When it comes to diagnosing a colicky horse in the field, veterinarians typically work quickly and thoroughly to identify the problem and either start treatment or refer the horse to a clinic. Two modalities veterinarians often employ to narrow down the source of a horse's abdominal pain are palpation per rectum and percutaneous (through the skin) ultrasound.

At the 2014 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 6-10 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Tracy E. Norman, VMD, Dipl. ACVIM, reviewed how veterinarians can use these techniques while examining a colicky horse.

"The main goals when performing diagnostics in a horse with abdominal pain are to determine a diagnosis, choose an appropriate therapeutic plan (which might involve surgery), and provide the owner with a prognosis," said Norman, now a practitioner at the Blue Ridge Equine Clinic, in Staunton, Virginia.

She said palpating the horse's abdomen per rectum has long been considered a mainstay of a colic exam, but the "ready availability of portable sonographic equipment and better protocols for rapid transabdominal sonography have made percutaneous (through the skin) ultrasound an increasingly utilized modality in the diagnosis of acute colic