Horse owners! Ever heard of Equine Colitis? It’s very serious and yet most horse owners don’t know anything about it. I didn’t, and my horse almost died from it. Check out my article shown on the cover of the 2024 summer issue of Equus Magazine. It explains colitis and what to watch for.
The thing about colitis is It can fool you into thinking your horse is colicking, because the horse may show similar signs of strangulating colic: lethargy, loss of apetite, increased heart rate. This is what makes it hard to diagnose. But with colitis, horses often have a fever and will eventually develop diarrhea, not usual signs of a blockage that we associate with colic.
Colitis needs specific early treatment, a different course of care from colic, so it is important to catch it as early as possible. There are many causes of equine colitis, both infectious and non-infectious. Often vets can't identify the specific cause for a horse. My horse had colitis and it took a while to figure out what was wrong.
While colitis is not very common, it's not rare either. So don't worry too much about it, but be aware of the condition. You can find out more about colitis and many other important issues about your horse if you get Equus Magazine: https://equusmagazine.com
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