b'WHAT TYPE OF COLIC IS IT?management, exercise, nutritional,Life-saving treatment for these and microbiome (microorganismshorses is often aggressive and and their interactions in the gut)expensive and includes lots of changes are all possible causes, hefluids, colloid support (used for says. fluid replacement), and sometimes Strangulating lipoma Fatty lumpsantibiotics.called lipomas can form along theAnother really important mesentery; these can grow with atherapy we use a lot is DTO (di-tri-stalk or stem and end up wrappingoctahedral) smectite, which helps around the intestine. This colic typebind some of the toxins present in is most common in geldings age 15A partially untwisted large colon volvulus the gut to reduce their absorption. and older and typically occurs in theThese absorbed toxins cause a lot ileum or jejunum. dies, the treatment is removal of the af- of the clinical signs when horses are very Intussusception Rarely, horses experi- fected segment. sickvery high heart rate, red mucous ence intussusception in the colon or smallShe says her clinic typically quotesmembranes, and a high risk of founder-intestine, where a piece of bowel rollsowners between $7,000 and $15,000 for aing, says Hassel.inside the adjacent bowel, kind of like acolic surgery. Enteritis This condition, also called sock turning inside out, and it pulls theduodenitis/proximal jejunitis or proximal blood supply with it, Blikslager says. Inflammatory Conditions enteritis, causes inflammation of the Again, the treatment for any of theseColics due to inflammation are usuallysmall intestine. The result, says Hassel, is strangulations is surgery. The horses prog- caused by microorganisms such as bac- fluid accumulation in the small intes-nosis depends on the duration of the colic,teria, molds, and viruses. The two mosttine and lack of progressive motility, or the severity of the strangulation, and thecommon are: movement of the fluid downstream. What amount of gut entrapped, says Hassel.Colitis This infection and inflammationhappens is that fluid will back up into the About 85-90% of horses in relativelyof the colon can be quite severe and isstomach, and so horses will get painful as good conditionmaybe just a little de- typically associated with mild to explosivethe stomach distends with fluid.hydrated, elevated heart rate, beginningsdiarrhea. It can result from a variety ofAgain, many organismsmost of of abnormal gum colorwill make itmicrobes, including Salmonella, Clostrid- which are unknowncan be associated through surgery and all the way to hos- ium, Neorickettsia risticii (which causeswith this condition, including Salmonella pital discharge, says Blikslager. WhilePotomac horse fever), and coronavirus.and Clostridium, along with Fusarium we can get almost all of them out of theVeterinarians dont know the cause ofmold. Most horses respond well to sup-hospital, one postoperative complicationmost colitis cases, however, because ofportive care such as fluid therapy, passing in particular can reduce their survival.the sheer number of organisms that cana nasogastric tube, and decompression of Thats adhesions, where the bowel,induce inflammation, says Blikslager. the stomach.because its been manipulated and in- We often call acute cases colitis X,Our sources agree that there appear to jured during the strangulation, becomesbecause we dont really have a good un- be regional differences between enteritis inflamed and sticky. derlying explanation for the cause, sayscases. Out West, for instance, they seem He says he gives horses with smallHassel. There are probably many patho- to be more mild than in the Southeast.intestine SOs a 60-65% long-term sur- gens causing colitis that havent beenThe prognosis for horses with colitis or vival rate at that point. For horses withidentified, and thats why in the majorityenteritis depends on the degree of inflam-large colon volvulus, by the time it getsof cases we dont ever find a causejustmation. Some horses well lose within a diagnosed and they travel three hourslots of inflammation in the colon and lotsday or two, because its hard to keep up (the average travel time for colic cases toof diarrhea. with the fluid and protein loss, whereas NC State) to the hospital, the prognosisothers do much better, says Blikslager.for survival to discharge is closer to 40 or 50%, he says. Take-Home MessageCases owners and veterinarians catchThese are just some of the more fre-immediatelyand can operate on beforequently encountered and discussed colic PHOTOS COURTESY DR. ANTHONY BLIKSLAGERthe affected portion of the bowel dies causes and types. Others include stomach not only have a much better prognosis forulcers, infarctions (blood clots cutting off survival (greater than 80%, says Hassel)blood supply to the bowel), peritonitis but also cost significantly less to treat.(inflammation of the abdominal lin-They tend to have fewer complicationsing), and a whole host of conditions that because they dont have that dead, toxicmimic colic (TheHorse.com/157326). The bowel trapped in them for any period ofequine GI tract is a complex beast, and time, she says. That changes the wholemany things can go wrong. With good systemic response and makes them lessmanagement and nutrition, however, you prone to complications. Once the bowelStrangulated intestine caused by a lipoma can help keep colic at bay.hTheHorse.com|The HorseJanuary 202013Colic USE.indd 13 12/4/19 3:49 PM'