Summer colic casebook

Colic can occur at any time, but what are the dangers during warmer months? Andrea Oakes investigates

- Andrea Oakes

COMMON CULPRITS

SUMMER digestive disorders are often down to one of three factors…

SUDDEN CHANGE A FLUSH of grass growth can trigger a reaction in the gut and create gassy colic, which can cause the colon to displace or, even worse, to twist – a particular problem with mares who have recently foaled and have extra space in the abdomen.

Impaction colic is not just a winter worry, so try to avoid dietary disturbances such as stabling ponies on straw bedding for a week at camp, or adding electrolytes to drinking water without realising that the horse does not like the taste.

GRASS SICKNESS A POTENTIAL killer, and most common between April and July, equine grass sickness (EGS) is a degenerative disease of the nervous system that results in impaired motility of the gut.

INTERNAL PARASITES MODERN de-wormers have reduced colic risk, but anthelmintic resistance is increasing. Encysted small redworm – also called strongyles or cyathostomins – are a particular threat, lying dormant in the gut lining before emerging en masse to cause diarrhoea, colic and often death.

Targeted de-worming is a must and poo-picking, however tedious, is beneficial.

WE’RE familiar with the risk of impaction colic in winter, when the move to an indoor lifestyle – together with a drier diet, possibly less exercise and often less inclination to drink – can combine to bring a horse’s intestinal movement to a grinding halt.