Review of 115 cases of colic in the pregnant mare.

The research article reviews a study of colic cases in pregnant mares over three years, and their overall survival rate, abortion rate, signs of endotoxemia, and effects of anesthesia and treatments on the likelihood of abortion.

Overview of the Study

• The study involved reviewing the medical records of pregnant horses suffering from colic over a span of three years.
• The main reason for referral was persistent pain or increasing abdominal distension in the horses.
• Out of the 115 cases of colic treated in total, the overall survival rate recorded was 73.9% or 85 mares.

Abortion Rates

• The cases were further classified into surgical patients and medical treatment patients.
• The abortion rate was higher in surgical cases, recorded at 20.5% out of 34 cases.
• Mares with uterine torsions had an abortion rate of 40% from a total of 5 cases.
• The abortion rate was 10.8% among the 46 mares who underwent medical treatment.
• The total abortion rate computed across all categories was 16.4%.

Clinical Observations and Treatment Effects

• There was only one exception to the presence of endotoxemia, a condition indicating bacterial toxins in the blood, in all of the aborting mares after colic treatment.
• The study found that the risk of abortion was not influenced by anaesthesia, as the abortion occurred in both medically treated as well as surgically treated mares.
• Three mares that experienced hypoxia, or low oxygen conditions, during surgery did abort. However, fasting for more than 30 hours did not seem to cause prolonged hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) and subsequent abortion.
• The tocolytic agent, Clenbuterol hydrochloride, used in treating nine mares for uterine displacement, impending abortion, and post-operative uterine torsion resulted in three abortions during the treatment period.