Equine veterinarians can’t tell what type of colic a horse is experiencing based on clinical signs alone, but they can use response to treatment and worsening clinical signs as indiactors that a horse might need to go to surgery. | Photo: Courtesy Dr. Rebecca McConnico

Every two years, the Equine Science Society (ESS) holds a symposium covering the latest equine nutrition and physiology research. Anthony Blikslager, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, professor of equine surgery and gastroenterology at North Carolina State University, in Raleigh, kicked off the 2019 edition, taking place June 3-6 in Asheville, North Carolina, with his perspective as a surgeon on horse colic prevention.

Here are eight interesting facts from his lecture:

1. Equine veterinarians can’t tell what type of colic (e.g., ileal impaction, large colon volvulus, etc.) a horse is experiencing based on clinical signs alone. What they can determine is when medical treatment isn’t working and when signs are getting more severe—both of which suggest a horse might need to go to surgery