1. VCS 503: SOFT TISSUE SURGERY AND LAMENESS LECTURE NOTES
DR TIMOTHY, A.O. OLUSA (DVM, MVSc)
DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY
UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
ABEOKUTA, NIGERIA
MAY, 2010

2. TOPIC: COLIC IN HORSES INTRODUCTION
Colic is a term coined centuries ago for gastrointestinal diseases
It is derived from the word ‘colon’ which is the presumed seat of the disorder
The term colic have come to apply to all pathological states in which the animal exhibits behavior strongly indicative of pain or discomfort arising from the abdomen
Colic is not a disease but a symptom of an undergoing disease/condition and it represent a challenge of differential diagnosis

3. differential diagnosis of colic
Colic may be a feature of the following conditions or disease groups
► Stomach & intestinal diseases
► Liver & biliary diseases
► Diseases of the uroginital organ
► Locomator system (e.g back pain &
laminitis)
► Starvation or thirst

4. Review of the equine GIT anatomy

5. AETIOLOGY AND PATHOGENESIS
The actual cause of colic is unknown!
The anatomic peculiarities of the equine GIT plays an essential role as a predisposing factor for the condition
The horse’s relative inability to vomit makes emptying more difficult if the stomach becomes distended; which may results into gastric rupture
Impaction are the most common causes of colic in horses

6. SOME RISK FACTORS FOR COLIC:
Gastrointestinal parasites e.g:
strongylus vulgaris;
parascaris equrum and
anoplocephala perfoliata
2. Poor dentition, age or debility
3. Foreign bodies’ ingestion e.g plastic, sand, wood etc
which can lead to fecalith, enteropathy and
obstruction of the ascending colon
4. Restriction of water supply
5. Diet /feeding errors
6. History of previous colic
7. Metrologic factors (weather changes,
thunderstorms)

7. Typical pain of colic is caused by spasm in the intestinal wall and three conditions are distinguished as follows