# Chronic low grade colic??



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

So sorry you are going through this . Colic is just such a nightmare since you don't know if you should be really worried or not.

One thing, I haven't really seen horse park out, as if to pee, when colicking, but then I've only seen colic 4 times.

Could he have a bladder or urinary tract related infection.?


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Even the most laid back horses can develop ulcers. My 28 year old Arab deals with mild gastric ulcers because he is the passive leader (2nd behind the strong alpha), sick bay babysitter, and frets a lot

Your horse could have *hind gut ulcers* and he could have hanging lipomas to go with those hind gut ulcers; "could have" being the operative. Ulcergard generaly doesn't help with this type of ulcer. The last thing you want to do, at this point, is worm him again.

They DO cause colic. My TWH was 25, had never had so much as a tummy twinge his entire life, rock solid full of go, yet colicked nine times in 2012.

Get your completely off grain, ration balancers, and everything else that is hard on the stomach. Include his meds unless it would be life-threatening to remove them.

My horse ultimately wanted to stop eating. He also has equine metabolic syndrome, so he was already on a strict and very bland diet.

I was about to lose him so I went way outside the box to get him eating again.

If your horse is still willing to eat:

Buy timothy/alfalfa cubes and soak them really well. Have your mom hand mush them literally down to wet grass so he doesn't choke and so his digestive tract will immediately start to digest the "wet grass".

Tractor Supply sells Standlee brand; I have been using their cubes and pellets four years and have never gotten a dusty or bad bag of anything

If she can feed him three times a day, that would be terrific but, two times daily minimum. Weigh out one dry pound of cubes and start them soaking - this time of year, I put mine in the refrigerator (for the next feeding) so they don't sour because they will sour in the heat.

Let him have all the hay he can eat, preferably nothing stemmy- I sorted thru, looking for as much of "the fluffies" as I could get my hands on, every day.

Right at feeding time add one household measuring cup of equine rice bran. Tractor Supply sells Max-E-Glo by Manna Pro, just check the expiration date on the bag.

Even though my horse has endocrine issues with elevated insulin levels, I had nothing to lose (the vet told me that:-( so I put apples and carrots in the blender, chopped them down as fine as a I could. In the beginning, I added 3/4 of an 8-ounce measuring cup to the feed pan but increased that to a full 8-ounce cup at each feeding.

At my vet's recommendation, I also started my horse on Succeed, which is an all-natural oat-based product geared toward hind gut ulcers.

SUCCEED Digestive Conditioning Program Equine Supplement SUCCEED Equine

Valley Vet sells Succeed for $99.95 for a 30 day supply with free shipping.

Heartland Vet sells Succeed for $179 for a 60 day supply with free shipping.
Succeed Granules - HeartlandVetSupply.com

If you try a 30 day supply from Valley Vet and it works, I would switch to Heartland to save $9/month as your horse is going to be on this a long time, if it works:-|

Succeed is keeping my horse alive. He' been on Succeed since 2012. I tried taking him off, and he got colicky within 48 hours, so he's back on it for the rest of his life.

I still turned him out every day on 20 acres, he is the strong alpha leader, so confining him would have only compounded his issue. Thankfully, I'm retired so I could watch him all day.

All this assuming he may be dealing with hind gut ulcers and possibly hanging lipomas.

My vet still shakes his head when he gives this horse a physical, and always says "you got really lucky with this horse" -- who will be 27 in October, has the slickest coat in the barn, is at good weight for his age/metabolic issues, and you'd never know to look at him that I nearly lost him to colic two years ago :shock:


Best of luck with your fella


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

Tapeworms can cause recurring low grade colic. A dose of Equimax should bring relief if they're the culprit.


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## amigoboy (Feb 14, 2014)

Strainge the vet did not IV at once if the horse was dehydrated?


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## BugZapper89 (Jun 30, 2014)

there is always a chance of torsion colic , which i have seen displacement from thrashing occur. Syringe water is big waste of time. A dehydrated horse needs a case of fluids IV at least once a day if not twice. How much fluid IV did your vet give


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## BugZapper89 (Jun 30, 2014)

amigoboy said:


> Strainge the vet did not IV at once if the horse was dehydrated?




A vet that did that at my barn, wouldnt be a vet here for long. MY vet leaves me with cases of fluid


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

tinyliny said:


> So sorry you are going through this . Colic is just such a nightmare since you don't know if you should be really worried or not.
> 
> One thing, I haven't really seen horse park out, as if to pee, when colicking, but then I've only seen colic 4 times.
> 
> Could he have a bladder or urinary tract related infection.?


I'll mention it to the vet, but he does have other colic symptoms too. I have seen colics where they park out, but definitely it won't hurt to ask. He has not progressed to full blown colic (thrashing around, up and down or anything like that) and has parked out when at his worse and we instantly give him banamine. Thank you it is hard, as I said I was worried but thought he'd be better in a day or two and now I'm REALLY worried


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

walkinthewalk said:


> Even the most laid back horses can develop ulcers. My 28 year old Arab deals with mild gastric ulcers because he is the passive leader (2nd behind the strong alpha), sick bay babysitter, and frets a lot
> 
> Your horse could have *hind gut ulcers* and he could have hanging lipomas to go with those hind gut ulcers; "could have" being the operative. Ulcergard generaly doesn't help with this type of ulcer. The last thing you want to do, at this point, is worm him again.
> 
> ...


OK I do follow you but he has NO other colic symptoms, is a happy social horse, has a run in 24/7, and since the pasture has been good (several months) has been out on it free choice all day.
I guess you could call him a passive leader? But when he was in a big herd he wasn't and he's not really a worrier.
Did your TWH have any other symptoms?
His normal diet is 1 qt of a basic grain (don't know the ratios of the top of my head, basic pellet grain) and a large flake 2x/day and grass all day. As of last night we stopped the grain in case of ulcers. He does not get medicine regularly. He's just been getting banamine as needed this past week. 3x at first then once yesterday).

The cubes are a great idea! Which kind did your horse prefer? We had some awhile ago for our old horse and they didn't really like the alfalfa for some reason. Cubes or pellets?

I will definitely mention that to the vet, we talked about "ulcers" but nothing specific. I haven't called my parents yet but my mother was supposed to get gastro guard first thing.

I did mention feeding a lunch (have multiple times before this, esp in the winter) but she's not willing to and it's too far for me to go every day just to throw them a flake each.

Thanks for your help


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

deserthorsewoman said:


> Tapeworms can cause recurring low grade colic. A dose of Equimax should bring relief if they're the culprit.


Some more information on the worming-

What it's supposed to be-
all wormed every 8 weeks ivermectin
2x/year (spring and fall) double dose of strongid

what it is/has been the past few years (can't believe I didn't notice but I will fix this)
take fecals on 2/4 (NOT all 4!) horses
worm all 4 horses based on those fecals
do this 1x annually.

(While I do not put down people with fecal based programs it's not what we are supposed to be doing and that also isn't how you do it..)

Desi has NOT had a fecal done in at least a year (I'm thinking more than a year cause he's always the easy keeper so she didn't bother)
He was wormed a month and a half or so ago, double dose of strongid.
Wormed last week with ivermectin.
No other worming for a year.

Would this be enough on a visibly healthy horse to cause an impaction? Are there any other worms that will not be covered by this? This is what was suggested by our vet and trainer and has always worked well for us, obviously it's supposed to be done more regularly.

ETA I do not plan on worming again at this time. He was wormed recently. If there's anything that is may be beneficial to worm for I will run it by the vet but due to his current condition don't want to load him up, she also suspects there may be an impaction due to the sudden disposal of worms and or ulcers neither of which would be helped by additional worming. I will definitely take any advice offered though! For the future or to talk to my vet about now.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

amigoboy said:


> Strainge the vet did not IV at once if the horse was dehydrated?


I trust our vet, she obviously thought it wasn't necessary and he would pick up quickly, which he did. He has been drinking on his own and is less dehydrated though we have been syringing him water just for extra.

The concern was the dehydration would cause an impaction which it almost did but we caught it in time. It has been very hot and humid here.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

BugZapper89 said:


> there is always a chance of torsion colic , which i have seen displacement from thrashing occur. Syringe water is big waste of time. A dehydrated horse needs a case of fluids IV at least once a day if not twice. How much fluid IV did your vet give


Horse did not get IVs but the dehydration is mostly resolved at this time. I agree syringing doesn't do much, but again the vet obviously did not feel IVs were necessary and I trust her and he has picked up ok, however the colic has not resolved.

Our vet is very good, I know her personally and she treats many BIG fancy show barns in the area as well as being the vet for every knowledgeable horse person I know in the area. We talked about putting a horse that needed it on IVs (we ended up putting that horse down, she had multiple issues and was 26) it's not like she's anti-IV or anything.

I had to look up torsion- it's the "proper" name for a twisted gut, right?

The horse was never at the point of thrashing, just a little pawing and stretching out. He has very low grade colic, which is difficult because there's not much the vet can do that we haven't done. Hate to say it but I almost wish it would get worse so we could be, ok this is the problem- fixed! But at this point if it suddenly got worse it would likely be very bad..

Rectal was normal except for the colon being displaced which was pushed right back easily.

He has been lying down a lot but lying down quietly just resting (though it's unusual for him to do that so often and he does it in random spots it's not normal resting.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I did read all the posts beyond this one.

If he hasn't had a fecal done in a year, I would take one to the vet. It isn't the fact that he's an easy keeper. Some horses, due to their immune systems are high shedders, regardless of how plump they are

It sounds as if this horse might be operating on a weakened immune system, so a fecal to the vet would at least lay that issue to rest




Yogiwick said:


> OK I do follow you but he has NO other colic symptoms, is a happy social horse, has a run in 24/7, and since the pasture has been good (several months) has been out on it free choice all day.
> I guess you could call him a passive leader? But when he was in a big herd he wasn't and he's not really a worrier.
> 
> Did your TWH have any other symptoms?*Not really. One day I was watching him up on the ridge, from the kitchen window. Literally before my eyes, he just flat out dropped to the ground. BOOM! It was like somebody shot him. I grabbed the Banamine & halter and went out on the 4-wheeler. It took about ten minutes to get him standing and 20 minutes to make a five minute trip back to the barn. I kept him in the run-in stall until his alpha self felt well enough to holler for the other three. I re-haltered him and took him to where they were. We have 20 acres of hills and I didn't want him stressing over which direction to look first.*
> ...


:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

walkinthewalk said:


> I did read all the posts beyond this one.
> 
> If he hasn't had a fecal done in a year, I would take one to the vet. It isn't the fact that he's an easy keeper. Some horses, due to their immune systems are high shedders, regardless of how plump they are
> 
> ...



Yes I spoke with my mother and would like the vet to do a fecal next time she's out (if he's magically better and she doesn't come out we will bring one to her) I definitely agree with you, just wish I had known.. I go out an we worm so I don't realize he hasn't been wormed for awhile I just assume the timing lined up for when I was out. :/

I wanted to ask you- after he ate when he was feeling miserable his stomach had VERY loud gurgling, do you have any experience with that? He looked crampy and very uncomfortable. After he did pick at the hay (which isn't normal, he's a good eater and doesn't play with his food). I'm starting to think maybe it is ulcers, just odd there's no other symptoms.

Yes he's getting banamine for the colic and that's it for extras, he didn't get it until the symptoms started of course. He has been on bute in the past (never sick but very good at hurting himself) but never super long term and never seemed colicy from it. Which brings me to the point- this horse does not show pain, he will bang up his entire leg and not limp and just stand there loose as I clean it and bandage and stuff. I get it's a different kind of pain but it's scary to see him acting so miserable! He definitely does not get regular meds though, of any sort.

They ALWAYS get fed twice a day. I would like 3 (esp in the winter with no grass) but they do always get 2. My mother and I don't always see eye to eye but they are well taken care of overall. She does have horse experience.

Thank you for all your help, you've given me several good ideas. I will definitely talk to the vet and try the cubes.


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

Usually fecals are done of all horses and wormed are the ones that have the highest count, with the corresponding drug.

Re tapes...I bought a filly, my friend had her sister, same breeder, and both mildly colicked off and on, After a grain meal, just looking miserable, laying down quietly, no rolling or thrashing. Vet didn't have a clue why. Then one day I found a tape worm segment in a fresh poop. I followed everyone(9) for an entire day and sure enough, the filly was the one. She was wormed with Praziquantel, and was fine ever since. Told my friend, she did the same thing, her filly never colicked again. Just something to run by the vet.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Yogiwick said:


> Yes I spoke with my mother and would like the vet to do a fecal next time she's out (if he's magically better and she doesn't come out we will bring one to her) I definitely agree with you, just wish I had known.. I go out an we worm so I don't realize he hasn't been wormed for awhile I just assume the timing lined up for when I was out. :/
> 
> I wanted to ask you- after he ate when he was feeling miserable his stomach had VERY loud gurgling, do you have any experience with that? *Yes, with two of the ulcer horses. It is normal to put your ear to a horse's tummy and hear the digestive process after they eat.*
> 
> ...


*One pound of dry weight cubes will double in weight if enough water is added.*

*I soak for two horses twice daily. During the grassy months, I weigh out 2-3/4 lb for each feeding, put the water just covering the tops of the cubes and stick it in the refrigerator so it doesn't sour.*

*I have a bigger container I dump the cubes in at feeding time and hand mush them down to wet grass.*

*The 13.3H Arab gets about 1-1/2 pounds of what is now ~5-1/2 lbs of wet hay cubes and 14.2H TWH with the hind gut ulcers gets the rest.*


*You might want to get your mom a gift card for a massage or her favorite shopping place. I can promise you, your head is going to be in the middle of those cubes at some point, during the mushing process. That hand mushing gets old really fast. I've been doing for 2+ years with no end in sight- lollollol.*

*The shorter horse at the left (liver chestnut) is the TWH with hind gut ulcers, suspected lipomas, Equine Metabolic Syndrome, and pretty bad hock/ankle arthritis on the LR. He was 25 when he had the nine colics; he will be 27 this coming October. His tail miraculously drags the ground by about 18" and I don't do a thing to promote that.*

*I took this picture May 27th. It was right after supper and he is zoned out in front of the tub fan.*

*Meaning, this is why the vet doesn't want to stress him by hauling him to the university. He's doing better than anybody could have hoped for. He's my heart horse of nearly 24 years so we just chug along, continuing to do things outside the box that make sense (and some that don't), and taking things one heartbeat at a time *

*Hang in there - you will get your issues figured out, too. Vets can't be 100% spot on, plus many of them won't veer from what they've learned in their textbooks. That's why I like these forums - one can learn a lot of unorthodox and safe ways to fill in the blanks*


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I would be worried about lipoma's - especially given his age and they do seem more common in horses that tend to get overweight. They can just simmer along unnoticed and give a horse mild colic attacks like the one your horse has just suffered.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Tapeworms- he not "on and off" actually mild colic symptoms have happened once or twice but it's not like he's ok in between. I will mention it to the vet but isn't Strongid supposed to get rid of tapeworms? The lying down part does sound like my guy.

Stomach gurgling- yes he had several very loud gurgles, I was standing near his head and they were surprisingly loud- I've never heard a horse (or person) gurgle that loud. He also seemed to have some cramping? at that time and was clearly miserable.

Yes, he definitely has a high pain tolerance and is one tough pony, that's why it's so distressing to see him like this, obviously something is very wrong.

Thanks WITW for all the info on the cubes. It wouldn't hurt him anyways (I'm now wondering if I should get some timothy for my Cushings/IR guy as he is thin) I appreciate your help. Yes I do feel a little guilty for my mother doing all the work but when I suggest moving them closer to me so I can take over she very clearly objects lol. She does a good job with them overall and they are loved. 

Your boy is so handsome. He looks happy and healthy (as in shiny and fat, beyond the issues lol) that's so much more important at that age. It sounds like you are on the right track with him.

You're right- I've dealt with plenty of sick horses and always brag about how mine never have issues and now when my heart horse is sick I don't know what to do.

It's frustrating because a lot of the symptoms don't match and there's nothing major that stands out, which is why the vet is going back and forth.

Lipomas- I did some basic research and it suggested that lipomas can cause strong sudden attacks and also that no correlation has been found with the horses weight. While I describe my boy as an easy keeper we keep him at a good weight and actually atm he is a tad thin (though he has dropped a lot with the issues and I'm sure will drop more before we're done :/)


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Update- vet came out Friday morning. Desi is about the same, just wanted to get the vet out before the weekend. Basic exam shows still slightly dehydrated (but not severe like before) everything else "within normal" again. Despite the lack of fever the vet is leaning towards a tickborne disease due to how lethargic he is. The vet feels ulcers are unlikely (agree he does not have any "causes" or traditional symptoms) though after posting on here and doing some research I am wondering if maybe he does have them?

Apparently he is acting mostly normal like before... lying down a lot but quiet, doing his usual routine for the most part but more time spent up near the barn as opposed to down in the field than usual. The thing is he's just so out of it. Like he does his normal routine but he does it robotically just because it's his routine. You must understand, he's an Arabian, everything is done very happily and enthusiastically  He is fun loving and social and interactive and now he's just so robotic. Which is why I love my vet, she gets it when my mom says "Desi lost his sparkle" as opposed to another vet who may just be like "yeah he seems a little subdued today"

So Doxycycline was started this morning. 2x/day and Mylanta and probiotics at lunch for his stomach. I believe he is back on grain (need to talk to my mom on this) and normal hay/grass rations. The vet did not believe it was "colic" persay (though there was definitely some gut issues Thursday night! :/). Unless he suddenly gets worse again we will call the vet Monday and see how he is then.


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

keep us updated.....


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

I definitely will and I appreciate all the suggestions.

Vet feels there is some sort of infection going on.

He was colicy again tonight. Lay down after grain and ate his hay lying down (NOT normal, I know it is for some horses) It seems to be at night when he acts like his stomach is bothering him.. I joked we should make an appointment in advance for tomorrow night with the vet.. but seriously every time she comes out his gi tract is normal.


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

If he gets uncomfortable at night after his grain, I'd withhold it and watch. If he remains okay, then it's definitely the stomach.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

BUT he gets grain in the am and hasn't had any specific issues then :/ I don't know what that means..? It's only at night.

Also Tues and Weds he was (relatively) issue free and still getting grain at that time.


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

What is he eating overnight, and during the day? Could he be eating more at night and therefore not have the tummy pain in the morning when eating grain? I'm just guessing here......


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

One other thing comes to mind... his teeth? I've seen a horse literally drop as if colicking, after eating it's gain, it needed teeth done, had a bad hook that cut him when eating grain, but not with hay.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

He gets hay (a big flake or two) and grain am and pm. During the day he has access to pasture. At night we shut them up near the barn (dry lot). In theory he has more in his stomach at night. Typically the boys stay out all day and come running up to the barn at dinner time. (He has been hanging out in the barn more since this started though)

Hmm interesting with the teeth.. The vet (same vet) checked him...I want to say beginning of June? Maybe May? (This spring at shots) and I'm pretty sure he did get floated. I can check the records but she definitely checked him either way. I can try to check them myself just to rule that out.


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## squirrelfood (Mar 29, 2014)

Ok.....horse comes off grass (natural moisture) to hay at night (dried) and only has this issue at night. Vet states the horse is a little dehydrated. Bet you use salt blocks rather than loose salt. There may be a simple solution to this. Try adding a heavy tablespoon of salt to the evening feed, or even 2 tablespoons. I'm assuming they have plenty of fresh water available?


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

If you don't already do it I would soak the hay for a few hours before you feed it
Its easy to forget that pound for pound grass has way more water content than hay so a lot of it just gets peed out which means a lot less bulk going through the digestive system and if he does have a slight obstruction somewhere from cancerous type growth(s) it could be struggling to get past it


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

squirrelfood said:


> Ok.....horse comes off grass (natural moisture) to hay at night (dried) and only has this issue at night. Vet states the horse is a little dehydrated. Bet you use salt blocks rather than loose salt. There may be a simple solution to this. Try adding a heavy tablespoon of salt to the evening feed, or even 2 tablespoons. I'm assuming they have plenty of fresh water available?


The issue is _mostly_ at night. He is lethargic and uncomfortable 24/7 but only shows "colic" symptoms at night (aka it gets worse and he paws etc).

Yes we do use the blocks and have never had an issue, we see them licking plenty (well not too much! lol). I used to put blocks in the feeders so they had to get some but now there's a big one on the floor that got moved to his stall.

I was actually talking to my mother about adding salt to his diet regularly (he doesn't drink a ton on his own, just one of those horses, however has never had an issue previously). The dehydration is under control at this point, we are just making sure to keep an eye on it. The vet hasn't mentioned it but I will bring it up when I talk to her. I don't want to make any changes at this point without an OK.

Yes, all the animals have free choice clean fresh easily accessed water available..

There is definitely more than the dehydration going on (and I wonder if that is stemming from whatever the problem is).

Jaydee, yes the grass has been our focus due to the liquid content (for the dehydration) but I didn't really think about it in the reverse. The more severe symptoms don't seem to be related to the hay at all (come on before or he will lie down then nibble the hay, now his new thing). It definitely won't hurt to soak it (we do it for our IR guy if the hay is rich), at the least more water for him. I will try that .

UPDATE- about the same Saturday


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I soak all my hay other than in the freezing weather when I can't do it - it helps with hydration and dilutes the sugar content as well for my easy keepers. 
I have found someone here (my current hay supplier) that's making nice haylage and thinking about getting some analyzed for sugar levels compared to that in the hay and feeding that in the winter when I can't soak.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Update-
Due to how lethargic the horse was (VERY abnormal) the vet felt there must be some sort of infection. Possibly tick borne but almost definitely some infection.

He was put on tetracycline, figuring it wouldn't hurt either way. He slowly perked up, colic went away, now he's pretty much normal.

Very frustrating as it's one of those things you really want to know why. Not knowing the why, esp in an older horse I'm concerned about it coming back.

The 30 days are almost over now so I guess we will see.

Thank you everyone for the great ideas, some things to think about even if they weren't "the" problem.

Any ideas for infection causing mild colic/gi issues?


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## mrsgrubby (Jul 6, 2014)

How is he doing? Has he been completely back to normal these past couple weeks?


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

He's been fine since my update. Finished the meds by now. Hopefully he remains fine! I guess we may never figure out what happened, definitely interesting symptoms.

Thanks for checking up


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

Yogiwick said:


> Tapeworms- he not "on and off" actually mild colic symptoms have happened once or twice but it's not like he's ok in between. I will mention it to the vet but isn't Strongid supposed to get rid of tapeworms?


Strongid doesn't get tapeworms. The only dewormers that do are the ones paired that contain praziquantel (Equimax, Quest Plus, and Zimecterin Gold)

My horse just coliced a couple weeks ago and one of my vet's recommendations was to deworm for tapeworms just in case.

Another thing that I don't think has been mentioned yet (didn't read through all the posts yet) is the possibility of sand colic. You can do a one week "sand purge" with a psyllium product like Sand Clear as a precautionary measure as well (won't hurt anything if he doesn't have sand)


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## squirrelfood (Mar 29, 2014)

Last time I had one like this, also Arabian, it turned out to be entroliths. Had a big one blocking her intestine.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

Yogi, I did the 2 weeks of sand clear and I recently put my 32 yr old on pro biotics after his colic, and turned him loose onto the pasture with another old horse. He is doing better being turned loose. i feed him soaked beet pulp at nite with a splash of corn oil in it, as that is what he will eat. Plus the wetted sr feed, and alfalfa molasses granules , which he prefers over the shreds.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

verona1016 said:


> Strongid doesn't get tapeworms. The only dewormers that do are the ones paired that contain praziquantel (Equimax, Quest Plus, and Zimecterin Gold)
> 
> My horse just coliced a couple weeks ago and one of my vet's recommendations was to deworm for tapeworms just in case.
> 
> Another thing that I don't think has been mentioned yet (didn't read through all the posts yet) is the possibility of sand colic. You can do a one week "sand purge" with a psyllium product like Sand Clear as a precautionary measure as well (won't hurt anything if he doesn't have sand)


He gets a double dose of Strongid for the tapeworms. I understood (in a double dose) that Strongid would take care of it and the little googling I have seems to back that up. Am I wrong? :-|

Since he's been fine I don't think I will do Sand Clear just yet. If this starts up again I will try it and either way I plan on doing the "poop test" soon. Definitely something I'd like to start as a maintenance thing but right now money is tight so unless something tells me he does need it I will wait. While the paddock is sandy the rest of the pasture is not and he eats in his stall. Thank for mentioning it!


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

squirrelfood said:


> Last time I had one like this, also Arabian, it turned out to be entroliths. Had a big one blocking her intestine.


I hope it isn't anything like that :/

He has responded to antibiotics and has been fine since (granted it's only been a month or so). Does that sound similar to your mare?


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

stevenson said:


> Yogi, I did the 2 weeks of sand clear and I recently put my 32 yr old on pro biotics after his colic, and turned him loose onto the pasture with another old horse. He is doing better being turned loose. i feed him soaked beet pulp at nite with a splash of corn oil in it, as that is what he will eat. Plus the wetted sr feed, and alfalfa molasses granules , which he prefers over the shreds.


He is on probiotics and is out 24/7 (either paddock with run in or the same open to a pasture) with 3 other horses that he gets along with.

He is back on grain, though I would like to add beet pulp since he's a little thin after his ordeal. He doesn't need that much grain so would like to supplement otherwise.

Interesting, I did not know about "alfalfa molasses granules" are those basically the same as cubes? or more like beet pulp?


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

Yogi.. they are crumbles.. sorry I put granules.. it looks like crumbled up chocolate . 
I think they are King feed brand. I don't look at brand names , I read the labels ,
Sider loves the stuff. If the feed store is out of the crumbles and i have to get the regular alfalfa molasses . ,
Sider has tooth loss and i think the crumbles are easier to gum , all his feed has to be wetted. 
This combo has kept him in some weight the a+m Crumbles, sr feed, beet pulp, hay and pasture that he can gum .


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Ahh you are in Cali. Must be why I haven't heard of it. I think I can order it online but could probably get something similar close by if I need to. Desi's teeth are good so hopefully I don't need to worry about feeding mush just yet! He *should* pick up weight nicely with some more grain and maybe the beet pulp. He's always been an easy keeper so I will be concerned if he doesn't.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

I always soak the beet pulp at least 2 hrs . It helps keep them hydrated, and it does swell a lot.
Sider lost his teeth due to a poor horse dentist and of course age. I only use the Vets now. 
he is TB big horse 17h. always needed extra feed since I have had him since age 18, He had been raced until age 13, then used in Idaho at a cattle ranch, then to the rescue where I got him.


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