HELP! Colic?? Should i have called the vet...

Question

When i got to the barn today, my horse was laying down.. he was lazy and seemed depressed. When i took him out to groom, he pawed at the ground once and refused a peppermint ( which he LOVES) We put him back in the stall and he didnt touch his hay or grain. I knew these were some signs of colic. Also he hadnts, well pooped. We walked him for a while and a hour later we checked on him. He pooped, he was happy, ate all his food, he was alert and no more laying down. So we didnt bother calling the vet. Is it possible for a horse to feel better that quick. Maybe he just had to get it out of his system. Well any help would be much appreciated, thanks

Answer 1

Many colics are just like when humans experience gas pain....once it is relieved, so is the pain.  I suspect your horse just had a gas pocket or two that moved when he defecated.  I usually keep an eye on the horse over the next 24 hours just to be sure, but I doubt you need to worry.

Answer 2

Well it is possible for colic to resolve on its own so that means it probably wasnt TOO serious but try and find the culprite so it wont happen again.

Answer 3

I dont think so.

Did he roll at all?

Answer 4

Sounds like you were lucky.  Your horse probably had gas if it truly cleared up that quickly.  (They can have a similar reaction to intestinal gas and sometimes a trailer ride to the vet clears it up). Definitely call the vet the next time you see symptoms like that. Colic is the #1 killer of horses...

Answer 5

I was on a trail once where a horse started acting funny like yours was. It laid down on the trail (saddle and everything) and rolled until his rider got upright and could get him up. She walked him down the trail and he was still acting funny. Then he pooped and instantly started acting better. No problems after that. She got back on a finished the 2 hour trail (we were that far from the barn).

I would keep a close eye on him but he will probably be fine.

Answer 6

Sounds like he could have had gas.  Some things to look for in the future that may ease your mind or indicate you NEED to call the vet:

Check for fresh p**p and break an "apple" open ( I know, sounds gross)... is it moist or dry-moist is good, dry may give you an indication, combined with other signs that you'll need the vet.  

Check your horse's gums for capillary refill time. See how long it takes for normal color to return. Quickly is good, delayed is bad.  

Check your horse's gums for moisture content... moist or dry? Moist is good, dry is not.

Take your horse's temperature.  Normal or elevated? Normal good, elevated, or even below normal is not.

Get yourself a stethoscope so you can check gut sounds. Listen to all four quadrants of your horse's gut. Do you hear grumbling noises?  If noise, good... no noise, not good.

I'm typing this assuming you know how to do all these things. If you don't, please get your vet to come out and show you how to check these things. It will certainly help you and your ability to know what to do for your horse. It's easy to learn and so so important!

Answer 7

I really don't think it was colic. From my experiences he just wasn't feeling well.  If he is fine now, dont bother calling a vet. If it really was colic he would be biting at his stomach and rolling.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Pawing the ground, not eating or drinking, looking at his side, laying down and not getting up or rolling are all sign of colic. We did have one get better that quick with a mild case of colic, but the vet still pumped some stuff into his stomach to make sure it was all gone. Good luck and call your vet.

Answer 9

No i dont call the vet immediately as soon as i realise they have colic - UNLESS it immediately looks serious or if it is pregnant, younger or older horse etc.

You did the right things and monitered him and you knew to call the vet if the horse got worse etc, and it does look like he has passed the problem.

The only thing i would have done diff is i would not have feed him unless he just wanted grass, sometimes this can make the prob worse, just because he became hungrey again doesnt mean the prob has passed completely. I would have waited until he he had some natural grass and that i was sure the prob had passed and even then i would give only a small amount to moniter progress after the food.

Colic can come and go just as requickly as each other and are for so many diff reasons. just like us we can have an upset tummy. Continue to moniter your horse and watch for signs of it reoccuring, also think of how it started did you do something different to normal diff food, diff paddock etc etc.that way you can help prevent prob again.

good luck hope your in the clear!