Colic in Horses

Colic is one of the most common equine health emergencies and is a leading cause of death in horses worldwide. While the vast majority of colic episodes are mild and resolve with medical treatment alone, some types of colic require surgical intervention for a successful outcome. Although most horse...

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Main Authors: Sally DeNotta, Amanda House
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries 2023-02-01
Series:EDIS
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/118500
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author Sally DeNotta
Amanda House
author_facet Sally DeNotta
Amanda House
author_sort Sally DeNotta
collection DOAJ
description Colic is one of the most common equine health emergencies and is a leading cause of death in horses worldwide. While the vast majority of colic episodes are mild and resolve with medical treatment alone, some types of colic require surgical intervention for a successful outcome. Although most horse owners hope they never encounter colic in their horses, understanding what colic is and adopting strategies for its management and prevention are important parts of responsible horse ownership and management. A national study conducted by the USDA's National Animal Health Monitoring System in 2015 determined that colic was the leading cause of death for horses aged 1 to 20, accounting for 31.2% of deaths. For horses over 20 years of age, colic was the second leading cause of death (13.4%) behind old age (26.6%). A similar report in 2001 found that the incidence of colic was 4.2 events for every 100 horses per year, that 1.2% of colic cases will require surgery, and that 11% will be fatal. This article reviews the most common causes of colic in horses and provides information for horse owners regarding prevention and treatment strategies.
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publisher The University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries
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spelling doaj-art-c1d4887f00fd40f3841d5a5db6bc322d2025-02-08T05:41:42ZengThe University of Florida George A. Smathers LibrariesEDIS2576-00092023-02-0120231Colic in HorsesSally DeNotta0Amanda House1University of FloridaUniversity of FloridaColic is one of the most common equine health emergencies and is a leading cause of death in horses worldwide. While the vast majority of colic episodes are mild and resolve with medical treatment alone, some types of colic require surgical intervention for a successful outcome. Although most horse owners hope they never encounter colic in their horses, understanding what colic is and adopting strategies for its management and prevention are important parts of responsible horse ownership and management. A national study conducted by the USDA's National Animal Health Monitoring System in 2015 determined that colic was the leading cause of death for horses aged 1 to 20, accounting for 31.2% of deaths. For horses over 20 years of age, colic was the second leading cause of death (13.4%) behind old age (26.6%). A similar report in 2001 found that the incidence of colic was 4.2 events for every 100 horses per year, that 1.2% of colic cases will require surgery, and that 11% will be fatal. This article reviews the most common causes of colic in horses and provides information for horse owners regarding prevention and treatment strategies. https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/118500horse diseasescolicdigestive system diseases
spellingShingle Sally DeNotta
Amanda House
Colic in Horses
EDIS
horse diseases
colic
digestive system diseases
title Colic in Horses
title_full Colic in Horses
title_fullStr Colic in Horses
title_full_unstemmed Colic in Horses
title_short Colic in Horses
title_sort colic in horses
topic horse diseases
colic
digestive system diseases
url https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/118500
work_keys_str_mv AT sallydenotta colicinhorses
AT amandahouse colicinhorses