Understanding The Basics Of Colic In Horses - #033 The Horse's Advocate Podcast

As a veterinarian, I have seen many horses with colic, and as a horse owner, I have experienced colic personally. But there is one thing for sure: we need to prevent it from happening in the first place. It is why The Horse's Advocate explains the harm of inflammatory diets in other podcasts and materials. Unfortunately, however, even with the best precautions, colic can still occur from other causes.

Last week I listened to a podcast from Platinum Performance which provided an overview of what colic is and what to look for if you ever have a horse suffering from abdominal pain (colic). The host did a reasonably good job, but in the end, it was a promotion for their colic protection plan offering up to $10,000 for surgery. The restrictions for this program seemed great in terms of cost versus other prevention programs.

I also attended last week a program from Cornell's Veterinary College on colic with the perspective of a veterinarian working up a colic case. The decision-making process is vast and includes a thorough knowledge of anatomy, statistics (age, use, diet, breed, etc.), lab tests, diagnostic tests and experience. It was a detailed and thorough trip through the mind of the attending vet before formulating a diagnosis and treatment plan. But, unfortunately, it was too much for a horse owner to follow.

This podcast splits the difference between these two presentations by providing what horse owners need to know about colic in simple and memorable terms:

1. Make colic preventable.
2. The severity of pain does not equal the severity of the colic.
3. Increasing the delay in diagnosing and treating causes a decrease in good outcomes.
4. A heart rate above 60 beats per minute is usually a surgical colic.
5. Pain unresponsive to pain medication is usually a surgical colic.

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