Colic has been recognized in horses for a long time, but only recently have veterinarians been able to accurately diagnosis, and effectively treat, colic cases. For example, Chinese observers of a few centuries back recognized the signs of colic, and saw that affected horses couldn’t defectate, and even wrote about the problem. However, since they didn’t understand the horse’s anatomy, and didn’t really know what was going on, they concluded to effectively treat colic, you should go into the horse’s rectum, and attempt to remove feces from one of several “points” at which a blockage might occur (interestingly, that fallacy then gave rise to the myth that these points were “acupuncture points” used in the treatment of colic).
Nevertheless, many myths about colic persist today – here’s to trying to dispel some of them!
1. Horses do not colic because the weather changes. That’s right. The weather changes all of the time. Horses colic all of the time. One doesn’t have anything to do with the other, but since they both occur often, it’s easy to make an association. A couple of studies have even shown this. But this durable myth persists.
2. Horses don’t twist their intestines when they roll. Have you ever seen a horse lie down and roll, happily scratching his back in the dirt? Have you ever seen a horse develop a twisted intestine afterwards? Didn’t think so.
Horses that are uncomfortable from the pain of colic will often lie down and roll. They are trying to find a way to get comfortable, just like when you lie down on the couch after, say, some bad restaurant food. That often means that they’ll change positions, just trying to get comfortable. However, the pain that occurs from a twisted intestine is extreme, and horses with intestinal twists (volvulus, strangulation, entrapment, and such) show that extreme pain by rolling around. But it’s the twist that comes first, not the other way around.
If a horse is beating himself up from rolling around frantically in pain, there’s certainly ample reason to keep him from doing so. However, if your horse rolls, the gut isn’t in danger of twisting.
3. Walk your horse, no matter what. The idea that horses need to be walked because they have a colic probably comes from the concern over twisting a gut. Walking is not directly therapeutic for colics, and if a horse is relatively comfortable lying down, there’s no real reason to get him up just so that he can walk. Imagine you, on the couch, feeling bad after that restaurant food; if someone got you up and made you walk, you probably wouldn’t appreciate it.
That said, there may be some slight benefit to walking a horse with colic. It may help distract the horse with colic, and help him forget about his pain. That’s at least humane. It also gives the owner something to do until the veterinarian arrives!
4. Banamine® (flunixin meglumine) is a potent pain reliever if your horse has colic. Flunixin was heavily advertised as the”drug to treat colic, when it was first released a few decades ago. Since then, it seems that horse owners have learned that the drug is a “must” for treating horses with colic. In fact, some people even say that it works within minutes of its administration, which, given what we know about how the drug works, isn’t possible. Some veterinarians even believe that it’s something of a wonder drug when it comes to suppressing pain, but there are others (including this one) that disagree.
In fact, experimental studies on the drug have shown that it’s not very effective at all at treating the pain of colic. It is a useful drug, but it’s not a miracle drug. That said, there’s no reason at all to give any drug for any condition, without a proper diagnosis. If you have flunixin in a medicine chest or tack box, don’t give it to your horse with colic without consulting with your veterinarian first.
5. Add “alternative” treatments to help your horse with colic. Some people may add things such as acupuncture or massage to their efforts to help a horse with colic. There’s no evidence at all to indicate that such things are helpful, and, in the case of acupuncture, there’s good evidence that it doesn’t help at all. If your horse has a colic, focus on getting quick and proper diagnosis and treatment, and don’t look for any “alternatives” to that!
