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Summer colic, spring colic, wind colic, fermentation colic, sand colic – a less beloved child with many names. Sun, summer, and green pastures – that's life at its finest. BUT there is a danger lurking amid this idyll.
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It is crucial to gradually introduce horses to grazing in the spring to combat laminitis and colic, especially if they've been on roughage all winter. But it's also important to consider the AMOUNT of grass and whether the grass is wet or dry.
If you're a horse owner pulling your hair out and thinking you almost need to be an agronomist to figure out the grass situation, you're probably not alone. Horses have been grazing for as long as they've set their hooves on the ground, but much has changed for this beautiful steed. Once, they roamed freely over hundreds of square kilometers, eating various types of grasses. Now, they graze in confined, much smaller areas with far fewer grass types to choose from.
Wind colic, fermentation colic, and gas colic are all terms for the same type of colic, commonly known as “Summer Colic,” which often occurs due to overfeeding on grass, alfalfa, or clover. Statistically, there are more cases of colic in the fall, but during spring and early summer, when the grass grows rapidly due to sun, water, and warmth, the lush and succulent spring grass causes fermentation colic in horses each year. This can escalate severely, leading to intense colic and, in some cases, a fatal outcome.
Summer colic occurs when a horse consumes large amounts of fresh grass with a high content of easily digestible carbohydrates. These accumulate large amounts of gas in the horse’s intestines, which is very painful for the horse. The horse may have such distended flanks and abdomen that it looks as if it has been inflated and is about to explode. It can be so filled with gas that the veterinarian may have significant difficulty performing a rectal examination.
Constipation can occur throughout the horse's digestive system. As mentioned above, the digestive system is long and convoluted, with "hairpin turns" and varying thicknesses. Additionally, any imbalance in the gut's microorganisms can impact constipation.
Constipation in the cecum often arises due to irritation of the intestinal lining, for example, caused by parasites. Similar to the small intestine, this often requires surgery. It is important to take fecal samples at least twice a year and follow the veterinarian's instructions for subsequent deworming to minimize the risk of parasite-induced colic.
Large intestine constipation is the most common and accounts for almost half of all colic cases. This primarily occurs in the fall and winter when horses transition from grass to larger amounts of roughage. During this time, the passage time is longer, so the feed stays in the intestines for a longer period. Horses often drink less when it's cold, stand still more, and spend more time inside. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to support the microbial breakdown in the cecum and large intestine as much as possible to ensure the horse's digestion functions optimally. This is achieved by providing sufficient plant fibers so that bacterial breakdown can occur.
Intestinal twisting is one of the most severe forms of colic and something all horse owners fear. If a section of the intestine twists or changes position in the abdominal cavity, the blood supply to that part of the intestine is reduced or completely cut off. There is no longer any passage of feces past the constricted section of the intestine, leading to an accumulation of manure and gas in front of the affected area. This form of colic requires very swift veterinary treatment, and surgery is often necessary.
When discussing colic, sand colic should also be mentioned. Out of fear of grass-related laminitis, constipation, and obesity, many horses, especially Icelandic horses, and hardy ponies, are put in paddocks with sparse grass. This puts them at a higher risk of accumulating sand in their intestines, along with the associated consequences, compared to warmbloods. Horses and ponies on very sandy or overgrazed, dirt-filled paddocks can, over time, ingest so much sand that the mucous membranes become irritated, making it easy for intestinal inflammation to occur, leading to subsequent abdominal pain. These pains can often be symptomatically treated with medication, but the cause is not removed. When sand continues to accumulate in the horse's digestive tract, it weighs down on the tissues in the abdominal cavity, and the horse's condition often worsens with more frequent pain episodes.
Sand colic is unfortunately often more complex to treat than regular constipation, as it builds up over a longer period, and the sand can have been in the intestines for months or years.
In cases where significant amounts of sand have accumulated in the intestines, surgery may become necessary. Fortunately, there are often good surgical outcomes, provided the intestinal walls are not too affected.
YES – they can!
Therefore, unfortunately, some veterinarians might say that the horse should be euthanized instead of undergoing treatment. This is especially true if the horse is so ill that it is deemed beyond saving with treatment, and attempting to do so would subject the horse to unnecessary suffering. Additionally, if the horse owner cannot afford surgical treatment, euthanasia may sometimes be the solution to the horse’s situation.
The reason a horse can die from colic is that when the horse experiences severe pain, a series of processes occur in the body that poison the horse's system.
The horse's pulse rises, it sweats, and the pain increases, potentially leading to a very painful death, which we should spare the horse from. Occasionally, something in the horse may rupture, causing death, but it is still the aforementioned processes that are the direct cause.
Read also: Is your horse suffering from diarrhea? Here's what you can check yourself
Sources
Christophersen MT, Tnibar A, Pihl TH, Andersen PH, Ekstrøm CT (2011). Sporting activity following colic surgery in horses: a retrospective study. Equine Vet. J. Suppl. 43, 3-6.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2011.00490.x
Niinistö, K. and B. W. Sykes (2022). “Diagnosis and management of sand enteropathy in the horse.” Equine Vet Educ 34(11): 600-606.
https://doi.org/10.1111/eve.13562
Dybkjær E., Steffensen KF, Honoré ML et al. (2022). Short-term survival rates of 1397 horses referred for colic from 2010 to 2018. Acta Vet Scand 64, 11
