Page 88 - Barrel Stallion Register 2024

VETERINARY VIEWS
IN THE EVENT OF COLIC
by Nancy S. Loving, DVM
Colic is one of the most feared emergencies a horse owner can face. There is value in examining some of the
actions that can make a difference in a horse’s outcome when faced with intestinal distress. I will describe a real-life example below to give you some food for thought on steps that are important for managing a colic crisis.
You will be given two points of view: from a veterinarian and a horse owner.
THE VETERINARIAN’S EVENING
It’s a cold winter night, the kind of evening that most folks would like to do nothing more than sit by the fire, feet up, sipping a cup of something. On such an evening, this tranquil scene is ruptured by the ringing phone. It’s a call from a client who has been watching her colicky horse for a while, with no improvement seen. He’s sweating, pawing and anxious. “What should I do?” she asks. “Should I give him some Banamine?”
This is the standard question posed by clients faced with a colicky horse but more often than not it is phrased as, “I gave him some Banamine paste already. Now what?” Hopefully after reading this, you will be more cautious about administering anything prior to speaking with your veterinarian. (See below for a discussion on the downsides of administering oral Banamine for a colic.)
In this case, my client Pat is knowledgeable and someone with whom I’ve worked (and educated) for many years. In the past, she has had multiple serious colic episodes in various horses that necessitated aggressive medical
treatment and intravenous fluids. Over the phone, she rattles off the horse’s current vital signs, information that is greatly appreciated. I suggest that she lunge him in the round pen for about 10-15 minutes at a vigorous trot – this works quite often to relieve a simple gas colic. She asks me to come regardless, so off I went.
When I arrived, the gelding was no longer in as much distress, but still depressed and feeling poorly. The physical exam yielded favorable information – pink and moist mucous membranes, capillary refill time two seconds, borborgymi (sounds of intestinal movement) present in all intestinal quadrants albeit somewhat reduced in intensity and not as progressively motile as normal. His heart rate measured 52 bpm, and respirations 20 per minute. Once I had achieved a full assessment of his clinical signs, I gave the horse an intravenous dose of 250 mg Banamine. After passing a nasogastric tube, I administered psyllium, electrolytes, DSSO (a surfactant to break down gas) and water through the tube, and happily there was no reflux.
The horse perked up and wanted to munch hay immediately following this treatment, so it didn’t seem necessary to pursue a rectal examination. A rectal exam
One reason it is best not to give it as an oral paste in the face of colic is the lag time to reach its pharmaceutical peak. Oral administration is measured in hours, not minutes, as with an intravenous (IV) dose, making it difficult to assess
a horse’s response.
is extremely helpful for a thorough diagnostic workup if horse does not respond quickly to a small dose of Banamine and stomach tubing with laxatives.
My relieved client asked questions about the Banamine, and I explained to her its value as a powerful drug to control colic pain. However, I also discussed the many reasons it is best not to give it as an oral paste in the face of colic:
• The lag time to reach its pharmaceutical peak from oral administration is measured in hours, not minutes as with an intravenous (IV) dose, making it difficult to assess a horse’s response.
• Intestinal motility in a colicky horse is usually sluggish or may be absent, furthering the delay of medication uptake and potentially delaying appropriate treatment.
• A dose that is labeled for musculoskeletal pain use (500 mg) is strong enough to mask an underlying surgical condition so for colic,
Lunging in a round pen for about 10-15 minutes at a vigorous trot can often work to relieve simple gas colic.
86 SPEEDHORSE