This document discusses colic in horses. Colic refers to abdominal pain and can occur for various reasons worldwide in all horses. There are three main types of colic: simple obstruction, strangulating obstruction, and non-strangulating infarction. Clinical signs of colic include pawing, looking back at the abdomen, lying down, rolling, and abdominal distension. Diagnosis involves physical exam, ultrasound, and fluid sampling. Treatments consist of pain relief, fluid therapy, and intestinal lubricants/laxatives, while prevention focuses on proper feeding, manure removal, and deworming.

1. DISEASE
DESCRIPTION
EPIDEMIOLOGY
PATHOGENESIS
CLINICALSIGNS
LESIONS
DIAGNOSIS
DIFFERENTIAL
DIAGNOSIS
TREATMENT
PREVENTION
ANDCONTROL
COLIC This term
means
abdominal
pain.
Consequentl
y used to
refer to
conditions of
widely
varying
eteologies
and severity.
Occurs
worldwide
and all
horses are
susceptible
.
1. Simple obstructrion
- obstruction of the
intestine, which can be
due to impacted food
material, stricture
formation, or foreign
bodies.
2. Strangulation
obstruction
- due to obstruction, the
blood vessels are affected
due to intussusceptions,
volvulus and
displacement of the
intestine through a hole
or hernia
3. Non-strangulating
infarction
- the blood supply is
occluded, without any
obstruction to ingesta
present within the
intestinal lumen. The
most common cause is
infection with strongylus
vulgaris larvae which
develops within the
mesenteric artery.
Pawing repeatedly
with the front
foot, looking back
at the front
region, curling the
upper lip and
arching the neck,
repeatedly raising
a rear leg or
kicking of the
abdomen, lying
down, rolling from
side to side,
sweating
stretching out as if
to urinate,
straining to
defecate,
distention of the
abdomen, loss of
appetite,
depression and
decreased number
of bowel
movements.
Excessively
stretched
intestinal wall,
intestinal
displacement,
ischemia, and
inflammation
of the
intestines.
Physical
examination,
peritoneal fluid
sampling,
ultrasonograph
y.
Intestinal
intussusception
, umbilical
hernia, ileus.
1.Pain relief- use
NSAIDs
2.Fluid therapy-
hypertonic saline
solution
3.Intestinal
lubricants and
laxatives- mineral
oildioctyl sodium
sulfosuccinate(DSS
)
1.Feed the
horse of what
it only needs.
2.Stick with a
certain
feeding
program.
3.Removal of
manure from
paddocks or
field.
4.Use of
dewormers.