DR ANDY KANEPS: I'm Dr. Andy Kaneps of Kaneps Equine.
Today, we'll discuss a colic examination of your horse.
Colic is a manifestation of abdominal pain,
and it can take many, many forms.
It can be anything from your horse
curling its upper lip, to looking at its flank,
to severe pain where the horse is unable to stand up,
is sweating, and throwing itself down on the ground.
It's very important that you understand the signs of colic
and when you need to call your veterinarian for an exam.
Any time a horse is showing abnormal behavior
localized to the belly, we have to suspect abdominal pain
and colic.
The first steps you need to take if you
see that are to pull away the hay and any other feed present
and watch the horse a little bit.
Taking the horse for just a brief walk may be very helpful,
but excessive walking without an exam is not a good idea.
If your horse continues to show abdominal discomfort,
you need to call out your veterinarian for an exam.
The veterinarian will assess your horse's level
of discomfort.
If it's mild, you and the veterinarian
will discuss the history to determine
if there have been any changes in the horse's diet,
any changes in hay source--
changes in the weather sometimes can be associated with colic.
Also, determining whether your horse
has drank its normal quantity of water that day is important.
The veterinarian will then take steps
to assess the general well-being of your horse
with a focus on the abdominal organs.
We take a temperature, pulse, and respiratory rate,
and evaluate cardiovascular function
by looking at the gums, assessing gum color
and moisture, and capillary refill time
to assess perfusion or circulation of the horse.
From there, the veterinarian will assess gut motility
by listening to the abdomen.
Normally, there's characteristic large sounds in the normally
functioning intestinal tract.
Either hyper function or lack of function
when listening to the belly are abnormal and will be
recorded by your veterinarian.
From there, depending, again, on the level of discomfort
the horse has, your veterinarian may
choose to pass a nasal gastric tube or stomach
tube by taking a flexible tube down the nose
and into the stomach.
Doing this is both diagnostic and therapeutic.
If, for example, when the tube is passed into the stomach
a large amount of feed material or fluid comes out the tube,
that shows that the stomach is distending and isn't emptying.
Decompression of the stomach, then,
can be really quite helpful to the horse's pain level.
If there is no fluid coming back on the tube,
your veterinarian may choose to pump fluids alone or fluids
with electrolytes or mineral oil down the tube.
Putting fluid material down into the stomach
helps stimulate colon motility; so it can be very therapeutic.
Then mineral oil or water into the stomach
can help lubricate and moisten the fecal content
and help encourage its passage.
A next step of most colic exams is rectal palpation
of the abdominal organs.
By reaching and feeling the contents
of the abdomen through a rectal exam,
your veterinarian can tell whether or not
there may be an impaction, such as a distended portion
of intestine with feed material, or gas
in the intestinal tract, which may
indicate a complete or partial obstruction.
And that information is added to our record
in the full assessment of the horse.
A more broad spectrum evaluation of the abdominal contents
can be done under certain circumstances
with an ultrasound exam with the ultrasound probe
being placed in various parts of the abdomen
to assess distention or lack thereof
of the intestinal tract, whether or not the bowel wall
or intestinal wall is thickened, and looking for excess fluid,
or even the possibility of hemorrhage
in the abdominal cavity itself.
Your veterinarian may also obtain blood samples
for laboratory testing, and these blood samples
are commonly evaluated for PCV or hematocrit, which
is an indicator of hydration or dehydration and, also,
total protein content, which helps
us assess those same factors.
We can also test for various enzymes that
may indicate inflammation and help
us identify the potential cause of the abdominal pain.
Once the complete examination is finished,
your veterinarian will make decisions on treatment.
That treatment may involve use of a mild intravenous sedative
or administration of other medications
that may reduce spasm of the intestine
or act as an anti-inflammatory to reduce discomfort.
Also, as I said earlier, treating the horse
with either fluids or oil down the stomach tube
would be considered part of the treatment.
The horse is usually assessed for a period of time on farm,
and most horses respond to very straightforward,
low-key treatment.
If your horse doesn't respond to the initial, relatively
low-key medical treatment, more intense treatment
and examination may be required at a referral center.
If that is undertaken, the horse is prepared for shipment
by making sure that, if needed, a stomach tube is in place
and, also, that correct levels of medication and pain relief
are on board for the trip.
The goal is to have your horse shipped safely
to the referral center.
Once at the referral center, a more detailed examination
may be undertaken, and the horse may or may not
be put on more intense medical therapy,
such as intravenous fluid therapy.
If the horse fails to respond to this more intense level
of medical therapy, surgery may be indicated.
Those approaches are only undertaken
when medical therapy is not effective in stopping
your horse's discomfort.
In summary, it's very important for you
to understand even the mild signs of colic
so you can enlist the aid of your veterinarian if needed.
At minimum, consult with your veterinarian,
describe the signs your horse is showing,
and your veterinarian will determine whether or not
a more detailed on-farm exam is needed.
For further information about signs of abdominal pain
and other issues related to the abdomen,
take a look at the SmartPak Horse Health Library.