Most horse owners are familiar with the risks associated with equine general anesthesia, which range from the dangers of recovery to death. Another common complication is colic. And researchers recently took their understanding of post-anesthetic colic a step further by completing a retrospective study on the topic.

Brad Nelson, DVM, MS, a PhD candidate at the Colorado State University (CSU) College of Veterinary Medicine, presented a study in which he evaluated the risk factors associated with gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction in horses undergoing elective procedures under general anesthesia at the 2013 American Association of Equine Practitioners' Convention, held Dec. 7-11 in Nashville, Tenn.

Post-anesthetic colic (PAC) is well-recognized; occurs in 3-6% of horses; and can develop after a variety of procedures in which veterinarians employ general anesthesia, including surgery, computed tomography, and MRI. Nelson said elective surgeries are known to have complications; better characterizing what complications occur and how frequently could help veterinarians decrease the complication rate and also help them better educate clients on risks associated with their horses' surgical and anesthetic procedures.

Nelson and colleagues decided to perform a retrospective study to evaluate how many horses developed PAC or reduced fecal output that required treatment, and to identify potential risk factors for GI dysfunction