7. Use dewormers effectively.
If you can't block parasites from entering your horse's system, try to kill them as soon as they do. Anthelmintics, usually in oral paste form, are the most common method of parasite control in this country. They kill the adult worms, thus reducing egg production, and some larvae. Other deworming agents, such as pyrantel added daily to the feed, kill incoming larvae before they can burrow into tissues and grow to adults.
Anthelmintics can be administered in pelleted form or through a nasogastric tube, as well as via oral paste. Deworming programs are most effective when tailored to horses' living arrangements and the specific parasite threats facing them. Fecal worm counts are a useful means for deciding when the parasite burden is sufficient to warrant chemical controls and whether your deworming program is working; otherwise, you may be over- or undermedicating your horses and possibly contributing to the buildup of resistance to deworming compounds.
For all the unknowns still associated with equine colic, horse owners are fortunate that many of the basic causes are now recognized, and these reasons are as ordinary--and controllable--as our everyday management practices.
"There are intestinal accidents we don't understand, but with mild colics, the most common that we see--those easily treated--are most likely due to diet and management," says White. "It's the way we feed them and the way they're kept in stalls... that contribute to colic."
Colic is rare in horses living in the wild or on large tracts of grassland, simply because they are consuming what they digest best: low-energy, fibrous grasses. In addition, their easy, ambling lifestyle aids digestion and reduces exposure to fecal contamination. We may not be able to recreate this lifestyle in its entirety for our horses, but our everyday care can mirror the most important of Nature's lessons for good digestive health.
EquiSearch Special!
Download and print veterinarian Barb Crabbe's Colic Symptom Checklist (PDF) to track your horse's symptoms during the initial stages of colic, or until your vet arrives. Keep a copy in your barn or first-aid kit.
