What to Do If Your Horse is Colic

If a horse is exhibit colic symptoms, call a veterinarian immediately and keep the horse walking at all times until help arrives. Take the proper precautions when a horse is colic with helpful advice from a veterinarian in this video on caring for horses.

Hi I'm Dr. Joanna Robson. I'm a doctor of veterinarian medicine with Inspiritus Equine Incorporated. I'd like to talk to you about what to do if you suspect that your horse is colicing. If you see that your horse has left feed behind, is kicking and pawing or turning to look at his belly or even dropping and rolling and you suspect colic, most important thing to do call your veterinarian. Never be afraid to pick up the phone no matter what time of day or night, particularly if you have an emergency hospital or a veterinarian on call. Colic can certainly be an emergency. Sometimes they start as very mild and deteriorate very, very quickly so don't be afraid to call your veterinarian. Second most important thing, particularly if you have a horse that's trying to lay down, hand walking. Get a halter on your horse, get a lead rope, start walking as much as you can. If the horse is trying to go down as you're walking, get a helper to help you. Get behind the horse, make sure that you stay safe and don't get in a situation where the horse will step on you, but it's very, very important to make sure that you keep your horse moving at all times. Some people will preemptively give their horse a dose of Banamine, depending on how comfortable you are with this, this can actually be a problem because it can mask signs by the time your veterinarian arrives. So don't administer any medication to your horse unless you've had a chance to talk to your veterinarian on the phone prior to giving any medications. So again if you suspect that your horse is showing signs of colic, call your veterinarian first and foremost. Second, get them moving, get them hand walking, have somebody to help you take turns, take shifts. Third thing, don't administer any medications to your horse unless you've already had a chance to talk to your veterinarian, as giving some non-steroidals or anti-inflammatories or colic medications may actually mask signs that are important to help your veterinarian make a diagnosis when they arrive on the scene.