On Christmas Eve 1995 I wasn’t thinking about cookies or presents, and my only prayer at midnight Mass was “Please let my horse live.” Over and over. Shortly before we left for church, I had given the okay to the equine surgery resident at UC Davis to take my mare to take my mare in for colic surgery. I was a senior veterinary student; I knew the risks associated with pursuing and declining surgery. But, that night, I was just another scared owner saying, “Please let my horse live.”

The GI tract of the horse, housed in that huge abdomen, sometimes seems like a giant black box where any number of things can go suddenly and mysteriously wrong. Many of those things get lumped under the label of colic, but not all of them are equal as far as outcome and expense go. The ability to peek inside that black box and to sort out the risks of each specific disease and the rewards or risks of treatment helps owners and veterinarians to make intelligent decisions regarding care