Colic is abdominal pain, and the first decision in every case is whether the horse needs surgery. The key split is between strangulating lesions, which cut off both the lumen and the blood supply, and non-strangulating lesions, which obstruct or displace gut with the blood supply largely intact. Early surgery improves survival, so MSD stresses referral over precise diagnosis.
Key facts
Lesions (strangulating, non-strangulating) at a glance- Species and system: horse; small intestine and large colon.
- Strangulating obstruction: lumen and blood supply both obstructed. Needs emergency surgery.
- Non-strangulating infarction: blood supply interrupted without luminal obstruction (for example, thromboembolism from Strongylus vulgaris).
- Classic presentation: severe, unrelenting pain, tachycardia, poor perfusion, and distended bowel on rectal examination.
- Surgical clues: pain unresponsive to analgesia, over 4 L of gastric reflux, no borborygmi, abnormal peritoneal fluid (protein, lactate, red cells), tightly distended bowel.
- Not zoonotic.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention, control and public health
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 5 tables, 1 figure, 3 self-test questions and 6 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.