Q. My horse has recurrent colic that’s usually fairly mild, but she had surgery last August due to a twist. She has done well until recently when she had another mild attack. A biopsy taken during surgery showed inflammation. No other problems were discovered.

Since the last attack, my veterinarian wants to treat her permanently with a low dose every other day of prednisolone. I would like to know what success this kind of treatment has had on recurring colic and what side effects could be expected from the prednisolone? I know from personal experience that prednisolone should not be treated lightly, and I would like to know more about the subject to make a more informed decision about possible courses of action.

Another veterinarian has suggested trying the five-day deworming program with fenbendazole for encysted larvae first. My mare is presently on a daily dewormer, and has been having these mostly mild colic episodes since she was about eight years old (she will be 15 this year). They mostly occur while she is on pasture, so at this time she is back on hay only.

Our veterinarian seems to not have much information on the long-term effects of prednisolone therapy and what the chances are that it would really help her problem. Also, we were trying to decide if it was worth taking biopsies before and after if we do decide to go with the prednisolone treatment