Case-control study of the association between various management factors and development of colic in horses. Texas Equine Colic Study Group.
Abstract: The association between various management factors and development of colic was studied in 821 horses treated for colic and 821 control horses treated for noncolic emergencies by practicing veterinarians in Texas between Oct 1, 1991 and Dec 31, 1992. History of previous colic and history of previous abdominal surgery were found to be significantly associated with colic. Change in stabling conditions during the 2 weeks prior to the time of examination, recent change in diet, and recent change in level of activity significantly increased the risk for development of colic. Changes in activity level, diet, and stabling conditions were identified as potentially alterable risk factors for colic. Logistic regression was used to adjust for the effects of all variables found to be significantly associated with colic by means of univariate analysis, and only history of previous colic, history of previous abdominal surgery, and history of recent change in diet remained significantly associated with colic. Results of this study indicate that a proportion of colic cases might be prevented by minimizing changes in management practices.
Publication Date: 1995-03-01 PubMed ID: 7744689
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- Journal Article
- Multicenter Study
Summary
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The research article evaluates the relationship between various management factors and the occurrence of colic in horses. This suggests that altering management practices, particularly stabling conditions, diet, and level of activity, could help prevent colic in horses.
Study Overview and Methodology
- The study was conducted on 1642 horses in Texas from October 1, 1991, to December 31, 1992. It included 821 horses treated for colic instances and 821 control horses treated for non-colic emergencies. The aim was to examine the correlation between several management practices (such as stabling conditions, diet, and activity levels) and colic development.
- The researchers employed logistic regression to adjust for the effects of all variables that were significantly related to colic following a univariate analysis. This statistical method allows for the prediction of a binary outcome (in this case, the presence or absence of colic) based on one or more predictor variables (in this case, various management factors).
Main Findings
- The study discovered a significant relation between a history of colic, abdominal surgery, and recent changes in diet, and the development of colic in horses.
- Changes in stabling conditions and activity in the two weeks leading up to the examination significantly increased the risk of colic. These were identified as potential risk factors that could be altered to prevent colic.
- After adjusting the effects of all significantly related variables using logistic regression, it was found that only previous history of colic, previous abdominal surgery, and recent change in diet remained significantly associated with colic.
Implications
- The study concludes that by minimizing changes in management practices like diet, stabling conditions, and activity levels, a proportion of colic cases could likely be prevented.
- These findings highlight the importance of management in horse health and can guide better caretaker practices, potentially reducing the incidence of colic in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Cohen ND, Matejka PL, Honnas CM, Hooper RN.
(1995).
Case-control study of the association between various management factors and development of colic in horses. Texas Equine Colic Study Group.
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 206(5), 667-673.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University 77843-4475, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animal Husbandry / methods
- Animals
- Case-Control Studies
- Colic / epidemiology
- Colic / etiology
- Colic / veterinary
- Female
- Gastrointestinal Diseases / epidemiology
- Gastrointestinal Diseases / etiology
- Gastrointestinal Diseases / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horses
- Male
- Risk Factors
- Texas / epidemiology
Citations
This article has been cited 17 times.- Straticò P, Varasano V, Palozzo A, Guerri G, Celani G, Revelant O, Petrizzi L. Retrospective Study on Risk Factors and Short-Term Outcome of Horses Referred for Colic from 2016 to 2022.. Vet Sci 2022 Oct 3;9(10).
- Ekstrand C, Michanek P, Gehring R, Sundell A, Källse A, Hedeland M, Ström L. Plasma atropine concentrations associated with decreased intestinal motility in horses.. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:951300.
- Weinert-Nelson JR, Biddle AS, Williams CA. Fecal microbiome of horses transitioning between warm-season and cool-season grass pasture within integrated rotational grazing systems.. Anim Microbiome 2022 Jun 21;4(1):41.
- Intemann S, Reckels B, Schubert D, Wolf P, Kamphues J, Visscher C. The Hygienic Status of Different Forage Types for Horses-A Retrospective Study on Influencing Factors and Associations with Anamnestic Reports.. Vet Sci 2022 May 6;9(5).
- Muñoz-Prieto A, Escribano D, Contreras-Aguilar MD, Horvatić A, Guillemin N, Jacobsen S, Cerón JJ, Mrljak V. Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) Proteomic Analysis of Saliva in Horses with Acute Abdominal Disease.. Animals (Basel) 2021 Apr 30;11(5).
- Williams JM, Randle H, Marlin D. COVID-19: Impact on United Kingdom Horse Owners.. Animals (Basel) 2020 Oct 13;10(10).
- Curtis L, Burford JH, England GCW, Freeman SL. Risk factors for acute abdominal pain (colic) in the adult horse: A scoping review of risk factors, and a systematic review of the effect of management-related changes.. PLoS One 2019;14(7):e0219307.
- Salem SE, Hough R, Probert C, Maddox TW, Antczak P, Ketley JM, Williams NJ, Stoneham SJ, Archer DC. A longitudinal study of the faecal microbiome and metabolome of periparturient mares.. PeerJ 2019;7:e6687.
- Salem SE, Maddox TW, Berg A, Antczak P, Ketley JM, Williams NJ, Archer DC. Variation in faecal microbiota in a group of horses managed at pasture over a 12-month period.. Sci Rep 2018 May 31;8(1):8510.
- Jennings K, Curtis L, Burford J, Freeman S. Prospective survey of veterinary practitioners' primary assessment of equine colic: clinical features, diagnoses, and treatment of 120 cases of large colon impaction.. BMC Vet Res 2014;10 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S2.
- Williams S, Horner J, Orton E, Green M, McMullen S, Mobasheri A, Freeman SL. Water intake, faecal output and intestinal motility in horses moved from pasture to a stabled management regime with controlled exercise.. Equine Vet J 2015 Jan;47(1):96-100.
- Dougal K, de la Fuente G, Harris PA, Girdwood SE, Pinloche E, Newbold CJ. Identification of a core bacterial community within the large intestine of the horse.. PLoS One 2013;8(10):e77660.
- Grulke S, Franck T, Gangl M, Péters F, Salciccia A, Deby-Dupont G, Serteyn D. Myeloperoxidase assay in plasma and peritoneal fluid of horses with gastrointestinal disease.. Can J Vet Res 2008 Jan;72(1):37-42.
- Cox R, Proudman CJ, Trawford AF, Burden F, Pinchbeck GL. Epidemiology of impaction colic in donkeys in the UK.. BMC Vet Res 2007 Feb 2;3:1.
- Archer DC, Pinchbeck GL, Proudman CJ, Clough HE. Is equine colic seasonal? Novel application of a model based approach.. BMC Vet Res 2006 Aug 24;2:27.
- Nappert G, Johnson PJ. Determination of the acid-base status in 50 horses admitted with colic between December 1998 and May 1999.. Can Vet J 2001 Sep;42(9):703-7.
- Leblond A, Villard I, Leblond L, Sabatier P, Sasco AJ. A retrospective evaluation of the causes of death of 448 insured French horses in 1995.. Vet Res Commun 2000 Mar;24(2):85-102.
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