Colic is an equine problem familiar to all people who work with horses. Many colics are simply gas colics and can resolve themselves quickly with little or no intervention. In some cases, the home remedy of walking the horse or loading the horse in a van and giving it a ride around the farm has relieved symptoms of colic. Other horsemen concede that the symptoms often seem to abate by the time the horse has reached the equine clinic after a brief van ride.
But not every colic resolves itself in such a simple manner. Impaction colics--those caused by an ob-struction in the bowel--can be persistently painful and dangerous for horses. But when a horse begins to show signs of colic, surgery is by no means the first treatment indicated.
Even if the colic is caused by an impaction, many colics can be resolved with medical treatment, thereby avoiding the risks associated with surgery.
Most horses will respond to treatment involving administration of laxatives, fluids, and analgesics. The aim of that treatment is to control pain, reduce the spasms aflicting the intestines, and assure enough liquid in the colon to allow the feces to pass and restore normal digestive function.
When a severe impaction occurs, however, and the signs of distress in the horse worsen--continuing abdominal pain, increased heart and respiratory rates, and signs of shock--surgery might be the only answer.
The nature of the impaction might indicate whether surgery is indicated. A 1977 paper delivered at the New Bolton Center in Pennsylvania recounted several cases of impaction colics that resulted from horses eating rubberized fencing materials or fences made of nylon-based materials. In those cases, the fencing materials had begun to unravel and, as they did, the horses ingested fragments. Being neither digestible nor biodegradable, the resulting masses that led to colic did not respond to traditional medical treatments.
"Due to the non-degradable nature of the impacting mass in this type of colic, syptomatic therapy is of no value. Thus, surgical intervention is necessary," wrote Charles L. Boles, DVM, and Catherine W. Kohn, VMD, in that paper.
As for symptoms, they were similar to impaction colics resulting from other causes.
"All horses had mild to moderate abdominal pain, as manifested by pawing, stretching, or lying down excessively. All were depressed and had been passing scant feces since the onset of signs of colic," they wrote.
Similarly, surgery was required for the 47 horses and 1 pony included in a study of sand colics made in the mid-1980s at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida. In all the horses, symptoms of the colic included "intractable pain, deteriorating vital signs, or rectal palpation findings typical of large-colon displacement or torsion," wrote T. E. Specht, DVM, and Patrick T. Colahan, DVM.
Sand colic was diagnosed after sand impactions were palpated, feeling hard, granular, and difficult to indent.
The Florida study found a disproportianate incidence of sand colic in females: 30 out of the 48 in the study. Additionally, while there were admissions for sand colic throughout the year, the greatest number clustered in the second half of the year, with 66.6% admitted from July to December. That, the researchers found, coincided with the rainiest part of the year for the regions where the horses lived. While sand colic can often be associated with more arid regions, this study showed it can occur in areas with high annual rainfall.
Colic is an equine problem familiar to all people who work with horses. Many colics are simply gas colics and can resolve themselves quickly with little or no intervention. In some cases, the home remedy of walking the horse or loading the horse in a van and giving it a ride around the farm has relieved symptoms of colic. Other horsemen concede that the symptoms often seem to abate by the time the horse has reached the equine clinic after a brief van ride.But not every colic resolves itself in such a simple manner. Impaction colics--those caused by an ob-struction in the bowel--can be persistently painful and dangerous for horses. But when a horse begins to show signs of colic, surgery is by no means the first treatment indicated.Even if the colic is caused by an impaction, many colics can be resolved with medical treatment, thereby avoiding the risks associated with surgery.Most horses will respond to treatment involving administration of laxatives, fluids, and analgesics. The aim of that treatment is to control pain, reduce the spasms aflicting the intestines, and assure enough liquid in the colon to allow the feces to pass and restore normal digestive function.When a severe impaction occurs, however, and the signs of distress in the horse worsen--continuing abdominal pain, increased heart and respiratory rates, and signs of shock--surgery might be the only answer.The nature of the impaction might indicate whether surgery is indicated. A 1977 paper delivered at the New Bolton Center in Pennsylvania recounted several cases of impaction colics that resulted from horses eating rubberized fencing materials or fences made of nylon-based materials. In those cases, the fencing materials had begun to unravel and, as they did, the horses ingested fragments. Being neither digestible nor biodegradable, the resulting masses that led to colic did not respond to traditional medical treatments."Due to the non-degradable nature of the impacting mass in this type of colic, syptomatic therapy is of no value. Thus, surgical intervention is necessary," wrote Charles L. Boles, DVM, and Catherine W. Kohn, VMD, in that paper.As for symptoms, they were similar to impaction colics resulting from other causes."All horses had mild to moderate abdominal pain, as manifested by pawing, stretching, or lying down excessively. All were depressed and had been passing scant feces since the onset of signs of colic," they wrote.Similarly, surgery was required for the 47 horses and 1 pony included in a study of sand colics made in the mid-1980s at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida. In all the horses, symptoms of the colic included "intractable pain, deteriorating vital signs, or rectal palpation findings typical of large-colon displacement or torsion," wrote T. E. Specht, DVM, and Patrick T. Colahan, DVM.Sand colic was diagnosed after sand impactions were palpated, feeling hard, granular, and difficult to indent.The Florida study found a disproportianate incidence of sand colic in females: 30 out of the 48 in the study. Additionally, while there were admissions for sand colic throughout the year, the greatest number clustered in the second half of the year, with 66.6% admitted from July to December. That, the researchers found, coincided with the rainiest part of the year for the regions where the horses lived. While sand colic can often be associated with more arid regions, this study showed it can occur in areas with high annual rainfall.
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