# colic duration



## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

That is actually a really broad question! There are different types of colic:

*Impaction: *caused by food blocking the alimentary canal. 
*Gas: *gas is created faster than it can be absorbed or passed out.
*Spasmodic colic: *irritated gut wall becoming overactive and causing spasms. 
*Twisted Gut: *a twisted gut causes intense abdominal pain. The intestines twist or become twisted around the tissue that attaches them to the walls of the abdominal cavity. This will cause violent colic symptoms. The blood flow in the intestine becomes obstructed.
*Enteritis/colitis: *inflammation of the small or large intestines.
*Sand colic: *Suffered by horses that have been eating sand or grazing on sandy soils. 

Colic can range from mild to life threatining. I think the most severe is the twisted gut.

Depending on the severity of the colic it can take days to weeks, even months for a horse to recover. It was a couple years before my horse was right after his first bout of sand colic....


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## wetrain17 (May 25, 2011)

Agreed. This is a case by case question. Every horse is different. And each episode can be different if you have a horse who is prone to colics. Those horses who are prone to colic should be kept on a very strict routine. Same time to eat, work out, turn out. Every change should be done very gradually.


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## dmorrow (Jul 5, 2011)

*horse colic*

thanks for your reply.
I had hoped it wasn't too overly broad. I know there are many causes/types of colic. I'll explain a little further why I'm asking.
I'm writing a book about a ranch family. One of the incidents in the story is the daughter's horse comes down with colic and the cause of the colic is a mystery, as the usual causes are ruled out. During the period of colic, several developments occur in the story and I did not want to draw out the time period in a manner that is not realistic or authentic.
I also wanted to understand the cues/symptoms that demonstrate that a horse is on the way to recovery from colic.
Thanks again for any input.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Ok well, that helps. mouldy food and changes in the barometric preasure can also cause colic as well as yucky water. Colic is also a broad term that is loosely used to describe a tummy ache as well.

You can also have a horse that is on the road to recovery and doing just awesome suddenly have a set back. Colic can also lead to other issues such as ulcers and scrapes in the lining of the tummy.

So... a horse that is colicing today can be almost a hundred percent tomorrow if it's a light colic and handled quickly enough. In my experience with my colic-er it has taken usually around three days for him to head towards normal, and in that first case it took a couple years and I think that's because he had tummy issues from it. 

A horse can be laying down or rolling or just plain quiet but looking at his tummy and lifting his back leg when he has a colic. As he gets better he'll be standing up and getting a "light" back in his eyes. As he gets better he'll become more and more active. Sometimes they even go off their feed when they colic and as they start to feel better they'll eat a little bit better.

Does that help some?


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## dmorrow (Jul 5, 2011)

Thanks, every detail is helpful. The description you gave of recovery is useful.
From what you have said here and what I have seen on other websites about colic, it sounds like a typical time frame for ongoing horse colic would be about 2 -3 days. Is that correct? I have seen some info on the web indicating that if colic is not resolved within 2 -3 days the horse likely will die. Is that correct? 
You did mention, however, that colic can come and go over a longer time period. Can a horse have an ongoing colic ailment where they just continue to be sick for longer than 3 days?
In the story, I'd like to be able to draw out the period of colic for at least a week, but that doesn't seem plausible based on what I know so far, unless it is a case of regressing and recurring.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

You can draw it out for a week. The initial danger from the colic would likely end in the two to three day period but you can run the risk of fever especially if the lining of the intestines is irritated. Horses can also drop a ton of weight during a bout of colic.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

dmorrow said:


> is the daughter's horse comes down with colic and the cause of the colic is a mystery, as the usual causes are ruled out.


Horses do not 'come down' with colic, nor do they 'get' colic. It's not a virus or a cold. It's an active condition. They colic - very simple term for a very dangerous situation.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

mls said:


> Horses do not 'come down' with colic, nor do they 'get' colic. It's not a virus or a cold. It's an active condition. They colic - very simple term for a very dangerous situation.


hypothetically, colic is a broad term for "tummy ache" in many cases. So... could the horse be "poisoned" and show signs of colic? I mean, wouldn't something like eating acorns cause a colic but that wouldn't be one of the common causes right?


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

...or even buttercups? Take the horse out of the field or away from the toxins and it would get better, put it back and it would get sick?


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