We’ve had two cases of colic at our barn in the last week. Why? Is it the weather? Is the pasture too dry? Is there too much/too little grass? Was there something different growing/blooming/going to seed? Are the horses not drinking enough?
Because there are so many causes for colic, epidemiology can be helpful in determining those things that are associated with an increased risk of colic. In some cases, it also can help identify the cause.
Colic is a common problem in horses. Establishing a plan for treatment and predicting the possible outcome of a case of colic is important to both the attending veterinarian and the anxious owner of the horse. Abdominal fluid
Merial, a Merck and Rhone-Poulenc company, announced today that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market Gastroguard (omeprazole) Paste, the first and only prescription
Passing the meconium is, to me, the second-biggest hurdle a foal must overcome after birth–the first, obviously, is making the transition from the protected life within the uterus to life outside the uterus (breathing, standing, nursing).
Foals born to mares which do not receive proper nourishment during gestation could be born weak.
The good news is that horses are naturally well-equipped to weather practically everything that winter can dish out. They are far more tolerant of cold conditions than we poor hairless humans are; in fact, horses tend to be far more stressed by heat
Mules and donkeys are a lot like horses, to be sure, but in many ways, including some health concerns, they are most definitely different. First, we should have a basic understanding about what constitutes these unique four-footed creatures.
The average lifespan of a horse is said to be about 24 years; but as with humans, a horse’s chronological age isn’t always a good indicator of how old he really is. Some horses still are active at the age of 35, while others suffer significant signs
Traveling cross-country with a horse can be an ordeal under the best of circumstances.
Risen Star, the 1988 Thoroughbred champion 3-year-old colt whose career at stud never matched his exploits on the track, died March 13 at the Hagyard-Davidson-McGee veterinary clinic near Lexington, Ky., as a result of colic. The 13-year-old son
Disorders of the small colon make up a small percentage of the etiologies in acute abdominal crises in horses. Obstruction by fecal material, enteroliths, and meconium are the most commonly reported pathogenic conditions of the small colon in th
In the October 1996 issue of the Equine Disease Quarterly, Salmonella isolates from equine cases over a six-year period at the Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center (LDDC) were discussed. From June 1994 to June 1996, 3,340 equine
Final preparations will need to be made so that the newborn foal gets the best chance at life.
In a recent survey conducted by the Morris Animal Foundation, it was found that the top three concerns of horse owners were nutrition, laminitis, and colic. In response to the survey, horse owners cited that more of their horses died from colic tha
The titles of numerous news stories in Florida papers during a few weeks in October shared some common words–Eastern equine encephalomyelitis. The disease has been responsible for several human deaths recently in Florida, and while in Orlando
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