Colic Outcomes Is It Worth Referring my Horse

Colic is a term used to describe signs of abdominal pain in the horse. The pain is usually of gastrointestinal origin but may also, less commonly arise from other abdominal organs (liver, spleen, bladder, kidneys) or from the feet in cases with laminitis. This syndrome of perceived abdominal pain has been recognised as a potentially lethal disease particular to the horse for many centuries. In 1895 McQueen reported laparoenterotomy via a right flank grid incision to remove an enterolith from the transverse and small colon of a horse. However, it was not until the 1970’s that surgical treatment of colic started to be more widely accepted, with much of the ground- breaking work being performed in Germany, the UK and the US.

Colic poses serious equine welfare issues but is also of significant economic importance. The cost of equine colic in the USA in 1998 was estimated at $115.3 million, with mortality accounting for over 60% of this figure (Traub-Dargatz et al. 2001).
The incidence of colic in the horse population varies between 3.5 to 10.6 colic episodes per 100 horses per year (Archer and Proudman 2006; Traub-Dargatz et al. 2001; Kaneene et al. 1997; Tinker et al. 1997a; Hillyer et al 2001) . Colic is one of the main causes of mortality in horses with fatality rates estimated to be between 6.7 and 15.6% of all horses diagnosed with colic Kaneene et al. 1997; Tinker et al. 1997b). […]