The Horse:Your Guide To Equine Health Care provides monthly equine health care information to horse owners, breeders, veterinarians, barn/farm managers, trainer/riding instructors, and others involved in the hands-on care of the horse.
Issue link: https://thehorse.epubxp.com/i/899161
December 2017 THE HORSE TheHorse.com 17 you guard your horses against it, colic can happen. An estimated 10% of horses colic every year—and up to 10% of those will need intensive medical or surgical care. The survivors are usually the ones blessed by living under the care of well- prepared humans. Here's how you can be one of those owners. Know the Risks You might not be able to stop all colics from happening, but you can limit them through smart management. "A natural environment is a good risk reduction tool," says Stacy Anderson, DVM, MVSc, PhD, Dipl. ACVS-LA, assis- tant professor of large animal surgery at the Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine, in Harrogate, Tennessee, and a former equestrian facility manager. "Pasture, free access to grazing, and a clean water source all help lower the colic risk." Casja Isgren, BVetMed, MRCVS, an equine surgeon at the University of Liverpool Equine Hospital, in the U.K., agrees. "It's also important to keep the same routine, without drastic changes in management," she adds. Impactions and large colon displace- ment are common management-related colics. They can occur when the horse is stressed or can't move freely enough to stimulate healthy gut movement. Constant access to fresh, clean water can keep intestinal contents moist, smooth, and easy to digest. That's espe- cially important in winter, when water freezes or gets too cold to be appealing. Hay should be good-quality, not "stemmy," dry, or moldy, and free of for- eign objects such as wire, dead animals, or, yes, porcupine quills. "It would be aw- fully hard to find quills or similar objects in hay, but it doesn't hurt to take a quick look," says Anderson, who performed Luta's surgeries while based at the Uni- versity of Saskatchewan's Western College of Veterinary Medicine, in Saskatoon. Horses can also develop sand colic if they're fed hay on sandy or limestone surfaces, she adds. Fecal egg count analyses two or three times a year and deworming, if indicated, can reduce parasite-related colic risk. And dental care every six to 12 months helps CHRISTA LESTÉ-LASSERRE, MA Being well-prepared for colic could mean the difference between life and death What's Your COLIC Contingency Plan? H er name means miracle. And that's what Valutha Milagra—or, more affectionately, "Luta"—is. Luta survived an extremely seri- ous colic and two back-to-back colic surgeries after ingesting a porcupine quill at 11 months old. Today, at 8 years old, Luta's digestive system is tricky, risky, and unreliable. But the beauti- ful Andalusian is alive, thriving, and "playful, mischievous, and energetic," says owner Judy Rutherford of Ruth- erford Rubicon Farm, near Saskatoon, Canada. While Luta's survival might seem like a miracle, it's not entirely. Rutherford's sharp observation skills, quick thinking, and readiness for an emer- gency had a lot to do with the outcome. Because no matter how careful you are and how much