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Colic, loosely defined as any type of abdominal pain in horses, is one of the most common reasons horses are examined by veterinarians or admitted to equine veterinary clinics. It is not unusual for colic to resolve without treatment, and equally common for no specific cause to be identified. However, more serious cases require surgical treatment and a percentage of horses do not survive, regardless of treatment method.

In horses over the age of 15, colic is the leading reason for clinic admission, and these senior horses that undergo colic surgery have a lower survival rate than younger horses. To explain these facts, researchers* reviewed the records of 3777 horses and ponies admitted to veterinary clinics in Germany during 2012. Colic signs were diagnosed in 25% of the equines. Among the horses and ponies with colic, there were similar numbers of males and females and the average age was 19.9 years. Other findings included:

  • 41% of cases involved the colon.
  • 22.5% of cases involved the small intestine.
  • No specific cause was identified in 34.8% of cases.
  • 79% of horses were treated medically and 21% were treated surgically.
  • 44% of surgical cases and 75% of medical cases survived to clinic discharge.
  • Twice as many horses survived colon surgery compared to those undergoing surgery on the small intestine.
  • Strangulating lipoma (a fatty tumor with a long stalk that becomes tangled around the intestine) was the most common finding in surgically treated horses aged 21 to 29, and these horses had a low short-term survival rate (31%).
  • Survival of surgically managed aged horses was lower (44%) than for horses in other age categories (70%).

The researchers concluded that while colic episodes are a major health problem in geriatric horses, there is a high short-term survival rate and a good prognosis, especially in medically managed horses and after colon surgery.

*”A retrospective study of colic in aged horses” was published in the Proceedings of the 7th European Workshop on Equine Nutrition.

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