How is colic treated in horses

Flunixin, however, is not a potent pain reliever; it should not be expected to control the more severe signs of colic pain that accompany colic caused by gas distension or by various conditions that require surgical management for resolution.

The alpha-agonists detomodine and xylazine provide the most profound relief of visceral pain. Detomodine has a longer duration of action, and xylazine may allow for rapid reassessment of the colic patient should surgical referral be an option.

While not directly pain- relieving, buscopan is an antispasmodic spasmolytic and anticholinergic drug that suppresses spasms of the digestive system. As such, it may help relieve pain secondarily and may be used to help facilitate rectal examinations. Fluid administration, either oral or intravenous, is often an important part of care.

Cases of fecal impaction can be assisted by simply giving water via nasogastric tube. As often as every hour has been reported to be helpful in more serious cases. Balanced oral electrolyte solutions may be preferred by some practitioners but appear to offer no clear advantage. Intravenous fluid support is often given to horses with colic, especially in hospital settings. Administering large volumes of intravenous fluids can be time- and labor-intensive but can be successfully done in the field.

Mineral Oil: Light mineral oil has been a standard colic treatment for decades. However, how well or even if it works is still subject to some debate. Some clinicians may assert that mineral oil serves as a marker for the passage of ingesta. DSS: Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate DSS is an anionic surfactant that found some popularity in the treatment of colic in the late 20th century.

Treatment options which your vet will consider include: Pain Relief Horses with colic are in pain, common equine pain relieving medications such as phenylbutazone are used in the treatment of colic. Antispasmodics Some horses with colic have over-active spasming intestines.

Laxatives Laxatives such as liquid paraffin are given using a stomach tube and particularly employed for cases of impaction. Effects of Colic in Horses Unfortunately, because of the diverse types of colic and the unique challenges of equine digestive system, horses will always be prone to colic.

There are some risk factors associated with colic that owners however, can impact on, including: Worm control — heavy worm burdens increase the risk of colic. Dietary change — rapid dietary change increases the risk of colic. Dental health — poor dentition is associated with impaction colic. Roughage quality — Diets predominately containing coarse roughage such as straw are associated with impaction colic. Concentrate feeding — feeding over 5kg of concentrates, in one or two feeds increases the risk of colic.

Feed little and often to reduce this risk. Pasture access — horses with greatest time at pasture have least incidence of colic. Exercise — reduced exercise increases the incidence of colic. Cribbing — horses that crib have an increased incidence of colic. Transport — post travelling horses have a greater incidence of colic Post Pregnancy — mares have a greater incidence of colic in the months after having a foal.

Please enter Name and E-mail to download article. Required Invalid. SAFE accredited. Tweets Follow ForanEquine. Equine GI anatomy relevant to colic, median section. Illustration by Dr. Gheorghe Constantinescu. The diameter of the dorsal colon is largest either at its diaphragmatic flexure or in the right dorsal colon. There are no sacculations in either the left or right portion of the dorsal colon.

The right dorsal colon is closely attached to the right ventral colon by a short intercolic fold and to the body wall by a tough, common mesenteric attachment with the base of the cecum. In contrast, neither the left ventral nor left dorsal colons are attached directly to the body wall, allowing these portions of the colon to become displaced or twisted.

The transverse colon is located cranial to the cranial mesenteric artery. Finally, the ingesta enters the sacculated descending colon, which is 10—12 ft 3—3. The celiac and cranial mesenteric arteries branches of the abdominal aorta supply blood to the GI tract. The celiac artery supplies arterial blood to the stomach, pancreas, liver, spleen, and the first portion of the duodenum. The cranial mesenteric artery supplies arterial blood to the remaining portion of the duodenum; to all of the jejunum, ileum, cecum, large colon, and transverse colon; and to the first portion of the descending colon.

Because the large colon is attached to the body wall only in the region near the cranial mesenteric artery, the blood supplying all portions of the colon must traverse the entire length of the colon.

The pelvic flexure receives its blood supply from two branches of the cranial mesenteric artery; one branch supplies the right and left dorsal colons before reaching the pelvic flexure, and the other branch supplies the right and left ventral colons before reaching the pelvic flexure.

Thus, volvulus of the large colon near the junction of the colon and cecum may impede the flow of blood to the entire left colon. The major branches of the cranial mesenteric artery can be damaged by the migrating forms of Strongylus vulgaris Veterinary. There are several natural openings or spaces within the abdominal cavity that can be important in conditions causing colic.

The inguinal canal provides an opening through which intestine might pass and become trapped. Although inguinal hernias are common in young foals, they rarely cause clinical problems; the situation is considerably different in stallions. Similarly, if the ventral abdominal wall fails to form properly around the umbilicus, an opening remains and the potential exists for intestinal problems to develop secondary to an umbilical hernia.

The epiploic foramen, a natural opening between the portal vein, the caudal vena cava, and the caudate lobe of the liver, can be the site of intestinal incarcerations. Finally, there is a natural space between the dorsal aspect of the spleen and the left kidney. This space is bounded by the renosplenic ligament, a strong band of tissue that connects the dorsomedial aspect of the spleen with the fibrous capsule of the left kidney.

Normograde peristalsis in the left ventral colon moves ingesta toward the left dorsal colon, and the muscles in the wall of the left dorsal colon contract to move the ingesta toward the diaphragmatic flexure. There is evidence, however, that the muscles in the left ventral colon contract in a retrograde fashion, from the pelvic flexure region toward the sternal flexure. Furthermore, these contractions appear to originate from a pacemaker region in the pelvic flexure.

It has been hypothesized that this pacemaker senses either the size or the consistency of the feed particles in the ingesta and then initiates the appropriate motility pattern. If the ingesta has been digested sufficiently, it is moved in a normograde direction; if additional digestion is necessary, the ingesta is moved in a retrograde direction to retain it in the ventral colon.

This theory has been proposed to help account for the common clinical occurrence of obstruction at or near the pelvic flexure. Numerous clinical signs are associated with colic. The most common include pawing repeatedly with a front foot, looking back at the flank region, curling the upper lip and arching the neck, repeatedly raising a rear leg or kicking at 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.

It is uncommon for a horse with colic to exhibit all of these signs. Although they are reliable indicators of abdominal pain, the particular signs do not indicate which portion of the GI tract is involved or whether surgery will be needed. A diagnosis can be made and appropriate treatment begun only after thoroughly examining the horse, considering the history of any previous problems or treatments, determining which part of the intestinal tract is involved, and identifying the cause of the particular episode of colic.

In most instances, colic develops for one of four reasons: 1 The wall of the intestine is stretched excessively by either gas, fluid, or ingesta. This stimulates the stretch-sensitive nerve endings located within the intestinal wall, and pain impulses are transmitted to the brain. Under such circumstances, proinflammatory mediators in the wall of the intestine decrease the threshold for painful stimuli.

The list of possible conditions that cause colic is long, and it is reasonable first to determine the most likely type of disease and begin appropriate treatments and then to make a more specific diagnosis, if possible. The history of the present colic episode and previous episodes, if any, must be considered to determine whether the horse has had repeated or similar problems or whether this episode is an isolated event. The duration of the present episode, the rate of deterioration of the horse's cardiovascular status, the severity of pain, whether feces have been passed, and the response to any treatments are important pieces of information.

The physical examination should include assessment of the cardiopulmonary and GI systems. The oral mucous membranes should be evaluated for color, moistness, and capillary refill time. The mucous membranes may become cyanotic or pale in horses with acute cardiovascular compromise and eventually hyperemic or muddy as peripheral vasodilation develops later in shock. The membranes become dry as the horse becomes dehydrated.

The heart rate increases due to pain, hemoconcentration, and hypotension; therefore, higher heart rates have been associated with more severe intestinal problems strangulating obstruction. However, it is important to note that not all conditions requiring surgery are accompanied by a high heart rate. An important aspect of the physical examination is the response to passing a nasogastric tube.

Because horses can neither regurgitate nor vomit, adynamic ileus, obstructions involving the small intestine, or distention of the stomach with gas or fluid may result in gastric rupture. If fluid reflux occurs, the volume and color of the fluid should be noted. In healthy horses, it is common to retrieve The abdomen and thorax should be auscultated and the abdomen percussed. The abdomen should be auscultated over several areas cecum on the right, small intestine high on the left, colon lower on both the right and left.

Intestinal sounds associated with episodes of pain may indicate an intraluminal obstruction eg, impaction, enterolith. Gas sounds may indicate ileus or distention of a viscus.

Fluid sounds may indicate impending diarrhea associated with colitis. A complete lack of sounds is usually associated with adynamic ileus or ischemia. Percussion helps identify a grossly distended segment of intestine cecum on right, colon on left that may need to be trocarized.

The respiratory rate may be increased due to fever, pain, acidosis, or an underlying respiratory problem. Diaphragmatic hernia is also a possible cause of colic. The most definitive part of the examination is the rectal examination. The veterinarian should develop a consistent method of palpating for the following: aorta, cranial mesenteric artery, cecal base and ventral cecal band, bladder, peritoneal surface, inguinal rings in stallions and geldings or the ovaries and uterus in mares, pelvic flexure, spleen, and left kidney.

The intestine should be palpated for size, consistency of contents gas, fluid, or impacted ingesta , distention, edematous walls, and pain on palpation. In healthy horses, the small intestine cannot be palpated; with small-intestinal obstruction, strangulating obstruction, or enteritis, the distended duodenum can be palpated dorsal to the base of the cecum on the right side of the abdomen, and distended loops of jejunum can be identified in the middle of the abdomen.

A sample of peritoneal fluid obtained via paracentesis performed aseptically on midline often reflects the degree of intestinal damage. The color, cell count and differential, and total protein concentration should be evaluated. Normal peritoneal fluid is clear to yellow, contains The age of the horse is important, because a number of age-related conditions cause colic. The more common of these include the following: in foals—atresia coli, meconium retention, uroperitoneum, and gastroduodenal ulcers; in yearlings—ascarid impaction; in the young—small-intestinal intussusception, nonstrangulating infarction, and foreign body obstruction; in the middle-aged—cecal impaction, enteroliths, and large-colon volvulus; and in the aged—pedunculated lipoma and mesocolic rupture.

Ultrasonographic evaluation of the abdomen may help differentiate between diseases that can be treated medically and those that require surgery. The technique also can be applied transrectally to clarify findings noted on rectal palpation. In foals, echoes from the large colon and small intestine are commonly identified from the ventral abdominal wall, whereas only large-colon echoes are usually seen in adult horses. The large colon can be identified by its sacculated appearance.

The duodenum can be identified in the tenth intercostal space and traced around the caudal aspect of the right kidney. The jejunum is rarely identified during transabdominal ultrasonographic examination of normal adult horses, whereas the thick-walled ileum can be identified by transrectal examination. However, walking too much can exhaust a horse, so only walk him enough to keep him from going down and rolling.

Even when colicking, some horses will still want to eat, perhaps even gorge themselves, as a response to pain. DO withhold access to water until the veterinarian can examine the horse and pass a stomach tube.

If the stomach is distended, allowing the horse to drink could result in a ruptured stomach. If colic persists more than 20 to 30 minutes after Banamine administration, call your veterinarian. Lack of response to pain medication is a key indicator for the need to refer for further evaluation.

If possible, move the foal to an area where the mare can still see her baby. DO start thinking about preparing for trailering at the onset of clinical signs , Keenan says.

Are the trailer tires inflated? Is your trailer operable and ready to go? In the wild, the horse is intended to be a grazer. Horses eat all day long and meet their energy requirements solely from the forages and seeds they find in the environment. They not only survive but flourish on relatively low-quality forages. Thanks to humans, domesticated horse has practically unlimited sources of energy and nutrients. We have contained horses in stalls and fed them on specific schedules, restricting grazing time and introducing large meals.

Through these actions we have made the horse more susceptible to ulcers, tissue damage from pH changes, and imbalances in the microbial populations that lead to digestive upset and colic. As a horse owner, you can reduce the chances of digestive upset by following a few easy steps. Here are six feeding tips to reduce digestive upset:. DO monitor the incision site daily if your horse required surgery.

DO discuss postoperative complications and home-care instructions with your vet before going home with your postop horse, urges Weatherly. DO maintain a consistent feeding protocol and introduce feed changes gradually. When switching to a new food source, try to do so gradually over at least 10 days. DO feed frequently. DO forgo grain over forage. In fact, high-grain diets are linked to increased incidence of colic as well as founder, obesity, and other disorders.

DO encourage drinking to reduce risk of impaction colic. Provide access to warm water in the winter and cool water in the summer. DO provide regular exercise.