22 August 2008 11:51
My eight-year-old 16hh cob x WB has burped ever since she was a youngster. She used to do it only after treats but now she does it after everything except forage.
When she burps, she arches her neck and makes a rolling motion, as well as rolling her eyes. She also suffers from spasmodic colic, which worries me. What can I do?
Answer
By Your Horse
Vet Stephen Ashdown replies:
This sounds like it could be a behavioural issue, but there might also be an underlying imbalance in her digestive system, which is causing her to find relief in swallowing air.
In cases like this, I suggest using a digestive tonic like Respire liver tonic, along with Black Salt from global Herbs, or Lakota Salts from Triple Crown. You might also find it useful to add a little fennel each day to the feed, and I’ve found Psyllium husks in feed can help with repetitive spasmodic colic.
Quality aloe vera is also worth a try – feed for 10 days. This could help inflammation in the digestive tract.