Dietary and other management factors associated with colic in horses.
Abstract: To determine whether dietary and other management factors were associated with development of colic in horses. Methods: Prospective matched case-control study. Methods: 2,060 horses examined by veterinarians in private practice in Texas for colic and noncolic emergencies. Methods: Each month for 12 months, participating veterinarians were sent forms to collect information on 1 horse with colic and 1 horse that received emergency treatment for a condition other than colic, information collected included signalment, farm management and characteristics, diet, medical and preventive medical factors, transport, and activity or use. Case and control horses were compared by means of conditional logistic regression to identify factors associated with colic. Results: Recent change in diet, recent change in type of hay, history of previous episode of colic, history of abdominal surgery for colic, recent change in weather conditions, recent change in housing, Arabian breed, administration of an anthelmintic during the 7-day period prior to examination, failure to receive regular deworming, age > 10 years, and regular exercise (vs pastured at all times) were associated with increased risk of colic. Conclusions: Results suggest that changes in diet (particularly in type of hay fed) contribute to increased risk of colic. A regular program for administration of anthelmintics may reduce the overall frequency at which colic develops, but recent administration of anthelmintics may predispose some horses to colic. Arabian horses may have an increased risk of colic, and horses at pasture may have a decreased risk of colic.
Publication Date: 1999-07-09 PubMed ID: 10397066
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article explores the relationship between dietary and other management factors on the development of colic in horses. The study discovered that factors such as changes in diet, changes in hay, history of colic, and changes in weather among others, were linked to a higher risk of colic in horses.
Research Methodology
- The study was a prospective matched case-control study involving 2,060 horses that were examined by veterinarians in private practice in Texas for colic and noncolic emergencies.
- Each month for 12 months, veterinarians received forms to collect information on 1 horse with colic and 1 horse that received emergency treatment for a condition other than colic.
- Information collected included the horse’s signalment (identifying traits), farm management characteristics, diet, medical and preventive medical factors, transport, and activity or use.
Statistical Analysis
- The information gathered was compared through conditional logistic regression to identify factors associated with colic.
Results
- The study found that a recent change in diet, especially in the type of hay, a history of previous colic episodes, a history of abdominal surgery for colic, recent changes in weather conditions, recent changes in housing, being of the Arabian breed, and administration of a deworming medication in the seven days before the examination were all associated with an increased risk of colic.
- Other factors such as failure to receive regular deworming, being older than 10 years, and regular exercise as compared to being pastured at all times were also associated with an increased risk of colic.
Conclusion
- The study suggests that changes in diet, particularly in the type of hay fed, are a contributing factor to the increased risk of developing colic in horses.
- A regular program of deworming might reduce the overall instances of colic, but completing the treatment recently may temporarily increase the risk of colic in some horses.
- Arabian horses appear to have a higher risk of colic, while horses allowed regular pasture access may have a decreased risk of colic.
Cite This Article
APA
Cohen ND, Gibbs PG, Woods AM.
(1999).
Dietary and other management factors associated with colic in horses.
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 215(1), 53-60.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Medicine, College of Agriculture, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animal Husbandry
- Animals
- Case-Control Studies
- Colic / epidemiology
- Colic / etiology
- Colic / veterinary
- Diet / adverse effects
- Diet / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horses
- Housing, Animal
- Male
- Multivariate Analysis
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
- Prospective Studies
- Risk Factors
- Weather
Citations
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