Equine colic: clinical epidemiology and associated risk factors in and around Debre Zeit

Abstract

A prospective study was conducted to describe clinical epidemiology of equine colic in the Society for Protection of Animal Abroad and Donkey Sanctuary Project Clinic, at Debre Zeit, Ethiopia, from November 2014 to April 2015. The objectives were to describe clinical epidemiology of equine colic, to characterize the main types of equine colic, and to determine the major risk factors associated with equine colic. The method which was used in the study was attending clinical case of equine and assessing physiological parameters, fecal egg count, abdominal sounds, and rectal examination as well as questioner interviewing of the owners. The data were collected and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science. The incidence of colic was 10.3% in the study period. Colicky were typed as unknown, flatulent, impaction, spasmodic, and enterolithiasis. The proportion of case incidence were 63.1 (41/65), 33.8 (22/65), and 3.1% (2/65), in donkey, horse, and mule, respectively. The total mean (±SD) of temperature 37.80 ± 1.003, heart rate 57.54 ± 10.098, fecal egg count 236.922 ± 67.990, respiratory rate 30.92 ± 7.315, and packed cell volume 41.40 ± 10.221 were recorded. The case fatality rate of equine colic was 15.38% (10/65). There were statistically highly significant (p < 0.01) differences in impaction colic in relation to species. Interview with 183 equine owners revealed incidence of equine colic as the sixth major disease condition affecting equine. A long-term epidemiological study of the true representative population should be carried out to determine the incidence rate and associated risk factors of equine colic in the study area.

Epidemiology of colic syndrome in horses over 15 years of care

“…Compaction was the main cause of the diagnosed colic syndrome, with 28.8% of the cases (Table 3). Similar findings were described not only in Brazil (OLIVEIRA et al, 2014), but also in regions of Canada (ABUTARBUSH, CARMALT, SHOEMAKER, 2005), United States (KANEENE et al, 1997), South Africa (VOIGH et al, 2009, and Ethiopia (WORKU et al, 2017), in which the higher occurrence of compaction was explained by anatomical factors, such as decreased lumen of the gastrointestinal tract of horses. As a triggering factor of compaction we can cite the quality of food available to the animals, because in periods of drought the hay is presented with greater amount of lignin (WHITE, 1998), making digestion difficult and favoring accumulation during gastrointestinal transit.…”

“…The incidence rate can vary within the same population and is influenced by variables present in and outside the places where the animals are located (ARCHER, PROUDMAN, 2006). In Ethiopia, a rate of 10.3% was found in a 5-month study (WORKU et al, 2017); the annual rate in Iran was 8.6% (MEDNI, MOHAMMED, 2006); and in the Pure Blood training facilities in the British Isles the cumulative colic rate was 5.8% (HILLYER, TAYLOR, FRENCH, 2001). There are several risk factors that influence the development of the colic syndrome, including the increase in dietary concentration, change in housing management (CURTIS et al, 2019), seasonality, gender, age (KANEENE et al, 1997), and racial predisposition (COHEN, GIBBS, WOODS, 1999;TRAUB-DARGATZ et al, 2001).…”

“…Retrospective and prospective epidemiological studies are published annually with the main objective of identifying risk factors that predispose the development of colic in the equine species. Epidemiological research is of utmost importance to know how the disease behaves regionally and nationally (WORKU et al, 2017), allowing the development of prevention strategies (ARCHER, PROUDMAN, 2006), as well as helping in the diagnosis and elaboration of new hypotheses of possible causes of the disease (ARCHER, 2017).…”

A Retrospective Study of Mortality Causes in Arabian Horses

“…management (type and changes of housing and activity), medical history (a previous colic, administration of a medical treatment) and parasite control (the presence of worms and type of deworming program) (13). A prospective study to describe clinical epidemiology of equine colic in the Society for Protection of Animal Abroad and Donkey Sanctuary Project Clinic, at Debre Zeit, Ethiopia, from November 2014 to April 2015, reported that the incidence of colic was 10.3% (14). The incidence of colic in our study was 80% in Arabian horses.…”

“…(2/65), in donkeys, horses, and mules, respectively, and the case fatality rate of equine colic was 15.38% (10/65). Statistically, the differences were highly significant (p < 0.01) for the impaction colic in relation to the species (14). Nutrition, and particularly the changes in feeding, is often associated with colic (15).…”