# Gas colic or just gassy?



## AlottaBitCountry (Aug 11, 2012)

ive never had a horse colic of any sort before, so im not sure if my gelding has gas colic or is jusy gassy. i hear his tummy almost making a rumbling sound like as if he were hungry, though i know he isnt because he grazes some and also gets fed on a regular schedule, sometimes not eating it all anyways. i also hear him sometimes making these moaning and groaning sounds, and he is farting stinky farts. he is pooping regular though, and he isnt rolling around and more than usual, i dont even see him doing it very often at all during the week but he does roll occasionally. i dont think he is standing weird or even acting like he is uncomfortable... he has been running around and walking around fine and seems to be relaxed quit often always yawning and proping his foot up.... im not sure how to tell if he is just a bit gassy and making some grunting noises or if he may be starting to or slightly colicy and i just dont know it... 

if it is either or, i would like to give him a little relief of the rumbles im hearing or something to take away some of his gas, unless it isnt affecting him at all.... 

thank you


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

You should hear gas gurgling in your horses belly. That's a good thing. If he's not acting any differently then usual, no signs of pain or uncomfort and is pooping at regular intervals then he is probably fine. Farting and gurgling is a common thing...


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## keysgirl22 (Jan 27, 2011)

You definatly want to hear the bubbly sound from his belly if you didn't then if be a bit worried but he sounds like he's ok. Keep an eye out to be safe but I think your horse is just fine 
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## SaddleOnline (Oct 20, 2011)

Farts and gurgles are good! It means his digestive system is working! If you are worried about him you can always keep a close eye on him for a day or two, but it sounds like since he isn't showing any signs of pain, discomfort or abnormal behavior, he is probably just fine.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

AlottaBitCountry said:


> *sometimes not eating it all anyways. i also hear him sometimes making these moaning and groaning sounds, and he is farting stinky farts.* he is pooping regular though, and he isnt rolling around and more than usual, i dont even see him doing it very often at all during the week but he does roll occasionally. i dont think he is standing weird or even acting like he is uncomfortable... he has been running around and walking around fine and seems to be relaxed quit often always yawning and proping his foot up.... im not sure how to tell if he is just a bit gassy and making some grunting noises or if he may be starting to or slightly colicy and i just dont know it...
> 
> if it is either or, i would like to give him a little relief of the rumbles im hearing or something to take away some of his gas, unless it isnt affecting him at all....
> 
> thank you


What I highlighted in red are key points.

Horses always finish what's in their feed pans, unless something is wrong or the feed has been changed and they don't like the taste of the new feed.

I am going to say "please call the vet". One of my horses started having excessive gas and so smelly it about knocked my non-smelling nose over:shock:

The vet was here to give everyone semi-annual physicals. While this horse runs and cavorts around normally, eats his supplements, hay and grass like he should, something IS wrong with him because his tongue is purple:shock::shock:

The vet said that could indicate a blockage and possibly something in the spleen. Because this horse appears otherwise healthy, the vet took detailed notes from me regarding his diet (including pasture and hay), and he paid special attention to this horse's attitude. He was only out here to do physicals, so will be getting back to me on Mr. Purple Tongue

Kudos to you for thinking the gas and gurgles are out of normal range for this horse.

If the nearly identical thing weren't happening to my horse, I most likely would have commented the same as everyone else.

Instead, I am saying, it might be best to call the vet


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Agree with Walkin, though I'd add 'too large/rich meals' to the reasons that a horse may not finish his ration(I know someone who complains that her horse takes ages to eat & doesn't finish, but she feeds him only once a day(if that) a rich meal of grain, copra, ricebran and soy... about a 10kg meal!!). Horses aren't designed to cope well on large, infrequent meals & starchy diets.

Gut sounds are good/normal & moaning & groaning can be perfectly normal too BUT if the sounds are unusual for your horse - he's just started it, then they can signify problems. If farts are extra stinky, manure is runny or such, hind gut acidosis is one possibility that comes to mind.


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## Spotted (Sep 19, 2012)

If you offer food ( and he hasn't eaten in a while) and he won't eat, its a good sign something is wrong. Also kicking at his belly ( no bugs around ) and pawing, starring at is belly is another sign something is wrong.

Rolling is normal however if he is showing any above signs and rolling, do not let him roll, make him walk. Pooping is good, a horse poops alot in a day, when he pees and it a very small amount, something could be wrong.
stomach noises are good you always want to hear that.
if you feed alot of dry feed/ suplements you may want to add some water, so he doesn't constipate and make sure he has free access to fresh water at all times.
Hope this helps


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

How old is he? For the last 10 years of his life my old QH rumbled, groaned and farted like there was no tomorrow. He was just getting old and not as efficient in his digestion as he had been. He lived to be 32, so that's why I'm asking about age.


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## AlottaBitCountry (Aug 11, 2012)

He is 8yrs old 
And for hay he gets a special mix they usually use for show horses to keep their coats healthy, mixed with just some grass hay. I give one flake of each and mix it all together. And just a small scoop of vitamins morning and night. He grazes some but we had a hard summer here in Nebraska so I would only account for as much as a snack really.. And for the most part e eats it up, especially if I leave it but sometimes he eats a bit then meanders off to do something else or to follow me aroun instead.. I don't see him pawing or kicking or buying at his stomach or looking at it or anything, and his poop is regular consistency not running or anything either.. Maybe I just started noticing his grunts and groans more than before but ill keep an eye on it, and his farts are just stanky horse farts lol Ill have to just watch the next few days but it may just be regular gas and I'm just a worry wart momma
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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

If you are feeding rich alfalfa, yeah, their farts are especially nasty.


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## AlottaBitCountry (Aug 11, 2012)

Wow sorry for all of the incorrect spelling, I replied from my cell phone lol
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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

AlottaBitCountry said:


> He is 8yrs old
> And for hay he gets a special mix they usually use for show horses to keep their coats healthy, mixed with just some grass hay. I give one flake of each and mix it all together. And just a small scoop of vitamins morning and night. He grazes some but we had a hard summer here in Nebraska so I would only account for as much as a snack really.. And for the most part e eats it up, especially if I leave it but sometimes he eats a bit then meanders off to do something else or to follow me aroun instead.. I don't see him pawing or kicking or buying at his stomach or looking at it or anything, and his poop is regular consistency not running or anything either.. Maybe I just started noticing his grunts and groans more than before but ill keep an eye on it, and his farts are just stanky horse farts lol Ill have to just watch the next few days but it may just be regular gas and I'm just a worry wart momma
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


He's probably fine, but nothing wrong with keeping a close eye on him for a few days. Lucky was soooo bad that we rode drag on trail rides so that nobody had to be behind him. You always knew when he was coming up from behind, clop fart clop fart fart, clop fart clop fart fart....got kind of embarassing.


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

What's the 'special mix for show horses'? Horses are built for eating small amounts near constantly & their stomach is very small for the size of the animal. Therefore eating only a small amount of hay & having sparse grazing might also be perfectly normal, so don't stress on that. If the grazing is extremely sparse though, if he seems to go hungry for any period, more hay wouldn't go astray - horses should be eating around 2-2.5%bwt daily minimum.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

The follow-up posts from the OP still sound like she could be talking about my horse.

He does not get grain, his vit/min supplements are in the ounces category and he gets them twice daily. 

Top quality mixed grass hay that is primarily orchard grass (orchard is the norm in my area).

No runny bums and enough manure to just about fill a wheel barrow by himself (he's 16.1H).

*Difference in age, however; my Fella is 18 and my horse's tongue is on the purple side, which is NOT normal:shock:*

Now that I've said all that:

How long do you think your horse has been experiencing excessive gas?

I am trying my darndest to pinpoint "things" for my horse. I THINK it's been about 4 - 6 weeks. <----coming into Fall and the chemicals in the plants are changing.

Since I already know Johnson grass becomes deadly at certain times of the year, and releases cyanide (my eye doctor did an autopsy on one of his cows to prove that), I am wondering if my horse is eating something and slowly poisoning himself:shock::shock:

We have 22 acres and the fence rows are full of stuff. The horses are have been on this land for nine years and nothing has ever happened before but, we were in Severe Drought status until sometime in the summer, so that could have changed things.

OP, you mention your summer was rough up your way, so I am wondering if there's a chance your horse has eaten something in the pasture that is affecting him.

It doesn't matter if there are other horses in your pasture and they are unaffected. I have four horses, they all eat the same and are pastured together, yet I only have one with these issues.

Further to that, what is in the "special hay" for the show horses? Somebody could have changed the mix and it's not agreeing with your horse. I think I would ask for details on what used to be in the mix and what's in it, ever since you started to notice the excessive gas.

At the very least, grab hold of the Lad's tongue and look at the color, then compare it to the other horses. Also, check his gums and compare the color.

I hope it turns out you're making "much ado about nothing" but still, better Safe Than Sorry


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## AlottaBitCountry (Aug 11, 2012)

loosie said:


> What's the 'special mix for show horses'? Horses are built for eating small amounts near constantly & their stomach is very small for the size of the animal. Therefore eating only a small amount of hay & having sparse grazing might also be perfectly normal, so don't stress on that. If the grazing is extremely sparse though, if he seems to go hungry for any period, more hay wouldn't go astray - horses should be eating around 2-2.5%bwt daily minimum.



I'd have to ask again exactly what's in it, we just got it a couple weeks ago. It's a blend of certain grasses, just can't remember which kinds.
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## AlottaBitCountry (Aug 11, 2012)

loosie said:


> What's the 'special mix for show horses'? Horses are built for eating small amounts near constantly & their stomach is very small for the size of the animal. Therefore eating only a small amount of hay & having sparse grazing might also be perfectly normal, so don't stress on that. If the grazing is extremely sparse though, if he seems to go hungry for any period, more hay wouldn't go astray - horses should be eating around 2-2.5%bwt daily minimum.



I'd have to ask again exactly what's in it, we just got it a couple weeks ago. It's a blend of certain grasses, just can't remember which kinds. 

The guy we got it from told my Gpa, but I wasn't there for any of this so all I know is its like a mixture they use for show horses, ill let you know when I talk to him today
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