they'd just changed fields and had loads of grass. It may be that she wasn't drinking or eating enough in the field once it turned frosty.

It's interesting that your horse used to get spasmodic colic when it got cold Orangetails as this is whats it's looking like Molly had. I rug her up as much as I dare because she does get very hot but maybe I need to look at rugging her slightly more overnight when it's cold. I hate the rug dilemma- I just want her to be comfortable! Perhaps if I leave all her rugs lined up on her wall she'll choose one for herself! hehe x

[mrsfields]

oh no! i hope your girl feels better soon!

is frosty grass/cold water a problem when horses live out 24/7? or is it just when changing from stabled conditions to turn-out?

my two are out 24/7 (with access to shelter) and have ad lib hay and water... i do keep having to break the ice on the drinking troughs, and was slightly worried last night as they both had a very long drink of ice-cold water from the trough at feeding time, but didn't show any ill effects... i've put a football in the trough to float around and hopefully leave a hole, but not sure how effective that will be!

[dalesfan]

Hope Mols is feeling better soon. Norah used to get colic occasionally, normally when she wasn't drinking enough or when she got chilly ( she had suspected Cushings as well so think there may be a connection). Definitely worth taking the edge off her water by adding some warm in on top, as well as plenty of hay. The idea of adding oil sounds interesting too. Keep us posted xx

[Lulu]

I give mine speedibeet soaked in hot water, and add more warm water on top, so it's wet and sloppy when it's frozen. That way I can be sure they have a warm stomach with lots of fluids daily. Plenty of hay too, but they will usually chose frosty grass over hay , unless they can't find any grass. Good thing about speedi-beet, is it soaks more instantly in hot water, so I boil the kettle and refill it twice, make up my sugar beet at work, before I finish work, so I can fill the beet bucket with water, and then put a cover on, and drive to my horses, by which time, my beet is ready, and still warm as cover on. Mix their feeds up, and walk to field, by which time, the water isn't scalding hot anymore (check with my wrist), and their feeds are lovely and warm and mushy, and they always tuck in with relish and lick their bowls out

[mandal]

Dec 13, 2012 14:01:38 GMT 1 marychick said:

Thanks guys, she already has soaked hay and feed in her stable over night but she's been slightly off her hay becuase they'd just changed fields and had loads of grass. It may be that she wasn't drinking or eating enough in the field once it turned frosty.

I wonder if more grass is making her gassy? Colder weather = increased sugars in grass which as you know upsets the gut and if she is getting more and eating less soaked hay her fibre intake will also be lower. Just my thoughts.
Mine drink freezing cold water etc. and no problems.

Something else to consider is worms. I have become very aware of migrating red worm since laurac's experience with BF. Mine have had a 5 day panacur course fairly recently and will get equest in Jan.

[marychick]

Lulu, that's a nice idea- I might buy her some SS puraBeet to make sure she gets some warm liquid next time it's cold.

Mandal, She was just been wormed with equest but you may be right that the combination of increased grass intake and the frost could have made a bad combination. But I don't know what I'd do in future to stop this other than not turning out? I don't have any choice around which field she can go in.

[Lulu]

Funny how she's just been wormed with Equest, how recently did you do that ? You could always ensure a feed BEFORE turnout, or stand in with haynet, till sun has been out a bit then turn her out.. a few hrs later can make a difference to the grass.

[cuffey]

Mine have soaked grass nuts with Speedibeet to which I add extra hot water before feeding and stir into chop. They are fed inside before turning out as they tend to swop breakfasts if fed in the field (one 12hh and one 16hh!!) Because they are at home--they are coming in between 9 and 10pm to warm supper and plenty of hay and fresh run water, and when frost very heavy they dont go out til 10am after breakfast plus hay.

[kathrynp]

I think the big clue here is that she had just changed fields and had alot of grass! In future when they move fileds you may have to restrict her grazing for the first fortnight to alow her guts to adjust more gradually to the change. Moving fields is effectively a sudden and massive change in diet and often horses colic as a result.