Rachael's Corner: Colic in Horses

Colic is, unfortunately, a relatively common issue with horses throughout the year but especially as the seasons change and our horse’s diet and routine change dramatically. It is very important to gradually introduce a new routine to your horse as a dramatic change in diet or exercise levels can bring on a bout of colic.

Our Tictac Equestrian boss Jenny owns a little two year old filly (named Filly) that seems to be very prone to colic due to a weakness in her gut. This means that Jenny has to be very careful with what she is fed to avoid the inevitable as it can be a life threatening issue depending on the severity of the colic.

We found a very helpful web page to help you understand a little more about colic and hope that it helps you to keep your horses safe and well as we come into the summer months. It is the University of Liverpool’s colic page, telling you all there is to know about causes, prevention and treatment - www.liv.ac.uk/equinecolic.

At Tictac Equestrian, our team hope that all of your horses stay safe and happy in the coming months with the changing weather. If you have any stories you would like to share with us and our customers, we would love to hear from you!

Protexin Probiotic Gut Balancer - at TicTac Equestrian

Head to TicTac Equestrian.com to see our
great range of Protexin Gut Balancer products

Does your horse suffer from Colic; get grumpy during the cold weather, shy away from food and lose weight easily?

Well, Protexin Probiotics - available now at TicTac Equestrian - could could be the answer.

The new and Improved Gut Balancer formula from Protexin is a unique Alfalfa-based powder meal supplement, containing the highly concentrated probiotic bacteria, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (NCYC Sc47) 4b1702 1 x 109 CFU/g.

The Gut Balancer comes in a range of different sizes, tailored to a wide variety of uses, however, it is designed primarily for horses that dont 'do' well in terms of feeding and digestion, as well as being well-suited as a preventative measure against colic and similar ailments for stabled horses that compete at any level and senior/veteran horses. It helps to ensure the gut microflora is optimised for immune system support, and that nutrition is fully absorbed for maximum energy release. 

Dosage is 10g (1 level measure) for NORMAL use, added daily to your horse's regular feed, whereas for Stress Use, it is recommended instead that you use 20g (2 level measures).

Gut Balancer is ideal for:

• General wellbeing
• Improving digestibility 
• Horses prone to losing condition 
• Horses/ponies susceptible to colic 
• During periods of stress (e.g. travel, competition) 
• During periods of antibiotic usage'

For more information, be sure to check out our range of Protexin products at the official TicTac Equestrian store. 

Colic in Horses - recognising key signs

At TicTac we know that an integral part of Horse care involves keeping a close eye on your horse or pony's health and well-being; something that can be helped by learning common signs of ill health and noticeable symptoms of common ailments that can affect domestic horses.

One particularly important condition to look out for that can be quite common in horses is Colic. However, with a combination of swift action, preparedness and knowledge, further trouble can be prevented.

Colic in horses is defined as abdominal pain, but it is a clinical sign rather than a diagnosis. The term 'colic' can in fact encompass all forms of gastrointestinal conditions which cause pain as well as other causes of abdominal pain not involving the gastrointestinal tract. However, it is a wise idea to alert your local vet if you are concerned about any kind of pain or discomfort in your horse.

As mentioned above, the most common forms of colic are gastrointestinal in nature and are most often related to colonic disturbance. There are a variety of different forms of colic, some of which can prove fatal without surgical intervention.

The incidence of colic in the general horse population has been estimated between 10 and 11 percent on an annual basis. It is important that any person who owns or works with horses be able to recognize the signs of colic and determine whether or not a veterinarian should be called.

Clinical signs include: 

• Pawing and/or scraping
• Stretching
• Frequent attempts to urinate
• Flank watching: turning of the head to watch the stomach and/or hind quarters
• Biting/nipping the stomach
• Pacing
• Repeated flehmen response
• Repeated lying down and rising
• Rolling
• Groaning
• Bruxism
• Excess salivation
• Loss of appetite
• Decreased fecal output
• Increased pulse rate
• Dark mucous membranes

For more information, or if you are concerned about unusual behaviour in your horse or ill health always be sure to contact your local vet.