Equine Colic: VII. Future Research

Where do we go from here? The research on colic during the last 30 yrs has increased our knowledge of the mechanisms of the diseases involved. The causes remain elusive, and defining the causes may be more difficult due to variability in individual horse susceptibility. The technology and infrastructure needed for future research is costly, and expanded funding will be needed to make progress. However, more money is not the only answer. The existing technology requires a collaborative multidisciplinary research team of experts in specific areas of science to complete projects. It takes too long for an investigator to become familiar with all of the technology needed to tackle this complex problem, thus the principle investigator must establish collaboration with global experts. Furthermore, granting agencies and universities need to streamline their bureaucracy, which can curtail development of research programs between institutions. Mechanisms to efficiently manage processing of budgets and intellectual properties must evolve if the global intellect is to be applied to equine research.

In 2005, a panel of colic researchers met in Quebec City after a colic research symposium to evaluate the status of colic research and suggest the next steps needed to make major advances [1]. The group defined two major areas in need of research. One is improved methods for and knowledge of critical care to manage horses with severe intestinal obstructions and strangulations. To make advances, true randomized, prospective, controlled clinical trials are necessary to demonstrate efficacy in specific therapeutic strategies to improve survival.

The other major need is prevention of the predominant type of colic, simple colic, or those cases with few distinguishing signs. Simple colic includes several entities such as ileus, impactions, tympany, and spasmodic colic. Although most horses are easily treated, simple colic is responsible for a significant economic impact to the horse industry. Because these diseases will not be easily reproducible for study, epidemiologic studies will be the best way to determine risks or causes which can be linked to prevention.

To make progress in understanding and preventing colic, equine practitioners need to participate in research. Identification and reporting on horses with colic is needed to help identify risk factors and investigate methods of prevention. First examination information is needed, rather than data which comes after initial treatments have been administered. Well-designed clinical trials will require dedicated and accurate reporting of physical signs, nutrition, and environment. With the Internet now readily available to equine veterinarians, data entry has become easier with fail-safe mechanisms to ensure accuracy and comprehensiveness. In some instances, practitioners have been instrumental in completing epidemiologic studies of horses with colic [2], but this is not always the case. In the future, practitioners will be the key to solving the riddle of colic; consider how you can help when an investigator requests help for data collection.