Horse colic is a diagnosis dependent on how the horse appears and how he or she acts. When looking at a horse with regular gas and/or diarrhea, the first step in home remedies for horse colic is to determine if he or she has a name.
Most horses enjoy having a name, so providing one may help decrease stress on the horse as well as his or her health. If your horse does not have a name, then putting one onto them may help relieve some of the stress on the horse and rider.
Putting a few letters on your horse can help decrease rearing, improve appetite, and even reduce pain. Doing these letters on your own can be done as needed, just keep suppleness and wanting to eat into effectual for naming.
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Apply a cold pack to the stomach
This is one of the most commonly cited remedies for horse colic. It is not a recommended intervention, however.
The reason to apply a cold pack is to reduce heat loss. When horses are under heat stress, their body attempts to cool itself by working up and down its stomachs.
By putting something cold on the horse’s stomach, you are reducing this process and helping your horse feel less full and want to urinate less.
The problem is that these packs can be expensive — often cost-prohibitive — so many riders choose not to use them. Instead, they put towels or blankets just around the saddle or in their tack bag.
Give them a bellow stomach rub
This is a fairly new home remedy for horses that find it hard to stop crying. It is also a relatively new home remedy.
This was originally created as a way to soothe the horse after physical or emotional stress. Since then, it has been used in training, in helping to soothe colic episodes.
The belly rub is still used today to help relax the horse and reduce stress, especially during summer when horses are exposed to the sun more often.
It is very common in Western style riding and Grand Prix racing, so much so that the term les chevalin has been coined for it. It is also very popular with non-racing families as it can help ease the tension associated with horse training and riding.
Give them apple cider vinegar
Boil some apple cider vinegar and put it in a gallon size bag. Make sure the bag is sealed to prevent accidental spillage.
Put your horse in a quiet, comfortable place with plenty of access to water. If he seems irritable or seems like he is fighting the urge to cry, this is a good indication that he needs the vinegar.
Give him one or two tablespoons of the vinegar per four feet of horse equine equine equine equine equine EQUINE EQUINE EQUINE EQUINE EQUINEequineequineEquinehorse every hour for about ten minutes. Repeat if needed until your horse shows signs of comfort.
Horses who get quite upset in warm weather should not use this method, but instead keep it up until they are cooled off.
Give them honey
Colic is often triggered by food allergies, so if your horse has a grain or sugarycontent-related allergy, giving them honey may help manage the pain.
This is an effective remedy for other kinds of colic, as well. Most doctors will tell you to give your horse plenty of water when he is feeling thirsty.
Some suggest using flaxseed oil as a horse medication. Flaxseed oil can sometimes cause some horses to hesitate before drinking it, but in this case, it would be too late to fix the problem with honey.
If you want your doctor to prescribe a medication for you, try the Internet–you might be able to find someone who knows exactly what medication your horse needs.
Massage the abdomen
Massage the horse’s abdomen can help reduce Horse Colic. This therapy is similar to massage the back, but with the horse’s abdomen.
Horse colic occurs when a horse experiences unpleasant feelings such as anxiety, fussiness, or mild discomfort. These symptoms may be sudden and pronounced, sometimes making it difficult to determine if massage is the cause or effect.
If a horse gets no treatment for colic, he or she can suffer from severe heartburn, burning pain at site of affected area, and/or Diarrhea. These symptoms can last for hours at a time!
A thorough massage on a daily basis can prevent this kind of suffering.
Try rolling the horse onto their back and holding them there for a few minutes
This may help to let the horse cry is because it is disoriented or rolls over on its side to be off the ground.
This helps establish a pattern for the horse and reduces stress. It also helps to reduce the chance of vomitting or diarrhea as the horse is calm.
When you’re able to roll your horse onto his back, try not holding onto anything else such as a blanket or towel. Only hold him if he can breathe easily and with no sign of distress.
Give them activated charcoal
Colic is often caused by stomach or digestive problems. This can be caused by many things, including:
Horse gallop medications (such as Voltaren) that are removed from the horse’s system after use. This is called flush drug solutions.
Surgery to remove the stomach or intestines that cause trouble with regurgitation (swallowing) of food and/or tubes of medication.
Appendicitis, which is inflammation of the appendix, which can cause pain when trying to swallow a tablet or liquid medication.
Black cohosh is a compound used in medicine for years, but has been discredited for its purported effects on health and wellness. Black cohosh has also been linked to adverse side effects such as colic! It may be difficult to determine if horse colic is caused by black cohosh if it was not used in medicine for years.
Give them baking soda
A lot of people give their horses salt, but only when the horse is under the threat of food or water contamination. If you do not have salt or if you do, then giving the horse baking soda is an alternative remedy for horse colic.
Baking soda has a pleasant taste, so horses will often try it as a feed supplement. When mixed with water, it can be poured into a stomach ora empty stomach to make it look like something is being swallowed.
This may help them feel better and take more of it, which can help ease up colic. Baking soda also works as a diuretic, so if your horse has too much sugar in his system, then giving him some extra space alone can help reduce this problem.
Lastly, since it contains potassium, digging through the earth and sprinkling some on top of your horse’s stomach before bedtime may help put some rest back on.