Colic might be one of the most common equine ailments veterinarians deal with, but less than 5% of those cases involve internal lesions that require surgery to correct. So how are the other 95% of cases managed? Medically, of course.

Sarah Reuss, VMD, Dipl. ACVIM, reviewed the mainstays of medical colic management with veterinary attendees at the 2014 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 6-10 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Reuss, clinical assistant professor and large animal internal medicine service chief at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, said that while there’s no new “silver bullet” medical treatment for colic, the three main types of therapy are fluid therapy, laxative administration, and pain management