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=**Colic in Horses**=

[] =Internal Medicine that Delivers =

=Advanced Diagnosis and Treatment =

Internal medicine services for your horse cover a wide range of care including colic evaluations, gastroscopy, endoscopy, cardiac analysis, neurological assessments, neonatal care and dietary management consultation. Additionally, the clinic is equipped, and our staff is trained, to handle problems that occur in every age of a horse -- from the newborn foal to the geriatric patient.

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Colic is the leading killer of horses. Here are seven steps, including feeding tips and parasite control, to help prevent colic in your horse.
Colic fits all varieties of abdominal distress our horses experience. The causes of gut pain range from the passing discomfort of excessive gas to life-threatening intestinal torsions. The majority of colics are mild, but they're still troublesome, causing horses to pace, paw and roll while their caretakers fret over their discomfort. In these cases, the digestive system rights itself, given a little time or minimal medical attention. Major intestinal disruptions, including blockages, twists and ruptures, are usually fatal unless surgery to remove or repair the diseased area of gut succeeds. Each year, hundreds of horses die on the operating table or shortly after, due to the disease itself or to complications from it. Researchers haven't found a magic serum to guarantee your horse a colic-free life, but their increased understanding of equine digestion has allowed them to identify many of the conditions that predispose horses to colic. Using this information as the basis for preventive action, horse owners can take control of the stabling, dietary and environmental conditions that influence equine digestion for better or worse. By adopting consistent, rational management practices and maintaining horses according to Nature's operating manual, you can minimize your horse's risks of digestive distress.

[] Colic is the number medical cause of death in horses. Technically, colic refers to pain in a horse’s abdomen, although colic episodes typically reflect conditions of the horse’s colon. While colic can include a simple blockage, a spasm in the colon/gas buildup, or torsions in the digestive tract of a horse, ** the vast majority of colic episodes are idiopathic, or “of unknown origin.” In other words, we don’t know exactly what causes a horse to colic in most cases. **

[] Colic may not be caused solely by diseases of the

intestinal tract. In fact, infections elsewhere in the body, as

in the urogenital or respiratory tract, as well as pregnancy

may present symptoms of colic. A survey in 1986 by the

Morris Animal Foundation reported that colic was the

leading cause of death in horses and the number one health

concern of horse owners.

[] Approximately 10 percent of all horses suffer at least one bout of colic during their lifetimes. And a little more than 6 percent of those die, nearly twice as many horses as are affected by other diseases or injuries.

[] The accumulation of sand, dirt and harmful bacteria in the horse’s gut presents the risk of becoming trapped, creating serious

health problems including colic in horses.

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[] R olling, pawing, sweating, raising the upper lip, looking at the flank, inappetence and lying down are all common signs of colic.
 * == **What are the signs of colic?** == ||


 * [[image:http://www.abec.net.au/images/Colic%20rolling.jpg width="261" height="193" align="middle" caption="rolling colic"]] || [[image:http://www.abec.net.au/images/Colic%20streching.jpg width="278" height="181" caption="streching"]] ||
 * Horse rolling || Horse stretching with pain ||

[] ** Colic: Causes and Symptoms **

Colic is defined as any abdominal pain although horse owners typically refer to colic as problems with the gastro-intestinal tract. The causes of colic are numerous, but generally they are related to the anatomy and the microflora of the horse's gastrointestinal tract. Some more common causes of colic include:
 * High grain based diets/Low forage diets
 * Moldy/Tainted feed
 * Abrupt change in feed
 * Parasite infestation
 * Lack of water consumption leading to impaction colics
 * Sand ingestion
 * <span style="color: #393939; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Long term use of NSAIDS
 * <span style="color: #393939; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Stress
 * <span style="color: #393939; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Dental problems

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 * = Impaction Colic = ||
 * === by Madalyn Ward, DVM === ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">This is the most common form of colic I see in horses. It can usually be resolved if treated early but can become life threatening if poorly managed. To understand why horses are so prone to impaction colic one only needs to look at the anatomy of their digestive tract. The large colon of the horse measures 10 to 13 feet long with an average volume of 21 gallons. It lays in the abdomen in the shape of a double U by running forward from the right side ( right ventral colon ), bending double at the diaphragm and continuing back on the left side ( left ventral colon ). At the pelvis it makes another U turn and goes forward again (left dorsal colon ) then bends again at the diaphragm to go down the right side ( right dorsal colon ). As if all of this bending around wasn’t enough at the pelvic flexure the left dorsal colon becomes much narrower. It is no surprise that this area is the most common site of impactions. The small colon, also called the descending colon, reaches a length of up to 4 meters and is located mostly on the left side of the abdomen. It is narrow and another common site of impaction. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">This is the most common form of colic I see in horses. It can usually be resolved if treated early but can become life threatening if poorly managed. To understand why horses are so prone to impaction colic one only needs to look at the anatomy of their digestive tract. The large colon of the horse measures 10 to 13 feet long with an average volume of 21 gallons. It lays in the abdomen in the shape of a double U by running forward from the right side ( right ventral colon ), bending double at the diaphragm and continuing back on the left side ( left ventral colon ). At the pelvis it makes another U turn and goes forward again (left dorsal colon ) then bends again at the diaphragm to go down the right side ( right dorsal colon ). As if all of this bending around wasn’t enough at the pelvic flexure the left dorsal colon becomes much narrower. It is no surprise that this area is the most common site of impactions. The small colon, also called the descending colon, reaches a length of up to 4 meters and is located mostly on the left side of the abdomen. It is narrow and another common site of impaction. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">This is the most common form of colic I see in horses. It can usually be resolved if treated early but can become life threatening if poorly managed. To understand why horses are so prone to impaction colic one only needs to look at the anatomy of their digestive tract. The large colon of the horse measures 10 to 13 feet long with an average volume of 21 gallons. It lays in the abdomen in the shape of a double U by running forward from the right side ( right ventral colon ), bending double at the diaphragm and continuing back on the left side ( left ventral colon ). At the pelvis it makes another U turn and goes forward again (left dorsal colon ) then bends again at the diaphragm to go down the right side ( right dorsal colon ). As if all of this bending around wasn’t enough at the pelvic flexure the left dorsal colon becomes much narrower. It is no surprise that this area is the most common site of impactions. The small colon, also called the descending colon, reaches a length of up to 4 meters and is located mostly on the left side of the abdomen. It is narrow and another common site of impaction. ||

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<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #555555; display: block; font-family: verdana,Arial,Tahoma,'Century gothic',sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> Horses seem strong and majestic on the outside, but inside they have very delicate digestive systems. Many horses are at risk for mild to potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal problems, most seriously colic. Treatments and prognosis vary based on what is causing the colic episode. The overall incidence of colic is in the range of 10-36% per year according to the [|Handbook of Equine Colic]. More than 80% are mild episodes where a specific diagnosis is not made – known as idiopathic colic.

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 * <span style="background-color: #fee8ae; font-family: Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">
 * [[image:http://www.equine-originals.com/images/sandcolic1.jpg width="216" height="187" caption="The Original Mowl Horse Feeder"]] ||


 * <span style="background-color: #fee8ae; font-family: Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">

<span style="background-color: #fee8ae; font-family: Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Sand vs. Psyllium by Mike Tomlinson D.V.M.**
<span style="background-color: #fee8ae; font-family: Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">**COLIC**

<span style="background-color: #fee8ae; font-family: Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Colic is still the number one cause of death of horses today. It used to be that verminous colic (caused by worms and other parasites) was the primary type of colic, but now in many areas sand is the most commonly seen form of colic.

<span style="background-color: #fee8ae; font-family: Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Sand colic is the result of the building up of sand in the intestinal tract of the horse. There can be as much as 150 pounds of sand lying in the bottom of the horse's belly.

[] Gas (or flatulent) Colic is the more common type of colic in horses. It occurs when there is a collection of gas in the horse's bowel. The gas causes pain as it moves through the gut by distending the bowel abnormally. Gas colic is considered the least serious type of colic, although the violent reactions of the horse may not give that impression.

[] =<span style="background-color: #7d7245; color: #c4bc96; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 24pt; text-align: center;">Colic Surgery: What Horse Owners Should Know = <span style="background-color: #7d7245; color: #c4bc96; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;">//Tonight, at midnight, you are told that you must make a decision about your very best horse. Your choice is to either have colic surgery performed or he will need to be put down. You have 20 minutes to make the decision. There is no certainty as to what the outcome of surgery will be, whether he will survive and return home or be alive in a year. Will he be able to perform at the level that he did before or will he even live a quality life?// <span style="background-color: #7d7245; color: #c4bc96; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: justify;">//You don’t even know the veterinarian who is telling you about the surgery. Your regular veterinarian referred you to this other veterinarian after 2 hours of treating your violently painful horse in the field to no avail. Should you proceed with surgery, you must provide the surgical facility with a deposit of $3,000 -$5,000. The total cost may range from $8,000 – $12,000, or more if there are complications. What do you do?//

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<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">What do I do for Colic?
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">The biggest problem when addressing equine colic is that it can be a very minor problem (such as a simple small gas bubble) that resolves on its own, or it can be a big problem (such as a twisted intestine) that can lead to death in a matter of hours if surgery is not performed immediately.

[] __** Prevention of colic **__

If you happen to be a horse, colic is probably an unfortunate fact of life..

Listed below are some of the management factors which are thought to reduce colic incidence. Horses which fall into

high-risk categories, such as stabled horses in intense training and fit horses recently injured, should be monitored

particularly closely. It is agreed that the most effective way to prevent colic is to minimize changes in your routine care of your horse.

Horses are creatures of habit; they thrive on routine, both mentally and physically. The most appropriate means of saving your

horse from colic is for you to learn and use excellent preventive management.

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<span style="color: #55383a; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 24px;">Enteroliths: Could Your Horse Have Intestinal Stones?
[] ** What are enteroliths? **  Enteroliths, or intestinal stones, are a common cause of obstruction-induced colic in horses. They are mineral concretions primarily composed of magnesium ammonium phosphate salts that from in the colon of horses. The mineral salts are usually deposited around a foreign body such as gravel, shavings, or even a piece of metal, such as baling wire. Their uneven surface causes them to become lodged against the wall of the colon where they continue to accumulate minerals and grow in size. These spherical or tetrahedral stones can be up to 1 meter (3.5 ft.) in length and weigh up to 7 kilograms (15.5 lbs.). Smaller stones may exist in the colon for extended periods without causing problems, and may even be passed in the feces. Larger stones, however, cause signs of colic due to complete/ partial obstruction of the colon. Some horses may even form more than one stone. ** Who is at risk? **  Enteroliths most commonly form in horses from 5- 10 years of age, and are most often seen in Arabians and female horses.

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PAIN RELIEF
The severity of pain in colic varies widely from unease or discomfort manifested by the horse as mild pacing, pawing, or gazing at its flanks to extreme and violent pain where the horse is virtually uncontrollable and throwing itself around the stall or rolling.

[] As a veterinary student I was taught that 90% of all colics in horses is due to intestinal parasites, however 50 years experience with my own horses have taught me this is not entirely true. For millions of years the horse's ancestors have survived with their parasites without the intervention of horse worming medication, veterinary treatment etc. Why? Because they existed in a pristine clean environment, free to run and exercise, and breed only with the survival of the fittest members. ||
 * **__COLIC IN HORSES, CAUSE, PREVENTION, AND HOLISTIC TREATMENT__**
 * **__COLIC IN HORSES, CAUSE, PREVENTION, AND HOLISTIC TREATMENT__**

[] Many colic studies have gathered information about cases of colic to attempt to determine a common factor in the affected horses. A new study conducted by the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine took a different approach. The researchers teamed up with local horse farms to follow a group of randomly selected horses over time and obtain data. They then compared their findings between the healthy horses and the ones who became colicky during the study. This study, as well as many others, has released interesting findings.

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//<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #3e3f40; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: medium;">//STOPS COLIC IN HORSES// //

//<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #3e3f40; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: medium;">//Proven for Colic in Horses Works on Impaction, gas, sand and spasmodic, which are considered normal bouts of horse colic// //

//<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #3e3f40; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: medium;">//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Newly tested on Chronic Diarrhea cases treats within 12 to 24 hours // // //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #3e3f40; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: medium;">//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Digestive sounds return within 10 – 30 minutes on both sides of abdomen // //

[] <span style="background-color: #efe6ce; color: #1d1c1b; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**A Colic Surgery Candidate** <span style="background-color: #efe6ce; color: #1d1c1b; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Surgical colics have very high heart rates, often above 60 beats per minute and can be over a 100 bpm. The respiration rate is usually elevated, and fever (101.5 degrees F and above) is sometimes present. These horses usually show signs of pain, such as pawing or trying to lie down. They typically have no gut sounds, and their gums are an abnormal color. The gums can range from cyanotic to bright red. Cyanosis is a grayish-blue color that indicates decreased oxygen supply. Bright red gums indicate toxins in the blood that are causing the blood to clot and slug in the small capillaries. A variant of red gums is a toxin line—a red line in the gums over the teeth—that is usually the first sign of toxin absorption.

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=<span style="color: #2b4488; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">Colic = <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif;">Colic is arguably the most feared disease of horses. It seems that every horse owner knows of a horse that has died from colic. Colic is potentially fatal for horses, however the far majority of cases of colic respond to simple treatment and very few colics are fatal. The term 'colic' in horses simply describes abdominal or belly pain and it is likely that most horses will have an episode of colic at some time in their life. Providing that veterinary advice is sought early and that the appropriate treatments are given, a good outcome is usually achieved.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif;">Symptoms <span style="background-color: #f5f3ef; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Some horses dog-sit with their

<span style="background-color: #f5f3ef; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">hindquarter on the ground and

<span style="background-color: #f5f3ef; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">forelimbs extended

<span style="color: #3455a7; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Causes Of Colic
<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,sans-serif;"> Distended large colon following twist. Note damage to blood vessels & colour of bowel