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EQUINE HEALTH
It’s generally best to wait for the veterinarian to come diagnose and treat a colicky horse, since giving a drug like Banamine (flunixin meglumine) to ease the pain may mask some of the signs and make it harder for the veterinarian to effectively assess what’s going on with that horse.
and then cease if there is something serious farther up the tract that is causing blockage or shutdown. An examination of the manure may also give clues. “If it’s very dry and firm, or loose and watery, this can be an indication of problems. Sometimes the manure might have sand in it,” he says.
A history of the horse can be very help- ful. “The horse may have gotten out into an alfalfa field or into the feed room and over- indulged in grain, for instance. One problem we encounter fairly often is change of feed. An abrupt change, or overeating on certain kinds of feeds, or consuming moldy feed or toxic plants can lead to digestive problems and colic,” says Hayden.
“I tell people that if they have a colic sit- uation, they should check vital signs. Every horseman should have a stethoscope and know how to use it. You also need to know what your horse’s normal heart rate and respiration rate is and how to listen to bowel sounds. Even though you might not be able to differentiate between types of breathing and types of pulses and types of gut sounds,
you can count bowel contractions and gurgles—how many per minute. If you have a record (for each horse) what his normal heart rate, respiration rate and gut sound rate is, this gives something to compare to in an emergency. You can check those three things and, after you walk the horse around, check again. If those vital signs aren’t going back toward normal after an hour, call your veterinarian,” he explains. If the horse is violently colic, call the veterinarian sooner.
“Another thing a person should learn how to do—which is helpful in any serious con- dition—is take capillary refill. Lift up the horse’s lip, find a pink spot on the gum (it will be pink in a normal, healthy horse) and press it for a few seconds with your thumb. Take your thumb away and see how quickly it turns pink again. It should turn pink in 2 seconds or less. If it takes three seconds this indicates a little shock, four to five is mild shock, and seven seconds or longer indicates severe shock.” The gums of a shocky horse will also be dark and red/purple rather
than pink.
TREATING TO RELIEVE DISCOMFORT
It’s generally best to wait for the veterinar- ian to come diagnose and treat a colicky horse, since giving a drug like Banamine (flunixin meglumine) to ease the pain may mask some of the signs and make it harder for the veterinar- ian to effectively assess what’s going on with that horse. If, however, it may be awhile before the veterinarian can get there, administering this drug may help keep the horse from rolling violently and damaging himself. Your veteri- narian might prescribe Banamine that you can keep on hand for emergencies.
It is important to administer it correctly. Banamine is most effective when given intravenously. If you don’t know how to give an IV injection, it’s safer to give it orally rather than intramuscularly to avoid possible risk for injection site problems and serious side effects. There are oral pastes, but in an emergency, you can also give the injectable form by mouth (squirted into the mouth) to be absorbed that way. Discuss this ahead of time with your veterinarian to be prepared for colic emergencies.
OUT IN THE FIELD, OR AT A SMALL CLINIC, TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR DIAGNOSING COLIC ARE OFTEN LIMITED TO THINGS SUCH AS
Checking heart rate capillary refill time. Listening to gut sounds with a stethoscope.
110 SPEEDHORSE April 2020