Managing Your Horse After an Episode of Colic
General Information

As a horse recovers from an episode of colic, you must carefully monitor the animal for recurrence of colic. There is no way to predict if and when colic will recur, so you must be alert to any signs of another colic episode.

Important Points in Treatment

Check your horse for signs of colic every (Ask your Vet) hour(s). if possible, measure the heart rate and listen for intestinal sounds.

Hand walk your horse for minutes every (Ask your Vet) hour(s).Provide access to fresh water at all times. Do not offer hay or other feed until your horse passes manure.

Allow your horse to graze fresh grass for (Ask your Vet) minutes every (Ask your Vet) hour(s).

Offer your horse bran mash (Ask your Vet) time(s) per day. Add a handful of grain and 2 tablespoons of Lite salt to a 1-lb coffee can of bran, then mix with warm water to a paste consistency.

About 12 hours after colic signs have subsided, feed half of the usual amount of feed and lightly exercise your horse. After 24 hours of normal intestinal sounds and normal passage of manure, feed and exercise your horse as usual.

After this episode of colic resolves, we should evaluate the following:

____Feeding program
____Deworming program
____Dental health:
____Prevention ingestion of sand
____Water intake
____Gastrointestinal diagnostic tests
____Other

Call Our Office If.
You have any questions concerning this bout of colic or recurring signs of colic.

Ask your Vetrinarian how soon we should recheck your horse.

CONCEPTION TO 6 MONTHS
Exercise: normal; Nutrition: mineralized salt, pasture, alfalfa or grass hay, grain 0.5-1.5 lb/100 lbs body weight as needed.

6 MONTHS TO BIRTH
Exercise: free; Nutrition: cal-phos supplement, protein supplement, Rhino immunization, Pneumabort K vaccine at 5, 7, and 9 months, sleeping sickness, Tetanus, Influenza boosters 3-4 weeks prior to foaling.

SIGNS OF FOALING

Udder ME		3-4 weeks
Softening of croup area		approx. 2 wks
Waxing		36-48 hours
Milk (yellow/smokey/white)		12 hours

If mare drips milk excessively, some should be collected and saved for foal.

REMEMBER - ALL FOALING SIGNS ARE VARIABLE!

DELIVERY

Wrap tail; Allow things to progress on their own as much as possible.

NORMAL PROGRESSION:

water bag breaks		time 0
2 front feet and head present		time 10 minutes
feet, head, chest, hips		time 30 minutes
foal standing		time 60-120 minutes
fetal membranes passed		time under 3 hours
foal nursing		time 2-4 hours

YOUR VETERINARIAN SHOULD BE CALLED IF:

1. Foaling process is interrupted or doesn't progress as above.
   
2. Fetal membranes are not passed by 6 hours, or are not complete.
   
3. Any unusual happening or any other concerns.

FOAL CARE

Make sure foal is breathing; Dip navel in iodine 7% or iodine and glycerin mixture (50-50); Leave mare and foal alone and undisturbed as much as possible; Foal needs 10% body weight in colostrum (first milk) within 18 hours, normal nursing will provide this if mare has not dripped milk excessively; Commercial enema solution, vitamin A injection, antibiotic injection ( may be done by your veterinarian within 12 hours).

MARE CARE

Fetal membranes passed in 3 hours; Check to see they are complete and save for your veterinarian to examine; Check for tears in vulva tissue and persistent hemorrhage, check mare's udder for milk; Put out for some exercise each day.

BIRTH TO 3 MONTHS (MARE)

Nutrition is very important during this time. Nutrition: hay, salt, cal-phos supplement, protein supplement 0.5-1.5 lbs. grain/100 lbs. body weight as needed to maintain condition, minimum grain until after foal heat (may be altered depending upon foal's development).

BIRTH TO 4 MONTHS (FOAL)

Exercise: daily turn out with a dry warm place to rest; Immunization: Sleeping sickness, Tetanus, Influenza and Rhino at 2 and 3 months, dewormed at 2 and 4 months.

A VETERINARY EXAMINATION AND ROUTINE BLOOD TEST ARE
RECOMMENDED THE NEXT DAY IF AN EMERGENCY CALL WAS NOT NECESSARY.

PREVENTATIVE HEALTH MAINTENANCE FOR YOUR HORSE
PARASITE CONTROL (DEWORMING)

Internal parasites are a common danger to the health and well‑being of horses. These parasites are responsible for many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, including most types of colic. The treatment and control of internal parasites is not only a continuous, long term task, but a cornerstone to a successful equine health management program. Recently research has been responsible for the development of several new deworming products, many of which are in paste form that can be easily administered to the horse by you or your veterinarian. The type of medication used depends on the time of the year, the age of the animal and history of previous medications. Some parasites will develop resistance to certain medications so rotation of dewormer is important. A parasite control program can be tailored to your animal's needs by your veterinarian. Currently, treatment every sixty (60) days is the most effective means of parasite control in horses. Less frequent treatment could result in less than optimum results. At least twice yearly stronger combinations of equine dewormers should be administered by stomach tube by your veterinarian.

VACCINATIONS

Immunization against infectious diseases is another important part of a preventative medicine program for your horse. An annual Encephalomyelitis ( sleeping sickness), Tetanus and Influenza vaccination is necessary for minimum protection. For those horses that are exposed to infectious diseases contact with other horses, vaccination more frequently for Influenza and Rhinopneumonitis is helpful in preventing respiratory diseases. The frequency of vaccination depends on the amount of exposure and the duration of immunity provided by the vaccine. Foals are pregnant mares require special attention to their vaccination schedule.

DENTISTRY

The horse's teeth should be examined once a year and floated if necessary. Some older horses may require floating more often than once a year.

An efficient preventative medicine program for your horse or horses is quite important, but developing one can be confusing and expensive. We offer the following suggestions: 1: Your veterinarian can help tailor a worming program to fit your horse's specific needs. 2: Immunization would be administered in March, April, May or June with boosters as necessary. 3: Dental care can be coordinated with one of the visits. 4: Our office will be happy to remind you, by mail, when one of the above procedures is done.

We offer this program to help you maintain your horse's health to the best of our understanding of current knowledge and available products. If your horses are not on such a program, please feel free to contact us and we will establish one for you.