When to Refer a Colic Case
Situations in which referral is simply not an option include a lack of finances, no trailer access or a horse that refuses to load, and personal opinion about surgery or referral off the farm. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse
If your horse colicked today, what would you do? In many colic scenarios, the time spent deciding whether to transport the horse to an equine hospital for specialized care can mean the difference between life and death. For this reason, it’s important for veterinarians and owners to be able to make a quick decision about when to refer a colicking horse.

At the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Focus on Colic, held July 16-18, 2017, in Lexington, Kentucky, Jarred Williams, MS, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS-LA, ACVECC, clinical assistant professor of Large Animal Emergency Medicine at the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine, shared protocol for referring colic cases.

The two decision-makers for referral, he said, are the type of abdominal lesion and the owner’s opinion.

“The vet’s job is to identify the lesion as quickly as we can and educate the owner,” he said

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