As with most colics requiring a hospital stay or round the clock care for medical management, the refeeding process is a bit slow, and you just want to make sure she handles that ok and doesn’t get cramps again, etc. Time period depends on what she was eating to begin with. For example, if she was on some alfalfa, then that’s going to be the last thing added back in, at a point where a horse on grass or grass hay only would have already been done with refeeding.
Considering how fast your horse eats, you will want to be extra cautious the first couple of days at least. My horse had a mild displacement that resolved medically so different issue but similar refeeding plan afterwards. He could have been released one evening from the hospital, but I left him there an extra night so they could come by on their regular checks and toss him a little bit more food for those 16ish extra hours. And he’s normally not one to bolt his food. He was hungry enough though that when I went to pick him up, instead of hesitating a little to get on the trailer, one whiff of a Mrs. Pastures cookie and he practically LEAPT on.
I followed their refeeding plan, and he did still get a bit crampy the following evening, which resolved with walking (did not even need banamine but was given the OK to give that if needed), so we backed off the amount a little more conservatively than instructed. And I believe I dampened his hay at first also. Took a week I think to get him back on some alfalfa, but a few days to get back up to his normal grass hay ration after coming home.
