To help protect your horse, look for colic-related content all month on TheHorse.com. | Photo: Photos.com

Colic. The word alone strikes fear into the hearts of horse owners from all parts of the industry. That’s because this digestive disorder is the No. 1 killer of horses, and it doesn’t discriminate based on breed or discipline. To help educate owners about this condition, The Horse and Kindred Bio Sciences have partnered for Colic Awareness Month in June.

Colic is severe abdominal pain that can result from a variety of causes, including diet changes, gas, internal parasites, and gastric ulcers. Clinical signs vary from sweating and foot stomping to violent and unstoppable rolling. Some cases are mild, resolving with hand-walking and medication, while others require surgery to remedy intestinal blockages. And, unfortunately, many horses don’t recover. Those that do are at a heightened risk for reoccurrence.

To help protect your horse, look for colic-related content all month on TheHorse.com, our Facebook page and Twitter feed, and in our e-newsletters