Older horses are at higher risk for certain types of colic, said Anthony Blikslager, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, associate professor of equine surgery in North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He reported on studies of older horses and colic during the 43rd British Equine Veterinary Association Congress, held Sept. 15-18 in Birmingham, U.K.

“According to recent studies, colic is the single most common disease requiring medical attention in geriatric horses,” Blikslager stated. Two types of colic common to the older horse are impaction colic from poor dentition and the strangulating lipoma, or a fatty tumor on a stalk that “strangles” some part of the intestine, hampering its function.

“The reason for the predisposition of aged horses to lipomas probably relates to the number of years required to form a lipoma with a sufficient length of stalk to strangulate intestine,” he explained. Metabolic changes due to age might also play a role.

Older geldings, he said, have a 2.3-fold increase in the risk of this tumor than mares or stallions, and ponies have a 3.7-fold increase in risk. Why? “They have a greater propensity to lay down body fat,” Blikslager explained. “The short-term survival rate (for horses having this tumor) is 48-79%, and the long-term survival rate is 38-50%. However, it’s been shown that there is no decrease in survival rate with an increase in age (of the patient)