# Colic. :(



## RLStewart (Sep 10, 2006)

Anyone have any ideas on a horse colic that just goes on and on. My mare has been colicky for going on 5 days. Last time in October it was 9 days before she came out of it. Haven't had the vet out yet but have been in touch and he was out twice last time and he has no idea either. She does not seem like a horse with ulcers, easy-keeper, always eats, shiny haircoat etc. It seems to me like maybe she has a partial blockage? She is pooping but that's when she acts like she is in the most pain. Right before and also after. I really can't justify the $$ for colic surgery on this mare but I raised her from a foal and will really feel bad if we lose her.


----------



## Waiting Falcon (Nov 25, 2010)

One time had a mare go down with colic, couldn't do anything for her. Couldn't get her up, she was in the barn and a tractor could not have gotten her her out . She laid there for two weeks....never was a good one to drink water and would not take it while down. 
One day she got up wobbling and i decided to put her down, got her up the hill to the ravine .it was as is she got wind that her demise was coming and she was not ready. She took off and never got sick again. 
She was down for two weeks and no the DVMs did not know what was the problem was either , nothing helped.


----------



## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

I would probably step it up at this point and get the horse to a vet clinic or hospital to see what's going on. If she's passing manure, she may not need surgery but it would be a good idea to find out what's happening.

As to ulcers, I read somewhere that 85% of all domestic horses have ulcers and it's not a bad idea to treat them as such just in case. If I owned the horse I ride, I'd absolutely have him on ulcer meds.


----------



## RLStewart (Sep 10, 2006)

I did put her on generic omeprazole as soon as she started acting colicky. She was fine for over 2 months between episodes. I know any horse can have ulcers but she doesn't act like other horses that I've treated for them. I feed hay 4x's a day when they are not on pasture and after her last episode she's been getting hers in a slow feeder hay bag to keep a constant amount in front of her. She only gets about a quart of oats twice a day for feed and I've been putting a cup of bran and water in it since October. Talked to the vet again and he's coming out tomorrow. He seen her twice last time though and really has no idea other than scoping for ulcers or exploratory surgery. If you could see this mare you would understand why she just doesn't seem like an ulcer horse. Fat, shiny, never misses a meal and she's not in work or being hauled since August. My horses are fed on a schedule and wormed regular too so its just very frustrating. She is a bit of a diva so sometimes its hard to know how bad things really are but off and on she is definitely in a lot of distress.


----------



## RLStewart (Sep 10, 2006)

Oh and around here vets make barn calls and the closest hospital to haul to is over 2 hours away. I've been told if you show up with a colicky horse they want a credit card # before you even unload.  Surgery starts at around 3k and I've know people that didn't even have surgery done that ended up with vet bills that big. This mare doesn't have a lot of $$ value and I can't see hauling her if I'm not planning on doing surgery. I'm fairly certain a vet hospital with an x-ray machine capable of x-raying a horse abdomen to look for foreign objects is probably more like 5 hours away. And again if they do find something surgery is the only option.  I just wish there was a way to know whats going on inside there. I've almost never had a horse colic and usually the reason was easy to figure out. All the research I've done I haven't really heard of any cases quite like my mare. Most horses either get better or worse fairly quickly.


----------



## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

I guess if one of my horses was in day 5 of a painful colic I would be at the vet regardless of the cost. It could be anything going on in there, and without a firm diagnosis you will never really know if you are doing her right by letting her be in pain or if there is a remedy for her colic, even if that remedy is putting her down. It seems cruel to me to just watch her colic and not have anyone out to see her physically or take her in to a vet, no matter how long the drive.


----------



## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

I had a horse colic years ago, with the vet there every day for five days and nothing was working. We were pretty sure there was no obstruction. I decided to call and have her put down the next am, but as a Hail Mary, I gave her a good dose of yogurt with live culture. It helped, or it was coincidence, but she was fine in the am. We thought it might have helped the ph in her stomach, or straightened out the bacteria, but she never coliced again.
Our vet encourages taking a horse for a trailer ride if it's acting colicky. She said it stops quite a few before they get a good start, most horses poop right after you start moving.


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

If you have no blockage or underlying problem, vanilla extract works wonders.


----------



## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

How is your mare this morning, RLStewart?

It could be a spasmodic colic. It's a buildup of gas in the intestine or stomach that causes distention. The pressure can be relieved with a nasogastric tube but it has to be done by a Vet.


----------



## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

You could also do Probios along with bio sponge to help anything that may be sour inside get absorbed and possibly pass.

I sounded grumpy in my other post, sorry. Just spent 6000 over 2 months on 2 horses that colicked hard. One had Colitis which would have been fatal without treatment, the other was enteritis which was treated with stomach reflux 4 times overnight to get the sour feed out, then with Probios and biosponge to keep her going until everything cleared out.

The yogurt will work wonders if you go that route. Use a 60cc catheter tip syringe to dose with, and you can add a touch of salt to the yogurt to encourage drinking more, which may help as well.


----------



## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

Irish Pixie said:


> How is your mare this morning, RLStewart?
> 
> It could be a spasmodic colic. It's a buildup of gas in the intestine or stomach that causes distention. The pressure can be relieved with a nasogastric tube but it has to be done by a Vet.





aoconnor1 said:


> You could also do Probios along with bio sponge to help anything that may be sour inside get absorbed and possibly pass.
> 
> I sounded grumpy in my other post, sorry. Just spent 6000 over 2 months on 2 horses that colicked hard. One had Colitis which would have been fatal without treatment, the other was enteritis which was treated with stomach reflux 4 times overnight to get the sour feed out, then with Probios and biosponge to keep her going until everything cleared out.
> 
> The yogurt will work wonders if you go that route. Use a 60cc catheter tip syringe to dose with, and you can add a touch of salt to the yogurt to encourage drinking more, which may help as well.


See, here are two cases of treatment for a colicking horse that do not include surgery. Not all colics will result in surgery!


----------



## gracielagata (Jun 24, 2013)

RLStewart said:


> I did put her on generic omeprazole as soon as she started acting colicky. She was fine for over 2 months between episodes. I know any horse can have ulcers but she doesn't act like other horses that I've treated for them. I feed hay 4x's a day when they are not on pasture and after her last episode she's been getting hers in a slow feeder hay bag to keep a constant amount in front of her. She only gets about a quart of oats twice a day for feed and I've been putting a cup of bran and water in it since October. Talked to the vet again and he's coming out tomorrow. He seen her twice last time though and really has no idea other than scoping for ulcers or exploratory surgery. If you could see this mare you would understand why she just doesn't seem like an ulcer horse. Fat, shiny, never misses a meal and she's not in work or being hauled since August. My horses are fed on a schedule and wormed regular too so its just very frustrating. She is a bit of a diva so sometimes its hard to know how bad things really are but off and on she is definitely in a lot of distress.


I read most of the comments in this thread to see if I could offer any new thoughts. This one gets my attention the most.
We have a gelding who would gas colic with no apparent reason. Similar situation as you- very healthy, fed small meals 4+ times a day, etc. 
We had the vet out the 1st time as he looked close to death- couldn't walk to save his life, was just full out collapsing on the ground, not acknowledging any human or animal, he was in so much pain. She gave the shot of Banamine, and checked vitals. Did a rectal, found sufficient, albeit a small amount of manure, no twists, just gas pockets. Then tubed him. He started perking up within 30 minutes. 
The next 2 events were a few months, then a few more months later. 
The 2nd one, we gave him he oral Banamine from the vet and watched him. He perked up and passed manure within 30 minutes. The 3rd event, we were about to go ride when I saw his mild colicky behavior. So instead of medicine, since he was only mildly bothered, we made the decision to ride him anyway, as he wasn't weak. So he got a very mild, short ride. Passed manure while out, and then as soon as he had interest in the luscious grass, we stopped and let him have it. Voila, more manure and a happy horse, no medicine needed. He needed to work out his gas, which the ride and walk did. 
The similarity to you? We were feeding oats. I love oats, and I think they are great for horses. But I do wonder if there aren't certain horses out there who shouldn't or can't eat them. 
So we cut the oats out completely for all of the horses (I don't want to have to separate to feed right now). 
The other huge thing that I did at the recommendation of other horse people and our vet- I feed probiotics nearly every day to our horses. It is just a small pellet, pour it on their grain type. 
I should also add, I was feeding Purina Strategy after we quit the oats. Then I read up on it more- it isn't grass/alfalfa meal like my friends thought. It is wheat middling type products, which I didn't want to feed to them.
So I switched to hay cubes or pellets. I soak a small amount of the cubes, put that in their bowls, pour over their supplements, and give the bowls to them and have 3 happy horses jostling for which bowl they consider the best.

If you have made it this far in my post, (sorry it is so long, it all seems relevant) lol... 
One other important thought our vet had for the 2nd episode of gas colic: he might have ulcers. She said a way to nearly prove he had ulcers or not was the oral Banamine. If we gave it to him, and he improved, then 99% he had gas colic and no ulcers. If we gave oral Banamine and he actually got worse in 30 minutes to an hour, then he likely had ulcers, as Banamine is super hard on ulcers. 

Anyhoo, good luck with your girl, I hope you can find something that improves. But I am with you. I don't think colic surgery is one we want to undertake either.


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Horses have such small stomachs and tight corners at the far end if their duodenum. A steady supply of water is important. I don't allow my horses to get thirsty. That is more important than feed. Do your horses have a water tank, protected from freezing and kept fresh and full?

Age and teeth condition is another possible concern. Poorly chewed feed, caused by teeth can cause impactions. Corn oil can "lube up" the digestive tract, shine up their coat and do no harm.
Hay quality can cause colic. Low quality, steamy hay can lead to impactions, too.
A balance of minerals and vitamins is helpful. Never expose your horse to a white salt block.
Good luck and keep us posted.


----------



## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

It's not unusual for my old guy to colic when the temperatures change. He doesn't always drink enough then. I keep Banamine on hand for just that reason. He can be very subtle w/the signs, but since I know him as well as I do, I've always been able to pick it up fairly quickly.


----------



## RLStewart (Sep 10, 2006)

Well the vet came yesterday and tubed the mare. Rectal exam showed that she is somewhat impacted. She has never stopped pooping so not sure why things are just not going at a proper speed. Also poop looks normal. The tubing has actually seemed to make her feel worse as now she is gassy on top of being backed up. Still got the same amount of poop as usual last night so I don't think we've really made any progress. I don't really think there are any big holes in my feed/management which is why this is so frustrating. Vet has no real ideas on how to prevent this from happening again either, provided she survives this round. She was already getting bran, probiotics, flax, salt and oil in her 1 quart of oats per feeding. No shortage of water either and teeth are done etc. She is only 8 years old and has always been a bit of a diva and we have to be very careful changing her feed and such but never like this. I did order some psyllium pellets to start her on provided we get that far. She not really eating much so don't think I could get them down her now. Its just strange to have an impaction type colic go on and on and be reaccuring. I guess that's why I've started being concerned that there is something partially blocking things like a foreign object or an enterolith, or I can't remember what the polyp-type things are called that they occasionally grow that cause issues. Well I'm starting to ramble so think I'll try to get an hour of sleep. Six nights of up with the mare and the week before I had a bad cold that kept me up coughing half the night so if I don't make much sense, sorry.


----------



## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

How long have you had her? Is it possible she had a prior colic surgery? 

No real advice...sounds like you are doing everything there is to do. Personally, I would not have colic surgery on any of my horses. They are simply not valuable enough, and I've heard of terrible complications after the fact, even when they live. (Not always, of course). 

Crossing my fingers for you and your mare.


----------



## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

Glad vet came. Hope it brings relief soon. 
Water is my big big bug boo at tha time of year. Locals lost many horses last winter because of lack of water access. And sadly, even with water, up here it is the season. 

Fingers crossed she rights herself soon.


----------



## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

Do you have a heater in your stock tank? The warmer water will encourage her to drink more. Doing a regular sand colic treatment will help as well, especially if you had a dry summer or short pasture. If you keep her in a dry pen, or feed her on the ground, she may be getting a lot of dirt with her hay.


----------



## RLStewart (Sep 10, 2006)

Its not been that cold here so far this winter but they have heated water buckets when it gets below freezing. Its pretty much never dry here. Mud is our biggest problem. They do eat on the ground some in pens but its usually either muddy or hardpacked clay and only an occasional thing not all the time. Headed back out to get her up and moving. Just wanting to lay flat out and sleep all morning and no poop.


----------



## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

I cannot remember where I either read this or heard it, but I seem to recall hearing or reading that bran can actually cause colic. I do not know if this is true or not, just throwing it out there.


----------



## OakHollowBoers (Jun 26, 2013)

Sometimes flavoring warm water with feed or molasses will help encourage drinking. I am currently dealing with what appeared to be recurrent low grade colic, but apparently the horse has epsm which flares up when he acts like an idiot with each cold snap. Until I have the time to ride daily, I am maintaining him on a low dose of b-l pellets daily.

Mine though would be good for 2 or 3 days after a dose of banamine.


----------



## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

My gelding just started again today, third time in 3 months. We have a cold front coming through, and he is reacting to that. Dang it, vet trip for this boy tomorrow if no improvement.


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

RLStewart said:


> Its not been that cold here so far this winter but they have heated water buckets when it gets below freezing. Its pretty much never dry here. Mud is our biggest problem. They do eat on the ground some in pens but its usually either muddy or hardpacked clay and only an occasional thing not all the time. Headed back out to get her up and moving. Just wanting to lay flat out and sleep all morning and no poop.



Can you take her for a trailer ride? Honestly, the vanilla does work and it's an accepted treatment used at our ag college for colic and not something from the old ranchers bag of tricks.


----------



## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

Our tank heater keeps the water at about 42* F, the horses will drink much more water than they will at 34*F. The elk love the warmer water as well, in fact they will drain the tank when they come through.
If your horse is eating in an area that gets muddy, I would put her on a regular sand colic regime. She will be getting some dirt with her hay. I would try the vanilla, it won't hurt, he may help.


----------



## cfuhrer (Jun 11, 2013)

Have never heard of vanilla extract to treat collic. Can someone give me the low down?

How/why it works.
Dosage.
Method
Time frame.

I'm assuming imitation vanilla won't work.


----------



## RLStewart (Sep 10, 2006)

I thought the vanilla was for gas colic? We seem to have an issue with not enough gut movement so does it do anything for that? Its strange because when the vet checks her he says its not like she has a blockage its like she is just full of poop all the way through. She is brighter and eating better today but even though she pooped a decent amount in the night, has not pooped since 6 am. So I'm guessing we really haven't improved much. Will call vet tomorrow and see if he wants to come out again. I'm so exhausted I think I need put out of my misery.


----------



## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Ask about possible Enteritis. A mare of mine recently had a colic similar to your horse. Poop still moving, but uncomfortable and cramps anyway. Turned out her intestines were irritated and swollen, but still able to digest and process but more slowly. That slow down caused a long delay in her stomach contents moving on into her digestive tract, which in turn soured her stomach. That sour stomach knocked out her appetite, and voila, colic. We refluxed her 4 times to bring out the sour material in her stomach, then did 4 days of bio sponge and probios plus bute daily. She is fine now.


----------



## RLStewart (Sep 10, 2006)

The vet did tube her on Friday. So I think he might have noticed if she was backed up in the stomach? I've seen it when the stomach contents come back up the tube if that's what you mean. She is still eating off and on but is going 6-9 hours without pooping sometimes and then not ever getting caught up.


----------



## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Tubing is one thing, but to know if there is sour feed or grass in the stomach you have to reflux, which involves filling the stomach with water and then tugging the tube gently back out an inch or so at a time until the water flows back out of the stomach, through the tube, and onto the ground to see if there is feed in there. It needs to be done over and over to really get an idea of how much feed is in there, and the smell that comes up from the stomach is an indicator of sourness.

Tubing is generally considered just putting an oil mixture into the stomach to help move possibly blocked food through the digestive tract and out the other end. Refluxing is a whole different thing.


----------



## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

Has anyone mentioned enteroliths? Horses form these anywhere in the alimentary canal, most often in the cecum or colon. Enteroliths form around an object like an oyster forms a pearl around a grain of sand. As the enteroliths get larger, they begin to act as a blockage and cause intermittent colic. Sometimes it gets stuck at the junction between the cecum and intestines, or further down the colon where it forms an elbow. Then it can be knocked back into the cecum, floating around a while until it finds it's way to the opening again, causing another round of pain.

In rare instances, they pass on their own. Sometimes they'll pass with tubing with mineral oil and IV fluids. But they very often require surgery.

I have a friend whose horse died of an enterolith that formed around a shirt button. I've found one single enterolith in the manure pile in my sixty years. It belonged to a 12yo TB mare.

Just something you should discuss with your vet. I'm sorry you and your horse are going through this.


----------



## RLStewart (Sep 10, 2006)

Enteroliths are one of the things that I'm most worried about. Only thing is the vet thinks it would be more like a regular impaction if that were the case. She is just weird with the way it goes on and on without much change. Maybe a smaller enterolith would let stuff by but be painful? I dunno. If she makes it through this round I'm going to put her on some psyllium and make sure she gets some exercise everyday. And of course pray it doesn't happen again because if it continues to happen I think I will have no choice but to put her down. She seems slightly better today so I'm hoping the vet will come out again tomorrow and tube her again since it seemed to help some.


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

RLStewart said:


> I thought the vanilla was for gas colic? We seem to have an issue with not enough gut movement so does it do anything for that? Its strange because when the vet checks her he says its not like she has a blockage its like she is just full of poop all the way through. She is brighter and eating better today but even though she pooped a decent amount in the night, has not pooped since 6 am. So I'm guessing we really haven't improved much. Will call vet tomorrow and see if he wants to come out again. I'm so exhausted I think I need put out of my misery.



Technically it is for gas colic but the college has found that there is usually an associated gas problem and if you can get them to relax a bit the actual problem is a bit easier to treat


----------



## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

RLStewart said:


> Anyone have any ideas on a horse colic that just goes on and on. My mare has been colicky for going on 5 days. Last time in October it was 9 days before she came out of it. Haven't had the vet out yet but have been in touch and he was out twice last time and he has no idea either. She does not seem like a horse with ulcers, easy-keeper, always eats, shiny haircoat etc. It seems to me like maybe she has a partial blockage? She is pooping but that's when she acts like she is in the most pain. Right before and also after. I really can't justify the $$ for colic surgery on this mare but I raised her from a foal and will really feel bad if we lose her.



What kind of hay are you feeding? Some horses will colic over and over on bermuda hay or bermuda/timothy hay. Switching to an alfalfa (which also will help with ulcers) seems to help.

Sorry can't add more, as I have had to deal with one colicy horse in my whole life, and that one was colicky due to flipping his feed tub upside down and eating his feed off the ground. Got sand colic. Switched his feed tub and never had another problem.

Colic is a hard one to deal with, I really do believe that feeding warm, wet beet pulp in the winter helps to keep it at bay. I've had probably close to 100 horses in my barn over the years and not one ever coliced. I've done beet pulp shreds soaked in warm water and add to grain and seems to keep the horse hydrated as well as adding additional roughage. Just what works for me.

TWH mare Josey, she drinks a LOT of water, goes through 15 - 20 gallons a day in the winter, more in the summer. I keep fresh water in front of her all the time as she won't drink it if it gets dirty (including dunking her hay in it, lol). 

Maybe time to experiment a bit, add some vanilla per WR, and see what poops out. Vanilla, by the way, has alcohol in it which relaxes a horse's gut. Seems to alleviate the pain as well. WR could tell you how much vanilla to add, but I have heard that remedy as well and have had dressage people tell me that it works (they haul a LOT which can lead to much colic due to stress).

I keep my mare on gastroguard, it's cheap and treats ulcers. I don't even pay for the test, vets have just prescribed it and said it won't hurt and if it helps, well they had ulcers. Works for us . I buy it online and keep a couple of tubes in my tack trunk at all times. Give Josey a dose every day. I do think it helps, as she has definitely gotten better about saddling. She used to make an ugly face and snap at me when getting saddled, now we are down to pinned ears . Slow improvement, but getting there.

Hope your mare is better now.


----------



## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

When my first horse colicked, the vet was unable to get there, but recommended using whiskey. For her, it didn't work because it was more than just a simple colic-she had a tumor in her small intestines and I lost her, but I've had others swear by it.


----------



## cappy (Sep 22, 2014)

I had a mini mule mare go down on me last spring. She had gotten out and was grazing on fresh grass, apparently for quite awhile before we got home. The next morning she was down and rolling. Tried walking her but she kept going down. Called the vet but he was tied up and couldn't make it for several hours. Remembered that the old timers used warm beer so I drove to the local grocery store for some. She didn't like it but got about 12 ounces down her. Got her up and walking for about 5 minutes before the gas started. After a couple of resounding blasts, she started bucking and it really cut loose. After that she was fine.


----------



## RLStewart (Sep 10, 2006)

Well I think we are going to pull through. Still not 100% but actually pooped throughout the day today without any big lulls. She is on mixed grass hay, not sure that I would even be able to find quality alfalfa in this area. Its so wet here that its not grown much. She is the only horse that I've ever has a recurring colic problem with. I've had a colt or two that have been fussy when their teeth were coming in and gone off their feed and when I was a kid we had a pony that would colic if he got to apples. I've never fed beet pulp but will put it on the list of things to try. I do give ulcer meds whenever I haul or if I have to use NSAIDS for any reason. For now I think we first are going to try a course of psyllium for sand colic. Also I had a friend of friend that said her mare kept colicking on her off and on for months. Tried everything they could think of and finally she decided to powerpak her and she's never colicked again. My mare shouldn't have a worm problem but I've heard that worms are starting to get resistant in some areas so might be worth a try. I'm also going to try to exercise her some everyday. She has mostly just been turned out to exercise herself but sometimes I don't think they move much when the footing is bad.


----------



## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

A power pack and a month long run of Sand Clear may just be the ticket. I do Sand Clear once yearly for a one month time frame with every horse I've got. Never had a sand colic yet, knock on wood. Other colics yes, sand no. (Every horse I have is a rescue, so digestive problems are not uncommon nor a big surprise.) Lots of people don't really know what a sand colic is, until they have a horse go down with a twisted gut and they lose the horse. Glad you are going to do a Physillium run, make sure it is a month for the first time. That will take care of any heavy build up of sand or heavy soils stuck in there.


----------



## AngusLover (Jan 12, 2014)

cfuhrer said:


> Have never heard of vanilla extract to treat collic. Can someone give me the low down?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I really want to know this too. I have a mare that gas colic's every few months. I'm really game to try this.
I've started her on Fiberpsyll to clear what sand she has (slight sand found from fecal) and to keep her clear while providing probiotics. So far with amazing results that are very obvious. 
Multiple vets are at a loss on this mare. I'd really like to try the vanilla next round (if we have another round). Hopefully the probiotics etc will prevent another round but just in case. 
Thanks in advance!


----------



## gracielagata (Jun 24, 2013)

I haven't found the info to go with it yet, but it seemed pertinent to mention: 
A study of some sort is now saying that beer is very good for gut health in horses.
If I can find it, I will post it here. 
We do give our horses beer, or rather my husband shares his beer with them.


----------



## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

I have heard to feed Guinness and I've heard anectodal evidence of it actually stopping colicking on a vet's recommendation


----------



## gracielagata (Jun 24, 2013)

Annsni said:


> I have heard to feed Guinness and I've heard anectodal evidence of it actually stopping colicking on a vet's recommendation


So you heard Guinness specifically? Interesting. I don't remember which it would have been, if a brand was mentioned.  Wonder if their makers put that out there! lol 
But t makes sense. Beer is fermented food. Scientists have been saying for a while now that fermented food in all our guts is a good thing bacteria wise.


----------



## Annsni (Oct 27, 2006)

gracielagata said:


> So you heard Guinness specifically? Interesting. I don't remember which it would have been, if a brand was mentioned.  Wonder if their makers put that out there! lol
> But t makes sense. Beer is fermented food. Scientists have been saying for a while now that fermented food in all our guts is a good thing bacteria wise.


Yep - specifically Guinness which made me laugh because of how expensive it is.


----------



## gracielagata (Jun 24, 2013)

Annsni said:


> Yep - specifically Guinness which made me laugh because of how expensive it is.


Cheaper than surgery and a vet visit, I imagine!


----------



## RLStewart (Sep 10, 2006)

I wonder how hard it would be to get it down them? Or how much it would take? Because I doubt any of my horses would drink it. They won't drink water with anything added and I've tried a few things. I even take water with me to shows because I have a few that won't drink water that's not from our well. They really turn up their noses at city water.


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

RLStewart said:


> I wonder how hard it would be to get it down them? Or how much it would take? Because I doubt any of my horses would drink it. They won't drink water with anything added and I've tried a few things. I even take water with me to shows because I have a few that won't drink water that's not from our well. They really turn up their noses at city water.



The old timers used whiskey and I believe they just use a syringe. 

As for those wondering about vanilla, I use about a teaspoon and and it depends on the horse but you can use an old syringe, add to applesauce, etc. It's best to use pure vanilla extract.


----------



## gracielagata (Jun 24, 2013)

RLStewart said:


> I wonder how hard it would be to get it down them? Or how much it would take? Because I doubt any of my horses would drink it. They won't drink water with anything added and I've tried a few things. I even take water with me to shows because I have a few that won't drink water that's not from our well. They really turn up their noses at city water.


Yeah that might be an issue. Ours drink it straight from the bottle or can, as my husband has trained them to do it like a human, albeit a tad more slobbery.  
Have you done the trying for long enough? I think horses and children can be cast from the same mold in regards to needing new things introduced to them some 12-20 times, depending on what I remember.


----------



## AngusLover (Jan 12, 2014)

wr said:


> As for those wondering about vanilla, I use about a teaspoon and and it depends on the horse but you can use an old syringe, add to applesauce, etc. It's best to use pure vanilla extract.



Thank you! I'll be giving this a try FOR SURE next gas round! Just bought some to add to my barn stock.  Thanks for sharing!


----------



## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

DoubleR said:


> Thank you! I'll be giving this a try FOR SURE next gas round! Just bought some to add to my barn stock.  Thanks for sharing!



When I had to use it, the gelding had no problem taking it so I'd just slide the little bottle in the side of his mouth and lift his head to administer. 

It gets cold up here so I used to keep my vet supplies in their own cupboard until I caught the kids making a nice treat for their rather neurotic grandmother with the horse vanilla.


----------



## gracielagata (Jun 24, 2013)

wr said:


> When I had to use it, the gelding had no problem taking it so I'd just slide the little bottle in the side of his mouth and lift his head to administer.
> 
> It gets cold up here so I used to keep my vet supplies in their own cupboard until I caught the kids making a nice treat for their rather neurotic grandmother with the horse vanilla.


Good thing regular vanilla is the same as horse, right?! 
I keep a big tote bin full of horse vet supplies in the laundry room. Would love to have it in the trailer, but weather changes are obviously an issue. I think I might put some vanilla and a few more syringes in there as well! Thanks for the info. 
Oh, and some cans of beer!


----------

