01/03/2025
This weekend we will see colder temps than usual but also combined with high temps during the day.
It’s times like these that colics occur. Horses drink less during cold weather - drinking less leads to impactions - impactions can lead to worse things like displacements and colon torsions - both lead to expensive vet bills.
Here’s some ways to prevent colic during these weather changes:
We all know the adage to give more hay when it’s cold as this warms a horse from the inside.
However, horses don’t drink as much in cold weather.
Lots of hay + little drinking = colic.
- Increase water intake.
--- Ensure your troughs and buckets are very clean. Empty and scrub with soap and bleach and rinse well. Algae and other muck growing can turn a horse away from a water trough.
--- Ensure the water trough or bucket is not near an electrical source such as a hot wire. Stray voltage can make a horse refuse to go to the trough. Heated buckets can also have a short - and it’s not always detectable by you!
--- Did you get a new horse? The flavor of the water may have changed. Add flavoring to the water to mask the change or get a 5 gallon jug of drinking water from Walmart or other store.
--- Color of the bucket - amazingly, horses have preferences when given options of colors. They prefer turquoise or light blue buckets to drink out of. https://bit.ly/30GPbsv
--- Add salt to feed. Here’s a very basic explanation of why salt increases thirst: https://bit.ly/38yylQX Commercially available electrolytes may or may not have enough salt to increase the thirst in horses. If they are not losing electrolytes through sweat, they do not need electrolytes. Sodium chloride is what increases thirst. Do not use Lite Salt as this is potassium chloride and it will not have the same effect. 1-2 tablespoons on the feed divided over the day on the meals should be sufficient. Salt blocks can help but only if the horse voluntarily goes to them and uses them.
--- Other flavoring: Gatorade water - I have found that they like orange flavored best but others can be tried. Molasses water. Alfalfa tea - soak alfalfa for a while and then remove the stems - leave the leaves.
--- Fake them out: add a handful of grain such as sweet feed or senior to a much larger amount of water. They think they are eating but are mostly drinking. Hydration hay with more water than recommended is also helpful. Handful of hay pellets in a large amount of water can also be used. In general, if you have a large colon impaction that you are trying to gut hydrate, you do not want to add a lot of bulk to the dam that is present in the colon. So using low residue feeds such as senior pellets or hay pellets is better than straight hay or hay cubes.
--- Grazing wet grass. Grass itself contains a lot of water. But we can add more by spraying it down before the horse grazes.
- Watch your horse's manure. If you notice smaller, more well-formed f***l balls, this is an indication that an impaction is imminent. The horse is drawing water out of their gut to hydrate their body. THIS is the time for action - decrease hay, increase water intake.
Remember, Proper Prevention Prevents Poor Pooping! 💩
If you have additional helpful tips, please comment below.
