Colic Injury Research Paper

Colic is defined as abdominal pain. Having it known as pain it is not a diagnosis but it’s a clinical sign your horse is showing. Colic is a term for all forms of gastrointestinal conditions which cause pain. Even other causes of abdominal pain not involving the gastrointestinal tract. The most common forms of colic are gastrointestinal in nature and are most often related to colonic disturbance. There are a variety of different causes of colic, and having them range for minor to major to severe having surgery. Having colic surgery is usually an expensive procedure as it is major abdominal surgery, often with intensive aftercare. Colic is the leading medical cause of death in horses. Technically, colic refers to pain in a horse’s abdomen,
This are the most seen of colic in horses, even some of these are seen most then the other seven.
Idiopathic- No root cause determined. (Accounts for over 80% of all colics.) Enteritis- Inflammation of the intestine, caused by many things, including infection, viruses, and bacteria. Non-ideopathic- Cause is known. Gas (spasmodic)- Excess fluid or gas, often caused by the over-fermentation of food in the hindgut, builds up in the digestive tract of a horse. The resulting pressure and possible inflammation along the gastrointestinal line causes discomfort for the horse. Intussusception- Most often caused by tapeworms and other parasites, this is also a very dangerous form of colic whereby the intestine effectively slides like a telescope within a portion of itself. The blood supply can also be cut off, creating a blockage. Impaction- The result of an accumulation in a horse’s colon of sand, dirt, feed, or other indigestible material. This blockage makes if difficult or impossible for a horse to properly dispose of waste. Gastric rupture- Relatively rare, a gastric rupture can occur when an impaction reaches the horse’s stomach or gas build-up causes the horse’s stomach to dilate. Strangulation/torsion- One of the most lethal forms of equine colic. A twist in the colon or small intestine of a horse which may also cause the blood supply to be cut off, resulting in necrotic
Clinical signs of colic generally require treatment by a veterinarian. A veterinarian will need to know any other drugs given to the horse, their amount, and the time they were given, as those can help with the assessment of the colic progression and how it is responding. Clinical signs when a horse is showing the pain of colic- elevated body temperature: most commonly associated with medically managed colic such as enteritis, colitis, peritonitis, and intestinal rupture, elevated heart rate, elevated respiratory rate, increased capillary refill time and a change in mucous membrane (gum) color, change in the degree of gut sounds or different types of sounds, pawing at the ground, increased attention toward the abdomen, including flank watching, nipping, biting, or kicking, repeatedly lying down and rising, which may become violent when the colic is severe, rolling, especially when not followed by shaking after standing, and which may become violent when the colic is severe and start to thrash, sweating, change in feces: decreased fecal output or a change in consistency, stretching, abnormal posturing or frequent attempts to urinate, groaning, excess salivation, excessive yawning, loss of