My second colic encounter was with an older horse that was temporarily boarding at Seven Springs. His system was not as robust and he didn’t handle transitions well. One morning I noticed he was lying down more than usual. I asked him to get up and he did not want to move. It took some doing to get him on his feet. No gut sounds and his capillary refill was sluggish. No doubt in my mind that it was colic. I immediately syringed probiotics. Less than half an hour later there was improvement. After syringing a second dose he was hugely improved. I continued to closely monitor him over the next two days. He was better than ever. The probiotics helped him through the transition and his gut function was restored. Colic crisis averted.
Since then I make sure to always have a ready supply of probiotics (DynaPro is the one I trust). Healthy horses have healthy, functioning guts. It’s important to emphasize that holistic remedies may not always be the best choice. Whenever there is any doubt the responsible thing to do is call your vet.
