Reoccuring colic in pony

He continues to get mild cases of colic then apparently recovers only to have a relapse 2 to 3 days later for the last 2 1/2 weeks. The first time he recovered so fast I just kept him off his hay. The second time, I gave him some mineral oil even though he had been defecating normally. That seemed to do the trick for 3 days so I let back out to pasture for a short while. The next day he had another relapse. So I kept him in. Two days later while being walked he got into some weeds and the next day he had another relapse. So assumed it was eating weeds or longer stemmed plants that was causing the problem. So I have kept him away from everything put the pellets and 2 days later he once again had a relapse. Each time he has continued to have an appetite. I've been giving him 4 small amounts each day rather than his usual 2 feedings per day.

Thank you for any thoughts you have on this.

Jane

Jane,
First of all, thank you for the questions about your pony. I am always delighted to help out where i can, especially for people that care about their animals- which you obviously do.

From your message it sounds like your pony is showing signs of chronic colic (intermittent recurrent pain). There are several possible causes for chronic colic in horses. The most common cause is partial or incomplete obstruction of the intestines. This partial obstruction can be caused by several different things- such as an abnormal position of the large intestines. A rectal exam will help determine if the large intestines are in an abnormal position and causing the pain. A partial obstruction can also be caused by a foreign object that the horse ate, a cancerous tumor in the intestine, a stone in the intestine (called an enterolith, more common in older horses), or even sand in the intestine.

The inside walls of the intestines can also stick together (called a stricture) and decrease the inside diameter of the intestines. All of these problems will block food from passing through the intestine properly and could cause pain and signs of colic. Another cause of chronic colic in horses is inflammation of the intestines. This can be seen with stomach ulcers, intestinal parasites, and cancer. The inflammation is painful and can also decrease the inside diameter of the intestines- preventing food from passing. Another possible cause of recurrent colic in horses is kidney disease- including kidney stones. This may go along with the increased water consumption and urination that you described.

As far as the increased water consumption and urination: horses normally drink about 50 mL of water per kilogram of body weight per day. This means that if your pony weighs around 250 kg, then he should drink about 12.5 liters per day. He appears to be drinking about twice the amount of water that he needs. There are several possible reasons for this- such as his diet. You said that he is on a pelleted ration. The pellets have a lot of minerals in them, which causes the horse to drink more water. Also, if your pony is exercising a lot, then he will drink more fluids to replace the water he lost from sweating.

Kidney disease will also cause horses to urinate more, so they have to drink more water to keep their bodies hydrated. Equine Cushing's disease is also another cause of increased water intake and urine production. Cushing's is a disorder of the pituatary gland, which normally controls the amount of hormones released into the bloodstream. With Cushing's, the pituatary gland releases too many steroid hormones- which can affect many systems in the body. The most common presentation of Cushing's disease in horses is an older horse with increased water intake and urination, a long hair coat, and feet problems. They may also have dental problems, increased appetite and chronic infections. You did not describe your pony as having problems with his hair coat or feet, but the increased water intake and urination make me lean towards Cushing's disease. We can test for Cushing's with a blood test, and there are several treatment options if he does have the disease.

The increased appetite that you described could be caused by the Cushing's disease that I described above. However, horses, like people, will also have an increased appetite if they are not getting enough calories from their normal diet. Please check to see that he is getting enough of the pellets for his body size.

As you can see, there are several possible causes for your pony's recurrent bouts of colic. i would recommend that blood work, urinalysis and fecal exam be done so that we can better evaluate what is going on with your pony internally. I would also recommend that a rectal exam be done to evaluate the position of the large intestines. A gastroscopic exam (a tiny camara on the end of a tube that can be passed down the horse's nose into the stomach) would help determine if there is inflammation or stomach ulcers present that might be causing the pain and signs of colic.

Please reply if you have any other questions.

Dr. Lowder