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Large colon impaction in horses: 147 cases (1985-1991).
Abstract: Medical records from all horses with large colon impaction admitted between 1985 and 1991 were examined. Large colon impaction was diagnosed in 147 of 1,100 (13.4%) horses with colic. One hundred thirty horses were admitted for further evaluation of acute onset of abdominal pain after having been examined and treated by referring veterinarians, and 17 horses that were hospitalized for unrelated medical problems developed large colon impaction. Female horses (92/147; 62.6%) were more commonly affected than males. The age ranged from 1 to 29 years (median, 7.1 years). Mean duration of clinical signs of abdominal pain prior to referral was 32 hours. At admittance, signs of abdominal pain were not detectable in 70/147 (48%) horses, and were mild in 50 (34%), moderate in 16 (11%), and severe in 11 (7%). Heart rate ranged from 30 to 86 beats/min (median, 44 beats/min), and most horses had a decrease in gastrointestinal sounds. Transrectal palpation was used to identify the impaction location as being the pelvic flexure in 103 (70.1%) horses, colon on the left side in 30 (20.4%) horses, and colon on the right side in 14 (9.5%) horses. All 147 horses received fluids i.v. and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications or sedatives, including flunixin meglumine (124 horses, 84.3%) xylazine hydrochloride (81, 55%), butorphanol (6, 0.04%), and detomidine hydrochloride (9, 0.04%). Duration of medical treatment required to resolve the impaction ranged from 1 to 6 days (mean, 2 days). In addition to medical treatment, 24 (16.3%) horses also required surgery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Publication Date: 1995-03-01 PubMed ID: 7744691 The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
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This study reviews the medical records of horses diagnosed with large colon impaction between 1985 and 1991. The aim is to better understand the demographics, diagnosis, and potential treatments for this common equine illness, which represents 13.4% of all colic cases within the study population.
Population and demographics of the study
- The study reviewed medical records of 1,100 horses with colic, where 147 cases (13.4%) were confirmed to have large colon impaction.
- The affected population comprised more female horses (62.6%) with ages ranging from 1 year to 29 years, where the average (median) age of diagnosed horses was 7.1 years.
Diagnostic measures and findings
- Seventy horses arrived not exhibiting visible signs of abdominal pain. While 50 horses showed mild signs, 16 demonstrated moderate signs and 11 displayed severe signs.
- On admission, the heart rate of the horses ranged from 30 to 86 beats per minute, where the median was 44 beats per minute.
- Most horses showed a decrease in gastrointestinal sounds, an indicator of gut slowdown usually associated with abdominal issues, including large colon impaction.
- Transrectal palpation was used in the diagnosis with the pelvic flexure identified as the most common location of impaction (70.1%), followed by colon on the left side (20.4%) and colon on the right side (9.5%).
Treatment methods and outcomes
- All 147 horses received intravenous fluids alongside non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or sedatives, including flunixin meglumine (used in 84.3% of cases), xylazine hydrochloride (55% of cases), butorphanol (0.04% of cases), and detomidine hydrochloride (0.04% of cases).
- The duration of the medical treatment required to resolve impaction ranged between 1 and 6 days, with an average of 2 days.
- Of the total, 24 horses (or 16.3% of the cases) required surgery in addition to the medical treatment.
Cite This Article
APA
Dabareiner RM, White NA.
(1995).
Large colon impaction in horses: 147 cases (1985-1991).
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 206(5), 679-685.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Leesburg 22075, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animal Husbandry / methods
- Animals
- Colonic Diseases / epidemiology
- Colonic Diseases / etiology
- Colonic Diseases / mortality
- Colonic Diseases / therapy
- Colonic Diseases / veterinary
- Fecal Impaction / epidemiology
- Fecal Impaction / etiology
- Fecal Impaction / mortality
- Fecal Impaction / therapy
- Fecal Impaction / veterinary
- Female
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horse Diseases / mortality
- Horse Diseases / therapy
- Horses
- Male
- Retrospective Studies
- Risk Factors
- Survival Rate
Citations
This article has been cited 12 times.- Bishop RC, Arrington JV, Wilkins PA, McCoy AM. Alterations in the Peritoneal Fluid Proteome of Horses with Colic Attributed to Ischemic and Non-Ischemic Intestinal Disease. Animals (Basel) 2025 May 30;15(11).
- Hobbs KJ, DeNotta SL, Gallastegui A, Elane GL, Rivero LA, Adkins P, Gomez DE. Obstipation in pet pigs: 24 cases. Can Vet J 2021 Aug;62(8):843-848.
- Gitari A, Nguhiu J, Varma V, Mogoa E. Occurrence, treatment protocols, and outcomes of colic in horses within Nairobi County, Kenya. Vet World 2017 Oct;10(10):1255-1263.
- Blikslager A, Gonzalez L. Equine Intestinal Mucosal Pathobiology. Annu Rev Anim Biosci 2018 Feb 15;6:157-175.
- Siwinska N, Zak A, Baron M, Cylna M, Borowicz H. Right dorsal colon ultrasonography in normal adult ponies and miniature horses. PLoS One 2017;12(10):e0186825.
- Estell KE, Young A, Kozikowski T, Swain EA, Byrne BA, Reilly CM, Kass PH, Aleman M. Pneumonia Caused by Klebsiella spp. in 46 Horses. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Jan-Feb;30(1):314-21.
- 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.
- 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.
- Abutarbush SM, Carmalt JL, Shoemaker RW. Causes of gastrointestinal colic in horses in western Canada: 604 cases (1992 to 2002). Can Vet J 2005 Sep;46(9):800-5.
- Gilroy BJ, Bellamy J. Gravel impaction in a 2-year-old Morgan gelding. Can Vet J 1998 Nov;39(11):706-8.
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