Could it be colic? Horse-owner decision making and practices in response to equine colic

Scantlebury, Claire; Perkins, Elizabeth; Pinchbeck, Gina; Archer, Debra; Christley, Robert M.

doi:10.1186/1746-6148-10-s1-s1

Cited by 42 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…A common theme that was observed throughout the free‐text comments was specific gastrointestinal causes of colic. The understanding of colic being a gastrointestinal malfunction is consistent with the study by Scantlebury et al . Although colic is primarily caused by gastrointestinal issues, it refers to abdominal pain, caused by diseases of any abdominal organs, and there may be a wide range of underlying causes .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

“…The majority of the respondents were UK‐based, but there were no differences in responses between UK and non‐UK participants when compared during preliminary data analysis (data not shown). The demographics of the study population were similar to other studies in the literature with an even spread of ages and a strong female bias to the study population. The total sample population that the survey reached was unknown so an overall response rate could not be calculated, but the study had a high completion rate (85%).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…Personal experience was also identified by Scantlebury et al . as an important factor in decision‐making, and in the current study both experience of critical cases and recent colic experience (in the previous year) significantly affected owners’ confidence in colic recognition. The over‐arching finding from this study was the need for further education and resources for horse owners about colic, both from the knowledge gaps and issues identified within the questionnaire, and from the many (n = 940) free text comments and suggestions for further resources.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…The questions on how participants would respond to behavioural and clinical changes in their horse were constructed to explore decision‐making in horses with colic, based on previous research . The clinical signs that would prompt seeking veterinary assistance (distended abdomen, getting up and down, kicking at the abdomen and a horse that was thrashing around) were consistent with the study by Scantlebury et al , adding to the evidence on key signs that influence decision‐making. The current study also identified several signs where many owners would not call a veterinarian.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Horse owners’ knowledge, and opinions on recognising colic in the horse

Bowden

Burford

Freeman

2019

Equine Veterinary Journal

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Summary Background Colic is the most common emergency problem in the horse. An owner’s ability to recognise colic and seek assistance is a critical first step in determining case outcome. Objectives The aim of this study was to assess horse owners’ knowledge and opinions on recognising colic. Study design Cross‐sectional study. Methods An online questionnaire was distributed to horse owners with open and closed questions on their knowledge of normal clinical parameters in the horse, confidence and approach to recognising colic (including assessment through case scenarios), and their demographics. Descriptive and chi squared statistical analyses were performed. Results There were 1564 participants. Many respondents either did not know or provided incorrect estimates for their horse’s normal clinical parameters: only 45% (n = 693/1540) gave correct normal values for heart rate, 45% (n = 694/1541) for respiratory rate and 67% (n = 1028/1534) for rectal temperature. Knowledge of normal values was statistically associated with participants’ educational qualifications (P<0.01). Owners said if they suspected their horse had colic they would assess faecal output (76%; n = 1131/1486), gastrointestinal sounds (75%; n = 1113/1486), respiratory rate (65%; n = 967/1486) and heart rate (54%; n = 797/1486). There was a lack of consensus on whether to call a vet for behavioural signs of colic, unless the signs were severe or persistent. The majority of participants (61%) were confident that they could recognise most types of colic. In the case scenarios, 49% were confident deciding that a surgical case had colic, but 9% were confident deciding an impaction case had colic. Main limitations Most respondents were UK based; risk of self‐selection bias for owners with previous experience of colic. Conclusions There was marked variation in horse owners’ recognition and responses to colic, and significant gaps in knowledge. This highlights the need for the development of accessible educational resources to support owners’ decision‐making.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Horse owners’ knowledge, and opinions on recognising colic in the horse

Bowden

Burford

Freeman

2019

Equine Veterinary Journal

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“…However, not many owners are aware that early surgical intervention could improve the outcome of colic. Owners’ consent for surgery was mostly influenced by the age of the horse, level of fitness for the horse to travel to the hospital, and the cost of surgery [ 22 ]. Many veterinarians have used the response to analgesic treatment as an effective way to determine colic cases that require surgery [ 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence, treatment protocols, and outcomes of colic in horses within Nairobi County, Kenya

Gitari¹,

Nguhiu²,

Varma³

et al. 2017

Vet World

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Aim:The aim of this study was to determine the treatments and their outcomes in horses with colic in Nairobi County, Kenya.Materials and Methods:This is a retrospective study to determine the occurrence, treatments, pain management, and outcomes of colic in horses in Nairobi County. Association between pain management protocols and the outcomes of colic with regard to recovery or death was also determined. Data collected from four equine practitioners were organized manually and given numerical codes as appropriate to facilitate entry into the computer. The coded data were entered into Microsoft Excel 2010 and exported to StatPlus pro 5.9.8 statistical package for analysis. Simple association tests were done between various factors and occurrence of colic.Results:The incidence of colic for the 11 years was 3.1%, which constituted 68.0% spasmodic colic, 27.8% impaction colic, and 4.2% displacement colic. Flunixin meglumine as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) was used as the only pain management treatment in 85.3% of the cases, flunixin meglumine and butorphanol as NSAID-OPIOD combination in 6.4% of the cases, while buscopan as an antispasmodic was recorded in 5.9% of the cases mainly in spasmodic colic. Univariate analysis revealed simple association between various factors and the type of colic a horse was having. There was an association between the type of colic and the decision-making on the pain management protocol to use, whether single analgesic protocol (χ2=22.5, p<0.001) or use of analgesic combinations (χ2=18.3, p<0.001). The type of colic strongly influenced the decision for performing nasogastric intubation (χ2=265, p<0.001), but performing nasogastric intubation was weakly (χ2=4.9, p=0.03) associated with horse recovery from colic. Type of colic also strongly influenced the need for the use of metabolic stimulants, particularly vitamin B-complex (χ2=99.3, p<0.001). Recovery or death of the horse from colic was strongly associated with the type of colic (χ2=250, p<0.001). The possibility of recurrence of colic was weakly (χ2=4.6, p=0.04) determined by the type of colic, a horse had. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that the main cause of death was intestinal displacement and the majority of the horses with intestinal displacement died (β-estimate 2.7, odds ratio=0.07, p=0.007) compared to horses that had impaction colic.Conclusion:The incidence of colic is 3.1%, and the most common type of colic is spasmodic followed by impaction. The most common pain management protocol for colic is NSAIDs, mainly flunixin meglumine, followed by flunixin-butorphanol combination. Surgery for horses with colic in Nairobi County is not commonly done due to impeding poor prognoses. The horse owners tend to prefer euthanasia for such cases.

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Prospective case study of critical decision making for horses referred for treatment of colic

Burrell,

Sutton‐Walker,

England

et al. 2023

Veterinary Record

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BackgroundThere is limited evidence on factors affecting critical decision making for horses with colic. This study's aim was to describe the assessment and decision making involved in horses referred for management of colic.MethodsAn in‐depth case analysis was used to document case presentation, decision making and outcomes for horses referred for colic to two UK equine veterinary practices over a 12‐month period. The data recorded included previous history, presenting signs, response to treatment, case outcome and factors affecting decisions for further treatment or euthanasia.ResultsData were available for 60 cases: 55 were hospitalised for medical or surgical treatment and five horses were euthanased following initial assessment. The main factors affecting treatment decisions were severity of clinical signs (80%, 47/59), financial concerns (10%, 6/59) and ongoing health issues or previous history of colic (5%, 3/59). Factors associated with euthanasia decisions were postoperative complications (5/18), poor prognosis (4/18), deteriorating clinical signs (3/18) and financial concerns (3/18).LimitationThe limited study population may affect the extent to which the findings can be generalised.ConclusionThe severity of clinical signs was the key factor in treatment decision making. The main factors affecting euthanasia decisions were clinical deterioration, poor prognosis and financial constraints. These findings should be incorporated into clinical case recording to capture the multifactorial nature of decision making.

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Could it be colic? Horse-owner decision making and practices in response to equine colic

Cited by 42 publications

References 26 publications

Horse owners’ knowledge, and opinions on recognising colic in the horse

Horse owners’ knowledge, and opinions on recognising colic in the horse

Occurrence, treatment protocols, and outcomes of colic in horses within Nairobi County, Kenya

Prospective case study of critical decision making for horses referred for treatment of colic

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