Colic refers to abdominal pain in horses that can have various causes. There are four main types of colic: impacted, flatulent, spasmodic, and twisted gut colic. Impacted colic occurs when the intestines become blocked by food or manure. Flatulent colic is caused by gas buildup in the intestines. Spasmodic colic results from increased intestinal contractions and twisting of the gut can displace portions of the large intestine. Common causes of colic include changes in feeding, stress, parasites, and inadequate forage. Nutritional management to prevent and treat colic involves initially fasting the horse, restricting concentrated feed, ensuring adequate forage intake, and providing plenty of water.

1. Colic
Prevention And Nutritional Management
Submitted By : Bharti Raj
Submitted To: Dr.J.S.Hundal

2. COLIC : What is it?
 Colic is a
relatively common
disorder of the
digestive system.
 Although the
term colic, in the
true definition of
the word, simply
means “abdominal
pain,”

3. TYPES OF COLIC
 Impacted Colic
 Flatulent Colic
 Spasmodic Colic
 Twisted Gut Colic

4. IMPACTED COLIC
 Is the term used when
the the intestines
become blocked by a
firm mass of food or
manure.
 This is a fairly common
type of colic
 It is considered as a
start of a more
complicated case

5. FLATULENT COLIC
 Sometimes gas
builds up within
the intestine most
commonly in the
large intestine and
the caecum .
 The gas stretches
the intestine wall
causing pain.

6. SPASMODIC COLIC
 Some cases of
colic are due to
increased
intestinal
contractions and
abnormal
spasms cause
the intestine to
contract painfully

7. TWISTED GUT COLIC
 This is mostly a result
of a more benign type
of colic
 There is displacement
of a portion in the
abdomen.
 The large unfixed
portions of the large
intestine predisposes
horse to this problem

8. ETIOLOGY
 Often the original cause of colic is
unknown but the most common
causes include
 Irregularities in feeding
 A sudden change of diet
 Gastric upsets or indigestion
 Gas build up
 Too much concentrated feed
 Lack of water

9. ETIOLOGY
 Stress or a stress filled environment
 Too much food or water before or after
exercise
 Worms or the lack of a balanced
worming program
 Gas build up after eating cut or mown
grass.

10. CONDITION OF GRAZING A MAJOR
CAUSE
 In addition the condition of
grazing can play a part,
especially where the
grazing is low and your
horse ingests sandy or dry
soil as it grazes the very
sparse, short grass.
 This can result in sand or
impact colic, essentailly a
build up of soil in the
intestinal tract

13. NUTRITIONAL THERAPY FOR
TREATMENT OF COLIC
 FEEDING ALTERATIONS
 Whenever colic occurs, it is
useful to review any changes in
the horse's management that
may have led to colic, such as
cold weather that may have
decreased water intake or a
change in hay or concentrate
feeding (different source or an
increased amount)
 Fasting for 12-24 hours is a
good practice to decrease the
amount of feed material in the
horse's intestinal tract and allow
the gut to rest.

14. NUTRITIONAL THERAPY FOR
TREATMENT OF COLIC
 Horses can be offered small,
frequent drinks of water to maintain
hydration.
 Most veterinarians will recommend
some period of feed restriction and
decreased concentrate feeding for 1-
2 days after a colic episode.
 Short hand-grazing sessions (5-15
minutes) are excellent to allow some
feed intake, and walking generally
promotes movement of feed through
the intestine.
 If hay is restricted, it can be sprinkled
throughout the horse's stall so that it
takes the horse longer to eat and this
simulates grazing.

15. FEEDING TO PREVENT COLIC
 ROLE OF FORAGE
 Adequate amount of
forage should be
supplied to the horse as
it helps in maintaining
the digestive tract
healthy
 As quality and quantity
of forage decreases,
you have to rely on
grains and supplements,
which by nature are not
as healthy for horse

16. FEEDING TO PREVENT COLIC
 HAY CONTENTS
 Always have a watchful
eye on your hay for
contents that might
cause a horse to colic.
 Moldy hay, for instance
smells musty and some
kinds of moulds produce
toxins which may cause
severe digestive upsets.

17. FEEDING TO PREVENT COLIC
 CONCENTRATES
 Horse should not be feed
on lot of grains i.e.
concentrate diet as their
digestive tract cannot
absorb all the sugar before
it reaches hindgut.
 This directly affects the
micro flora of digestive
tract and leads to digestive
upsets.

18. FEEDING TO PREVENT COLIC
 Hydration
 Horses need plenty
of water to digest
their food properly
 Lack of improper
water supply to
horses lead to
impaction

19. BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Saracenequinews.com
 Thehorse.com