Emergency
Is it an emergency?
If you are already worried, ring now: 01291 496 0169, at any hour. Otherwise, choose what you can see below. This is general guidance, and it does not replace a vet looking at your horse.
What can you see?
- ColicRolling, pawing, looking at the belly, off food
- Sudden lamenessWon’t put the foot down, or is suddenly very sore
- A woundA cut, a puncture, or anything bleeding
- A sore eyeClosed, weeping, swollen or looking different
- FoalingShe has started, or the foal is not right
Ring now. All colic is a phone call, at any hour.
Most colics are mild and sort themselves out with a visit and a painkiller. A few are twisted gut, where every hour counts. You cannot tell which from the door of the stable, and often we cannot either until we get there.
Ring straight away if
- Violent rolling, sweating, or it will not stop
- Gums that look dark, purple or dirty
- It has already had a painkiller and it has come back
While we drive
- Take away all the feed, but leave the water.
- Note the time it began, when the horse last ate, and the last droppings.
- If it is quiet, leave it in a deep-bedded stable where you can see it, or walk it in hand.
- Have a head collar on, and a clear path for us to the door.
Please do not
- Do not get in the stable with a horse that is throwing itself down. Your safety first.
- Do not give any painkiller before speaking to us. It can hide what we need to see.
- Do not walk it for hours. It tires the horse and does not help.
General guidance, not a diagnosis. If what you see does not fit this page, or you just do not like the look of your horse, ring. You know your horse, and that counts.
Worried? Ring. Nobody here minds an unnecessary call.
A vet answers, day or night, and advice on the phone is free. For everything else, there is a round day.