PET ARTICLES BLOG

Choose the right dog breed for you to make a sound decision about the pet you bring into your home.

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0:1:49

http://www.howdini.com/howdini-video-6698652.html

How to choose a cat that's right for your family

How can you tell whether a cat's personality will fit your family's lifestyle? Dr Katherine Miller of the ASPCA explains how to choose the right cat.

Duration : 0:2:35

A horse with equine colic is a situation that strikes fear into any horse lover. But what is colic in horses? What symptoms should you keep an eye out for?

Colic in horses is in reference to pain which stems from the abdomen. Generally horses do not hide abdominal pain well. So in the event of any disturbance of gut function they will usually display signs of discomfort.

Signs of discomfort could be stretching, standing as if to urinate, and hoofing the ground. If in more pain the horse will get up and down, and try rolling to get more comfortable.

The horse will likely start to sweat. In more severe cases it will get up and lie down and roll constantly.

What Can You Do?
If you believe your horse is suffering from colic, you should call an experienced equine vet straight away. The vet will be able to supply emergency pain relief and decide whether further treatment is appropriate.

What can you do while waiting for the vet to arrive? Leading your horse for a walk sometimes helps. It can sometimes encourage his intestines to start working normally and help soothe the pain. It could also prevent the horse lying down to roll. However if he is already lying down peacefully then you should let him stay lying down.

It was thought that a horse could cause a twisted gut by rolling. That has been proven to be probably incorrect. Though it is best to prevent him rolling around if possible. That way you will stop your horse injuring himself by knocking itself on any walls. Of course take care that you don't hurt yourself. It's likely horses will forget all their normal manners if in pain.

There are several different reasons as to why horses get colic. But often the signs look similar regardless of the cause.

What will the vet do to investigate the problem? They will have a listen to the abdomen using a stethoscope which will show them whether there is more or less activity in the intestines than there should be.

Monitoring the heart rate gives a good indication of the severity of the discomfort and the seriousness of the problem. A horse with a normal heart rate doen't have a sever problem. Whereas fast heart rates are not such a promising sign.

A very helpful area of the examination is the examination of the rectum. By feeling the intestines, your vet may be able to find the root of the issue. It goes without saying that this is a very complicated procedure, that is potentially dangerous for both parties. But for an experienced equine vet the information it provides is incredibly useful in deciding the cause of the problem. Revealing a blockage, or a swollen area of gut as a result of a loop or other intestinal issue.

It's likely that in all but the most straightforward scenarios the vet may inset a tube through the horses' nose into the stomach. Though it sounds unpleasant but can make the horse more comfortable by releasing the built up pressure from the stomach. Doing this can also give the vet useful feedback about whether the stomach is functioning properly.

Sometimes the horse is in so much pain that it is impossible for the vet to examine him fully without first applying a dose of pain killer.

Only by considering all of the signs revealed by a detailed examination is the vet able to make an initial diagnosis. Even then it may not be possible to diagnose exactly what is going on.

It might be the case that, after the first inspection, the horse requires surgery. But more usually your vet will decide to treat the horse with a fast-acting painkiller and monitor his progress after a few hours. Most examples show a quick improvement. However some will either not respond to the treatment, or they might respond initially, only to start showing signs of discomfort again later.

In preference to having to bring the vet to your horse several times, it is normally preferred to move these cases to a specialist practice so they can be closely monitored and surgery can be performed if appropriate.

In Conclusion
Luckily most colic cases respond quickly to medical treatment. Although if surgery is necessary - it is important to operate as soon as possible. The likelyhood of a successful outcome is far greater if the surgery is performed before too much damage has taken place.

For more information, horses for sale and more, please visit the Horse and Pony Directory.

Pet turtles may react to the owner's presence, especially if they are fed often by the same person. Discover common pet turtle behaviors with tips from the owner of a reptile store in this free pet care video.

Duration :0:1:16

Expert: Tim Cole
Bio: Tim Cole has kept reptiles for more than 40 years. He has professional experience working with zoos and scientific field studies. Cole is the owner of Austin Reptile Service.
Filmmaker: MAKE | MEDIA

Curious about what to expect at your cat's first veterinarian visit? Learn the process for determining a healthy kitten in this free pet care video clip from a practicing veterinarian.

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Remove a tick from a dog's ear by grabbing the tick close to the skin with tweezers and applying firm pressure to pull the tick out. Make sure the head of the tick is removed to prevent infection.

Check back soon for more dog care tips