What are the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of equine colic?
Causes
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Equine colic is defined as a manifestation of abdominal visceral pain of gastrointestinal origin.
The common causes of equine colic are accumulation of gas, hypermotility and intestinal spasm, foreign body, impaction of food or constipation, volvulus, hernia, and infection.
The symptoms of equine colic include restlessness, frequent lying down and getting up, groaning, rolling, sweating, kicking the abdomen, tachycardia, cold feet, prolonged capillary refill time, and changes in mucous membrane color.
The diagnosis of equine colic involves a clinical history, physical examination, listening to intestinal sounds, production of feces, palpation of the testicles, rectal palpation, ultrasound, X-rays, and laboratory tests.
The treatment of equine colic includes symptomatic management of pain, decompression of the gastrointestinal tract, trocarization, enema, intravenous hydration, modification of intestinal motility, and surgery.