Colic is the name for the broad abdominal pain that horses experience throughout life. It is caused by blockage in the intestine when food does not digest properly. Furthermore, stress or sudden changes in a horse’s life can also bring it on. How does it affect the equine immune system?
Equine colic impacts the equine immune system in that when the horse’s GI tract is disrupted due to colic, horses suffer from weakened immunity and a higher risk of infection. A healthy gut is essential to a horse’s immune health and ability to fight infection.
Thankfully, equine colic is preventable and manageable with treatment. Continue below to read more about it and the ways that you can help your horse stay healthy.
How Equine Colic and The Immune System Connect
The abdominal pain horses experience weakens their immune system. The two most common types of colic are gas colic and one brought on by impaction or blockage in the intestine. Horses have a microbiome within their intestines. This is the group of very small organisms that live in the gut and help it perform certain functions. Every horse has a unique microbiome, which explains the need for careful diet monitoring.
Disruptions in the gut are a major threat to the equine immune system because 70% of all immune cells live there. When a horse suffers from colic, those cells can die while trying to fight sickness. This weakens the horse’s overall immunity since they do not have the same number of immune-boosting microorganisms as before. If part of the intestine dies due to lack of blood supply, those microorganisms are gone for good, leaving a permanent scar on the horse’s internal health.
Severe cases cause a major inflammatory response to protect major parts of the GI tract from further damage. The more drastic the changes to the microbiome from a colic episode, the greater the impact on the immune system and wellness of the horse.
What Can You Do To Prevent Equine Colic?
Ensuring that your horse has a balanced diet that is not too heavy in simple sugar will help reduce incidence. Always introduce new food slowly to minimize disruption to the gut microbiome. Make sure that water is clean and that you give feed in a tub or bucket instead of on the ground. When horses eat off the ground, they can ingest sand which upsets their stomach.
Scanning your horse’s pasture space for toxic plants that make them sick and getting rid of them is a foolproof way to prevent GI upset and colic. Although horses have sensory tools like their whiskers to help them avoid these plants, sometimes they can look too appetizing to ignore.
Our OPTI-GEST™ Ulcer Relief feed supplement is a powerful tool to prevent against colic episodes. The combination of probiotics, prebiotics and active ingredients shield the gut and its microbiome from it, as well as ulcers and acidosis.
As eluded to earlier, stress is another factor contributing to colic. BioPro Armour is the perfect supplement to help your horse overcome the stressors they encounter. Powerful thymic proteins boost the immune system and its defense while calming your horse. Visit our website by clicking the link and try it today. We guarantee you will not regret it and your horse will thank you!
Related Articles