Horse Colic Symptoms and Prevention

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Horse colic symptoms are easy to detect, and can act as an early alert to potentially life-threatening situations. Horse colic is the primary cause of death in horses. Knowing this, we can perform our due diligence in understanding and recognizing early horse colic symptoms. When we sense something is not right with a horse, we can act quickly and intelligently in treating colic, and preventing future occurrences.

The first signs of horse colic you may notice are uneasiness or a change in personality. Just like us, our horses don’t act themselves when their stomachs are in knots. A horse at the beginning stages of colic may be uninterested in food or water, and may act sleepy or dull. Their temperature may be slightly higher than normal, but the respiration and pulse will usually remain stable.

If horse colic is left untreated and persists, the horse may swish its tail, stomp a hind  leg, turn and look at its belly, or nip its sides. It may also roll its eyes, snort, or groan. As the pain increases, the horse may kick its belly and lie on the ground and stretch. It may also stretch as if to urinate, or may make attempts to defecate without success, or may have diarrhea. It may roll lightly, get up and walk in circles, then lie down and roll again. It may also walk aimlessly into fences or walls as the discomfort of equine colic increases. 

As horse colic symptoms worsen, the horse may bite its sides, kick and thrash, and may roll madly. It is important to never allow a horse with colic to roll, as it could twist an intestine and cause serious injury. Encourage the horse to stand up, even if it means yelling at or hitting the horse. However, be very cautious. A horse in severe pain from colic doesn't care what or who you are. The horse may step on you or crush you accidentally. During this time, the horse's sole focus is to rid itself of pain, and it won't be aware of its surroundings. It may walk into walls or fences or step on things. At this point, attempt to catch the horse. If it is rolling, make it stand — then, proceed to walk the horse for around fifteen minutes. 

Ideally, your horse will never reach this later stage of colic development. A natural and time-tested remedy for the prevention of colic used by veterinarians is Coliclenz Plus Pellets.  Click here to learn how ColiClenz works to clean and protect your horse’s digestive tract.

Learn more about horse colic symptoms.

• Pawing and/or scraping 
• Stretching 
• Frequent attempts to urinate 
• Flank watching: turning of the head to watch the stomach and/or hind quarters 
• Biting/nipping the stomach 
• Pacing 
• Repeated flehmen response 
• Repeated lying down and rising 
• Rolling 
• Groaning 
• Excess salivation 
• Loss of appetite