# Horse acting like colic but pooping?



## natisha

It could be nothing or something serious, but you already know that. 
I had one who presented the same way, she had enteritis (inflammation of the small intestines). That was only diagnosed with ultrasound. She spent a few days in the hospital & turned out fine.

Another had an epiploic foramen entrapment & she couldn't be saved.
Both presented the same way.

I've also had some horses who only had a gas bubble that like your horse resolved on its own.. I would keep an eye on her but not worry too much because most bad things don't get better without intervention.


----------



## mslady254

Sounds to me like shehad an episode of choking that she was able to clear on her own after a bit. It happened right after a feeding, the lowered head and looking worried or not feeling well. Did you happen to hear gurgling sounds from the neck area or did she seem to have a runny nose?

Talk to your vet. If it was a choke then my vet told me once a horse has chocked they will be prone to it from then on. She instructed me to always soak his feed. Choke should be considered an equi equine emerency as it can cause a resulting pneumonia if the foods and fluids spill over into the airway tube when the esophagus is completely blocked. Sonny choked twice and resolved it on his own before I could get the vet on the phone. The third time a vet happened to be at the barn for ano thee horse when it happened. She tubed him to cl ear the blockage and that's when she told me to ways soak any feed. She says they won't choke on hay or grass but I'm not sure if that's the general thoughts on it. Sonny did it on feed and he is a big gulper of his feed, he really overfills his mouth on the first bite before she starts to chew ...he bites into the feed three or four times before chewing. So I also keep a medium sized rock in his feed bowl to slow him down, he never bites the rock, he rolls it around to get it out of his way. It does stop him from gulping the feed down. 

Good luck.
Fay


----------



## Ryle

A colicing horse can pass feces, definitely pass gas and even eat. 
What was her heart rate like before you gave the banamine?


----------



## emily3489

Thanks everyone! 

After talking to my vet about the symptoms and the treatment we gave her (banamine and hand walking) she is doing fine now. Finished her hay, drinking water, passing gas and pooping. 

The vet seemed to think it was gas colic due to the weather changes in our area (60 degrees today, supposed to be a high of 40 tomorrow). 

Thanks so much for your input, my horses never give me any problems, so I definitely need to do some research for the future. I guess I'm just an over reacting horse mom, but we've all been there.


----------



## emily3489

Ryle, her heart rate was about 60 before banamine, so I know she was in pain. Her temp was normal, but when I checked it she DEFINITELY passed gas and that seemed to help her feel a lot better. I'm glad it was a colic that was caught before it got bad and nothing serious. 

Thank you!
-Emily


----------



## aggiegirl14

If you see the problem happening again, consider ulcers.

My horse had an episode of ulcers two summers ago that I originally thought was colic. Same deal, I had ridden her for a while one day and she was fine but after putting her up and feeding her found that she only wanted a couple of bites and then just stood there with her nose almost touching the ground. She is an avid eater so I gave her some banamine and walked her around for about 30 minutes. The banamine kicked in and she seemed much more alert so I removed her feed and put her back up with plenty of water.

The next morning I happily noticed poop in her pen and gave her her normal hay only to to find her nibbling at it but not really eating. Took her to the vet, they flushed her, and sent me on my way. She got home, pooped again, but then went to the corner of the pen and literally got down on her knees like she was about to lay down but just stopped like that... Took her back to the vet so they could monitor her and after about 6 hours they referred me to another vet because they thought she was a candidate for colic surgery. Well, the referral clinic scoped her before they threw her on a table and found she had a grade 3 ulcer in her pyloric region. 30 min after one treatment of Ulcergard and she was devouring a mushy feed mixed up by the vet haha

Your story reminded me of the ulcers because I too mistook it for colic (aside from the fact that she was pooping).


----------



## emily3489

aggiegirl14, I will definitely keep this in mind! If something like this happens again, I'll be sure to ask the vet to check for ulcers. I never have any problems out of her (that's probably why I over react when something does happen lol). I've had her for 7 years and this is only the second time she's ever coliced... EVER! So if it becomes a routine thing I'll know there is definitely something like ulcers going on.


----------



## Yogiwick

Agree-

A horse pooping does NOT mean they aren't colicing. Even with an impaction they often poop (just not normally). Colic means "stomach pain" and can be many different things.

That said I'm not convinced she was colicing. Keep an eye on her. Could be colic, or choke, or ulcers. Sounds like a pain response to eating as opposed to colic imo.

Personally I wouldn't be so quick to walk her as I think it cut into your observation and you may of missed symptoms that could give clues. There are also situations where walking isn't best.


----------



## rbarlo32

My girl coliced this evening she was poohing every 5-10 minutes I've never seen a horse pooh so much.


----------



## Yogiwick

Hope your horse is OK!


----------



## emily3489

Well after a few days of what the vet said was "gassy crampy colic" we found the cause. 

My uncle and I keep the goats (his) and horses (mine) in the same pasture. As we were trying to figure out the cause of this colic (there had been NO change in routine) we were calling him to see if his girls had possibly tried to give the horses something they shouldn't eat. 

Long story short, he had been feeding his goats moldy hay that the horses could get to. We are almost positive this is the cause of the colic. Although we have two horses, the mare (who coliced) is bossy and won't let the other eat unless there is two piles of hay. 

After bran/alfalfa mash and slowly working our way back to her normal diet, she is doing much MUCH better.


----------



## Yogiwick

Moldy hay isn't good for goats either :/.

Glad she's doing better.


----------



## GracielaGata

aggiegirl14 said:


> If you see the problem happening again, consider ulcers.
> 
> My horse had an episode of ulcers two summers ago that I originally thought was colic. Same deal, I had ridden her for a while one day and she was fine but after putting her up and feeding her found that she only wanted a couple of bites and then just stood there with her nose almost touching the ground. She is an avid eater so I gave her some banamine and walked her around for about 30 minutes. The banamine kicked in and she seemed much more alert so I removed her feed and put her back up with plenty of water.
> 
> The next morning I happily noticed poop in her pen and gave her her normal hay only to to find her nibbling at it but not really eating. Took her to the vet, they flushed her, and sent me on my way. She got home, pooped again, but then went to the corner of the pen and literally got down on her knees like she was about to lay down but just stopped like that... Took her back to the vet so they could monitor her and after about 6 hours they referred me to another vet because they thought she was a candidate for colic surgery. Well, the referral clinic scoped her before they threw her on a table and found she had a grade 3 ulcer in her pyloric region. 30 min after one treatment of Ulcergard and she was devouring a mushy feed mixed up by the vet haha
> 
> Your story reminded me of the ulcers because I too mistook it for colic (aside from the fact that she was pooping).


I wanted to ask you/mention about the ulcers-
I will try the short version, lol.
Our gelding colicked in the middle of the night, we had the vet come out, she did everything- got manure on rectal, heard some gut sounds, felt no twists, blockages, etc. Gave shot of Banamine and tubed and oiled. The shot was the first of everything, and he perked up very quickly. She pronounced him as assumed gas colic by symptoms.
We got a tube or oral Banamine from her for possible future episode. 
He had one some 3 months later. So we gave the oral Banamine after checking in with the vet. She said a possibility might be ulcers... 
But here is my question: 
If ulcers, then she said that typically the oral Banamine is super hard on their ulcer ridden guts, and they actually get worse, not better. 
He improved exactly as he should, so together with her, we decided he is prone to gas colic and switched a couple of feed things and added every day probiotic to his stuffs. 

Anyone else know about this concept that oral Banamine can cause ulcers to worsen?
I thought I would put it out there, as she is a very good vet from the best practice in this area, so is very trustworthy in my opinion.


----------



## Yogiwick

Banamine (and bute) are NSAIDs. Which are hard on the stomach. Fact not concept .

If I want to take ibuprofen I MUST eat something with it or I will get sick. I do not have ulcers, just a sensitive stomach.

It can be tricky as stomach pain we assume colic first and foremost.

If he was acting colicy due to ulcers I would expect to see it worsen say directly after eating and to have other symptoms.

We went through this recently with my horse who was acting colicy but with minimal symptoms and gi tract was pretty normal. Vet mentioned ulcers but it was deemed unlikely as there was no reason for him to have ulcers. (He was also very dull acting and while no other symptoms she put him on tetracycline guessing tickborne disease/infection and it cleared things up)


----------



## GracielaGata

Yogiwick said:


> Banamine (and bute) are NSAIDs. Which are hard on the stomach. Fact not concept .
> 
> If I want to take ibuprofen I MUST eat something with it or I will get sick. I do not have ulcers, just a sensitive stomach.
> 
> It can be tricky as stomach pain we assume colic first and foremost.
> 
> If he was acting colicy due to ulcers I would expect to see it worsen say directly after eating and to have other symptoms.
> 
> We went through this recently with my horse who was acting colicy but with minimal symptoms and gi tract was pretty normal. Vet mentioned ulcers but it was deemed unlikely as there was no reason for him to have ulcers. (He was also very dull acting and while no other symptoms she put him on tetracycline guessing tickborne disease/infection and it cleared things up)


Yeah, I always forget that Bamaine is an NSAID!! lol
And to refer back to our gelding, he is never worse after eating, thankfully.  
She was a new-to-us at the emergency colic visit, so had no history with him yet.  I am glad that it seems he was only episodes of gas colic which we seem to have gotten under control with a few small changes, knock on wood. 
My husband and daughter are like you, they can't even eat children's vitamins on an empty stomach. So I hear you there, just hadn't thought of that logic for the poor horse.


----------



## Yogiwick

I'd imagine taking ibuprofen with ulcers would be EXTREMELY painful.


----------

