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For generations, horse owners have heard the same advice when a horse starts showing signs of colic: walk him. Keep walking him. And if he still looks uncomfortable, keep walking some more.
“I’m not entirely sure where the myth came from that we should walk all colics,” said Dr. Erica Lacher, an equine veterinarian and owner of Spring Hill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida.
She is not opposed to walking entirely. A short, relaxed wander may help a horse with a mild gas colic. What she does not recommend is spending hours power-walking an uncomfortable horse while waiting for the problem to resolve itself. “If you are walking your colic for longer than 10 to 15 minutes, you should really have a veterinarian on the way,” she said.
Lacher has seen the other version too many times: a horse has been uncomfortable for hours, the owners have been walking him the entire time, everyone is exhausted, and the underlying problem has continued to progress. “The horse was not going to get better from walking,” she said.
Lacher had one owner who was trying to save money and gave Banamine when her horse developed colic signs. Four hours later, the horse was still painful, and the owner had spent those hours walking him. By the time the veterinarian becomes involved after several hours of continuing pain, what might have been relatively straightforward early treatment can become much more serious.
“If we see a colic early, there is a good chance that I can rehydrate that horse, I can get some medications on board to get the GI tract to stop doing what it’s doing, and we can get them going the right direction quickly, easily, one visit,” Lacher said.
Wait four to six hours while the horse continues to colic, and the situation may look very different. “Now we’re looking at a surgical colic,” she said.
That does not mean every mild bellyache needs immediate hospitalization. It does mean owners need better tools for deciding what is happening than simply walking and hoping.
One of the most useful things an owner can provide is a set of vital signs. Lacher recommends learning how to take a horse’s heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature before there is an emergency. Those numbers can give the veterinarian important information about what may be happening and how urgently the horse needs to be seen.
Temperature, for example, can change the picture entirely. A horse that walks away from his feed and seems mildly colicky but also has a fever may actually be dealing with an illness rather than a routine gastrointestinal problem.
Heart rate is another important clue. “If your horse has a heart rate over 60, I’m scared,” Lacher said.
She explains that a standing horse with a heart rate over 60 is highly concerning and may indicate a surgical colic. That kind of information gives the veterinarian something much more useful than, “He still seems uncomfortable.”
There are also a few traditional practices that may have limited usefulness in the right situation.
If a horse is moderately uncomfortable but has reassuring vital signs, Lacher may occasionally recommend putting him on the trailer for a very short drive. The goal is not to spend hours driving around. A brief ride may encourage gut movement. Lacher notes that many horses will pass manure after loading, which reflects increased movement in the GI tract.
Again, the key is time.
“We don’t do them for hours at a time,” Lacher said. “We do them for minutes at a time.” If the horse is not improving, it is time to escalate rather than repeat the same strategy indefinitely.
Colic is intimidating partly because it encompasses so many different problems. A mild gas episode and a surgical emergency can begin with some of the same broad signs. Owners are not expected to diagnose which one they are seeing, but need to notice the signs, gather useful information, and communicate with their veterinarian.
Lacher understands why owners hesitate. Veterinary care is expensive, and horses are expensive. It is tempting to wait and see whether a problem will resolve on its own. But early intervention can sometimes be the less expensive option.
“I promise,” Lacher said, “I’m saving you thousands of dollars by coming out sooner rather than later.”
To hear the full conversation with Dr. Erica Lacher and Piper Klemm, listen to episode 493 of The Plaidcast. Subscribe and follow The Plaidcast on your favorite podcast platform for more conversations from throughout our industry.
