Association of age, sex and breed factors in acute equine colic: A retrospective study of 320 cases admitted to a veterinary teaching hospital in the U.S.A

• Published in: Preventive veterinary medicine Vol. 7; no. 2; pp. 149 - 160
• Main Authors: Reeves, Mathew J., Gay, John M., Hilbert, Bryan J., Morris, Roger S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 1989
• Subjects: CABALLOS; CHEVAL; COLIC OF HORSE; COLICO DEL CABALLO; COLIQUE DU CHEVAL; EPIDEMIOLOGIA; EPIDEMIOLOGIE; EPIDEMIOLOGY; ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA; ETATS-UNIS; HORSES; USA
• ISSN: 0167-5877; 1873-1716
• DOI: 10.1016/0167-5877(89)90006-8

A retrospective study of 320 horses, presented to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Teaching Hospital from July 1974 to June 1984 with acute abdominal pain, is describe. The proportion of horses presented with colic, compared to all other horses admitted during the same period, increased slightly with age ( P < 0.01). Horses <6 months of age were over-represented among the cases of small colon disease requiring surgical intervention. The sex distribution of the colic cases was similar to the non-colic control population. The Arabian and Morgan breeds were over-represented among the colic cases compared to the non-colic control population. Geldings and horses ⩾15 years of age were more likely to require surgical intervention ( P < 0.05). Intact male horses had a higher overall surgical rate (55.8%) than geldings (24.5%) or females (30.9%). Older horses tended to have a lower overall surgical survival rate than younger horses. The overall survival rate of the colic-affected horses was 58.8%. The overall survival rates for the horses with small intestinal, large colon or small colon surgical conditions were 25, 37 and 70%, respectively. The surgical survival rate of the colic-affected horses was 44%, with small intestinal, large colon and small colon surgical conditions being 30, 48 and 78%, respectively.