B&W Equine Vets are BHS Vet REACT Colic Champions
B&W Equine Vets is one of 62 veterinary practices across the UK who became Vet REACT Colic Champions in 2019, in a new scheme coordinated by The British Horse Society and The School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham. Here at B&W Equine Vets, we will be working closely with both organisations to share information and advice from the REACT colic campaign on how to recognise and react to signs of colic as quickly as possible to give your horse the best chance of recovering.
Colic is the most common veterinary emergency in the horse. Most cases are mild and can be resolved with simple treatment, but a small percentage are critical or life-threatening. These critical cases will need rapid decision-making by both the vet and owner.
The REACT colic campaign includes a poster of the most common signs of colic, and ten fact sheets on colic ‘essentials’ (also available as downloadable pdfs):
- What is colic?
- Recognising signs of colic
- Reducing the risk of colic
- Emergency decision-making
- How to take a horse’s temperature, pulse and breathing rate
- Waiting for the vet to arrive
- The vet’s examination of the horse
- Rectal examination
- Nasogastric intubation
- What happens at referral?
The REACT campaign provides essential information to help you understand the different causes of colic, how to recognise colic early, and how to plan ahead to make sure you give your horse the best chance of recovering. We look forward to sharing this information with you and making sure you are prepared.
Further articles available:
Colic and the horse's digestive system