At BVEH your horse’s health is our passion. Our
goal is to care for each patient, from conception
through retirement, with the highest quality care
available at a reasonable cost. As highly trained
and dedicated professionals, we are committed to
exceeding expectations and to helping each horse
reach its full athletic potential.
The Equine Acute Abdominal
Crisis
Colic
Ben Buchanan, DVM
Brazos Valley Equine Hospital
Board-certified Specialist
•Internal Medicine
•Emergency and Critical Care
Slided Developed By
• AAEP
• www.aaep.org/horseowner
• Photos courtesy of
– Ben Espsy, DVM, DACT
– Diana Zimmel, DVM, DACVIM, DABVP
• www.aaep.org/horseowner
Surgery?
• Most cases of colic resolve with medical
treatment
• Surgical cases minority of total colics
Surgery?
• Most common cause of equine
mortality
– These are the ones that don’t resolve
• Treat every case as it is surgical
Indications for Surgery
• Pain
– Recurrent or intractable
– The longer it persists, the less severe required to
indicate surgery
• Gastric reflux (large amount)
– Not necessarily
Indications for Surgery
• Rectal exam
– Small intestinal distention
– Displacement or distended large colon
– Mass
• Ultrasound
– Thickened bowel wall
– Gas in bowel wall
Indications for Surgery
• Absence of borborygmi
– Ileus
• Peritoneal fluid
– Increased protein
– Serosanguinous
Normal Mucosa
Strangulation Obstruction
Endotoxin
Verminous Arteritis
Contraindications for
Surgery
• Fever
– Most often means enteritis
• CBC
– Neutropenia: enteritis
• Auscultation
– Good motility
Preoperative Prognostic
Indicators
• Cardiovascular status (shock)
– Indicates severity of problem
– Reversible?
• Small intestinal distention
– Usually strangulated
– Small intestine has more postoperative
complications
– Peritoneal fluid elevations
Thank You
• Ben Buchanan, DVM, DACVIM, DACVECC
– Brazos Valley Equine Hospital
– bbuchanan@bveh.com
– 936-825-2197