b'WHAT TYPE OF COLIC IS IT?the intestinal wall that the bowel begins THE HORSES GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT to degenerate. Blikslager recommends keeping an eye out for signs of potentially fatal endotoxemia (e.g., abnormal-colored Small Intestine Large Colon Small Colon gums, delayed capillary refill time when Stomach Transverse Colon you press on the gums, and high pro-tein and white blood cell counts in the Pelvic abdominal fluid) in these cases.flexureStrangulating ObstructionsStrangulating obstructions (SO), while not as common as nonstrangulating, are far more serious and always require sur-gery. They occur when part of the GI tract twists or gets entrapped, cutting off blood flow to that region. Types of strangula-tions include:DR. ROBIN PETERSONSmall intestine volvulus With a vol-Cecum vulus, a piece of intestine twists around itself. Many volvulus colics occur in the small intestine, often involving the ileum (middle portion) and the jejunum to Texas, says Anthony Blikslager, DVM,it to move around the abdomen. Rarely, itconnected to it, simply because of that PhD, Dipl. ACVS, professor of equineshifts to the point it gets trapped againstorgans anatomy.surgery and gastroenterology at Northother organs, causing anobstruction.Hassel explains that as you travel from Carolina State University, in Raleigh.The majority of nonstrangulatingthe start of the small intestine to the end, While veterinarians dont know the exactobstructions were able to successfullyits mesentery (the blood-supplying mem-reason for this regional risk, he says feed- manage medically (i.e., with pain relief,brane that connects it to the body wall) ing coastal Bermuda haywhich is fineintravenous and oral fluids, laxatives,gets increasingly longer. The jejunum and and stemmyin these areas might havenasogastric tube, and walking), saysileum are the most commonly affected, something to do with it. Hassel. However, some of them will notprobably related to the length of that Horses also experience small colon andrespond to medical therapy, in particularmesentery and its ability to move more stomach impactions, though these arethose cases with displaced colons. around the abdomen, she says.less common. Stomach impactions or intestinalBecause of that long mesentery (the Sand impaction Horses eating off sandyobstructions that are so firmly impactedhorses small intestine is about 70 feet soils can ingest enough sand that it ac- they wont loosen with medical therapylong) the bowel can more easily end up cumulates in the large colon. are almost always surgery candidates,someplace its not supposed to be, says Ascarid impaction This obstructionadds Blikslager. Blikslager. One of those places is in the is seen almost exclusively in weanlings,Fortunately, the prognosis for mostepiploic foramena narrow opening in which tend to carry ascarid parasitesnonstrangulating colics is quite good,the forward part of the abdomen. The re-when not dewormed regularly. Colic canbecause the bowel doesnt usually getsulting severe anddifficult-to-correct SO occur shortly after a youngster with adamaged. Long-standing impactions,is called an epiploic foramenentrapment.heavy ascarid burden getsdewormed however, can apply so much pressure onLess commonly, the small intestine the mass of dying parasites can cause ancan also become trapped in a tear in the obstruction as it makes its way throughmesenterycalled a mesenteric rentor the small intestine. a tear in the gastrosplenic ligament that Enteroliths These mineral stones canruns from the spleen to the stomach, develop in the large and small colon,called a gastrosplenic entrapment.requiring surgical removal if they growLarge colon volvulus The large colon, large enough to cause a blockage.with only one attachment to the upper COURTESY DR. ANTHONY BLIKSLAGERBlikslager says they tend to occur morebody wall, has the ability to turn around frequently on the West Coast than theon its own axis and become twisted. This East, with California horses being theis one of the most common types of vol-most severely affected. vulus and fatal forms of colic, says Blik-Left or right dorsal displacement of theslager, and tends to occur most frequently large colon The horses large colon is es- in broodmares when they foal or right af-sentially suspended from the upper bodyter. Veterinarians still dont know exactly wall at a single attachment point, allowingDistension from a small colon impaction why it happens, thoughphysiological, 12January 2020The Horse|TheHorse.comColic USE.indd 12 12/4/19 3:27 PM'