The term "colic" means only "pain in the abdomen" or "pain in the belly". There are many causes for such pain, ranging from the mild and inconsequential to the life-threatening or fatal. One of the problems with equine colic is that it can be very difficult in the early stages to distinguish the mild from the potentially fatal. This is why all cases of abdominal pain should be taken seriously right from the onset.

Signs of Colic

The signs of colic in horses range from almost imperceptible in mild cases to extremely violent in severe cases. The following list includes the most common signs:

lying down more than usual
getting up and lying down repeatedly
standing stretched out
standing frequently as if to urinate
turning the head towards the flank
repeatedly curling the upper lip
pawing the ground
kicking at the abdomen
rolling

You should administer fecal test two times a year to determine what kind of shedder your horse is. Depending on if your horse is a high, moderate or low egg shedder the deworming intervals vary.  Climate and environment may contribute to your horse's true ID.  Some products are meant to be fed daily with your horse's feed.  If you live in an area with year round pasture, your deworming schedule will be different from horse owners whose pastures are beneath the snow for several months of the year.

Birds carrying the West Nile Virus/EEE are bitten by mosquitoes which then transfer the virus to horses, other birds and other mammals including humans. Birds in the crow and jay family are thought to be the most common carriers, although some other species including waterfowl may be carriers of WNV/EEE. WNV/EEE is not transferred from horse to horse or horse to human.

When your horse develops an abscess what happens is purulent fluid (puss) collects as the body fights off the source of the infection. Since the hoof cannot expand to accommodate the increasing collection of puss, the increased pressure within the hoof causes a great degree of pain.

An abscess can occur when the hoof develops an infection due to:

	The sole being pierced by a sharp object such as a nail.
	The hoof wall cracks (generally due to improper trimming or hoof neglect), thereby allowing a piece of gravel to enter and become ingrained within the sensitive tissue above the sole (the laminae).
	Damage is done to the corium due to factors such as decreased blood circulation from shoes, poor horse shoeing and/or trimming, etc. Such damage has often existed internally for a while and only starts being released when a horse is allowed barefoot and thereby sees increased circulation.

The Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) is a lesion in the mucosa of the horses’ stomach. More precisely, they can occur in the distal esophagus, non-glandular (squamous area) and glandular stomach, and proximal duodenum of horses.  Most lesions are localized in the non-glandular area of the stomach.

Signs of gastric ulcers in horses

In foals, signs of gastric ulcers include:

• Intermittent colic, often after nursing or eating
• Poor appetite and nursing for only very short periods
• Teeth grinding
• Excessive salivation
• Diarrhea
• Lying on the back

In adult horses, signs of gastric ulcers include:

• Poor appetite
• Weight loss and poor body condition
• Poor hair coat
• Mild colic
• Mental dullness or attitude changes
• Poor performance
• Lying down more than normal