Equine colic

Abstract

The term colic refers to pain in the abdominal cavity. The pain may originate in the digestive organs, or in other organs; it may be caused by a variety of pathological changes which develop from different generalized diseases. The original meaning of the term colic was pain caused by a spasm in the colon. (Delahanty, 1967) However, usage has widened the definition to include pain arising from the stomach and other digestive visera, and even pain which may be observed during the course of other generalized and infectious diseases.

The general heading of colic is often classified into four major divisions: 1. gastric dilatation 2. spasmodic 3. impaction and 4. pathological displacements of the intestine. Examples of this last division may include: volvulus, herniations, intususceptions, and stenosis of the lumen of the bowel by external bands or foreign bodies. Animals with such pathological displacements are often presented as possible surgical candidates. It is the intent of this paper to present a method of evaluating a colic case in order to determine the need for surgery.