CASCADE WEST PRODUCTIONS

Q: What causes sand colic in horses?

A: This should be intuitively obvious,
but it sometimes is not. When horses
are fed on sandy ground, they tend to
take in particles of sand with their food.

This sand does not move through the gut
with the digesting food, but tends to
form a sludge at the bottom of loops
of intestine. If large amounts accumulate,
then there is pressure necrosis to the gut.
This means that the weight of the sand,
which is much heavier than the normal
contents of the gut, puts pressure on
the intestine and cuts off the blood
supply.

If this happens, the signs of colic can
become severe and the condition can
progress to either a twisted gut or
a ruptured intestine. In any case, it
is a serious situation.

You can take some fecal balls and dissolve
them in water and see if there is sand at
the bottom of your container. If there is,
then you should be feeding psyllium which
binds to the sand and moves it out of the
body.

The best prevention is feeding horses
in feeders that are away from sandy areas.
Grass hay may leave fewer leaves that they
search for in the sand, as opposed to
alfalfa hay, which has small leaves that
will drop on the ground and they search
in the sand for them, taking in sand.
A regular psyllium supplement may be
needed to keep the sand moving through
the horse if there is no way to move
them to a non-sandy area.

The take home message is that sand and
horses don't mix.

Regards, Kaia Naches Veterinary Service Kaia Sorem, DVM 203 Naches Ave PO BOX 1112 Naches Wa 98937

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