Although horses have historically been known as working livestock, today they are often referred to as companion animals. More and more people are seeking to own pet horses, making large animal veterinary medicine even more important. With a growing horse industry, first-time horse owners should be aware and educated about one of the most common illnesses horses are susceptible to: colic.

“Colic in the horse refers to a pain originating from within the abdominal cavity. Most often, colic is associated with the gastrointestinal tract; however, it can also arise from other intra-abdominal organs like the kidney, liver, and uterus,” said Noah Cohen, VMD, MPH, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, in College Station. “Horses that experience colic will show varying degrees of pain with varying clinical signs. These can include turning to stare at the flank region, pawing at the ground, restlessness (such as getting up and down), rolling, sweating, having a high heart and respiratory rate, and flared nostrils.”

So what causes colic and why is it so common in horses? Cohen said there are many potential causes of the illness. For example, one cause is a small intestine volvulus, where the intestine is obstructed by twisting itself.

“Often the cause(s) of a volvulus (or any other displacement or twisting of the gastrointestinal tract) may be impossible to define, or may be attributable to many factors such as diet, level of exercise, dehydration from sweat losses or inadequate water intake, and so on,” Cohen explained