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Impaction is a precursor to colic that will cause your horse
to become severely dehydrated. During this process, the
amount of liquid in the digestive tract will dry up and
constipation will set in. Since the feed will not have the
liquid it needs to move properly through the digestive
system, the horse is no longer able to receive all the
nutrients it needs. As a result, the gut of the animal will
still be full, feel bloated to the touch, and the animal
will stop eating. At the same time, you will notice that the
animal will display sings of mild colic.
Since these warning signs are very mild, and since
they come on gradually, you may not realize for several
days that you have a problem on your hands. You will
eventually begin to see that the animal is becoming
sluggish, and that its coat is no longer glossy. Your
horse may show signs of pain and lie down for long
periods of time to paw or stretch. The manure that you
will find will most likely be small, reminiscent of
plugs or pebbles, and covered with a mucus-like
substance. Palpitation of the gut and a rectal
examination will show that the intestine is filled with
dry fecal matter that has accumulated to such an extent
as to cause colic and pain. This condition needs to be
treated immediately, to prevent further damage, and also
to avoid the impaction of the valve between the small
intestine and the cecum. Failure to do so may result in
the rupture of the horse’s gut and subsequent death of
the animal.
Fortunately the condition is treatable, and in most cases
the introduction of warm water to the stomach by tube or
intravenous re-hydration is known to work. For the milder
cases, a small amount of mineral oil is indicated, which
lubricates the intestines sufficiently to move the fecal
matter out. Depending on the severity of the dehydration,
this process might have to be repeated.
Naturally, an ounce of prevention is much more desirable
than a pound of cure, and if you give your horse high
quality feed and ensure that it has access to plenty of
water, you are certainly doing your part to prevent this
condition. Additionally, check on the animal and make sure
it is actually drinking, especially when the temperatures
turn cold. To prevent freezing of the water in extreme
temperatures, the use of a tank heater in the water trough
will help. Should you rely on a natural water source, such
as a lake, where you regularly break open the ice, make sure
the animal is actually drinking from this source, as horses
do not like to drink freezing cold water or may hesitate to
step onto the ice itself to reach the hole.
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