Colic refers to when horses and donkeys are experiencing abdominal pain, mostly caused by gastrointestinal problems. Symptoms can vary from mild to severe, and, sadly, the conditions that cause colic can be deadly despite the best treatment. Colic should be treated as an emergency. As soon as you recognise the symptoms in an animal, you should seek immediate professional veterinary care.
If you’re wondering what the common causes of colic in horses and donkeys are, or want to find out more about colic symptoms, common treatment options provided by vets, and how to prevent colic, here’s our guide to recognising and treating colic in equids.
Common causes of colic in horses and donkeys
Across the world, working animals support low-income and vulnerable communities in a wide variety of ways – from ploughing fields and carrying vital supplies of food and water, to transporting goods, providing services and getting children to school. Horses and donkeys work hard, and often in tough conditions. Although owners do everything they can to ensure their animals receive the best possible care, the correct diet and access to fresh water that working animals need is often out of reach..
Many common causes of colic in horses and donkeys that our vets encounter are connected to diet. They are slow-grazing animals, which means their digestive systems are designed to handle a constant but slow intake of food throughout the day. Sudden changes in diet or feeding an animal lots of grain without roughage are both common causes of colic that our vets treat.
Sadly, our vets also encounter many animals suffering from colic because of an obstruction. This is called impaction colic, and it can be caused by the animal eating something they shouldn’t, such as discarded plastic or cardboard, from eating dry feed or from being dehydrated. Animals are often left to graze for food because their owners can’t afford to feed themselves, let alone their animals. They end up scavenging for leftover scraps, accidentally eating waste plastic or cardboard as they do so. These foreign objects can get lodged in the intestines of working animals and can lead to painful colic or a fatal gut rupture.
Other common causes of colic include intestinal parasites, stomach ulcers, torsion, gas and impactions due to lack of access to water.
Symptoms of colic
If a working horse or donkey is suffering from colic, they may display one or more of the following symptoms:
- Refusal to eat
- Pawing the ground repeatedly with one of their front legs
- Lying down
- Rolling on the ground repeatedly
- Looking at their flanks
- Lack of defecation
- Curling their upper lip and inhaling – this is known as the Flehmen response
- Stretching out as if to urinate.
Treatment options for colic in horses and donkeys
There are many conditions that cause colic, and symptoms can range from mild to severe. Consequently, treatment options for colic in horses and donkeys vary and are dependent on the cause of colic. It’s also important to remember that if working animals aren’t treated for colic in time, their condition can become life-threatening – so colic should be treated as an emergency.
In general, a SPANA vet will first examine the animal. This will usually involve a full physical examination. Depending on the cause of the colic, the vet may then administer anti-spasmodic medication and painkillers to ease any stomach cramps or pain the animal may be experiencing.
If an animal is suffering from an obstruction, the vet will typically pass a nasogastric tube into the animal’s stomach to check for reflux. Reflux is when food travels back up the oesophagus. Horses are unable to vomit, so this aids the release of any accumulated stomach content. The vet will then drench the animal to hydrate them, soften any blockages, and encourage them to pass the obstruction by normal intestinal movement. Water, with or without electrolytes or liquid paraffin, can be used for this procedure. When the animal passes the obstruction, they are given increasing amounts of feed slowly.
If the condition of the animal does not improve, more diagnostics such as an ultrasound scan, or intensive treatments such as intravenous fluids, or surgery may be needed. These can be risky procedures. Recovery is longer and the animal will need to stay at a SPANA veterinary centre.
How to prevent colic
It’s not always possible to prevent colic in horses and donkeys. However, there are some simple ways to ensure working animals are well cared for.
- Correct diet: Our vets will advise the owners of working animals on the correct diet for the animal to try to prevent colic in future. This could include ensuring that they don’t graze in areas where they may unwittingly eat waste materials, such as plastic and cardboard, which could cause deadly blockages.
- Plenty of fresh water: The owners of working animals will also be advised to ensure that their horse or donkey has plenty of access to fresh, clean water so that they can stay hydrated and so that food can pass through their gut easily.
- Dental care: Regular dental care and check-ups are vital, as overgrown teeth can stop animals from chewing and breaking down their food properly which can lead to a blockage in the intestine.
- Parasite treatment: Working animals should receive anti-parasite treatment when needed, as a high presence of parasites can cause problems like colic.
Sadly, our vets regularly treat working animals suffering from colic. Whether they are dehydrated, or they are so hungry they have accidentally eaten something they shouldn’t, the kindness of our charity’s supporters enables our vets to give working animals the emergency treatment they so desperately need. If you’re interested in helping prevent and treat colic in working animals donate to SPANAs Colic Appeal, or learn how you can get involved.