Atypical colic

Question 1

what are the non-intestinal causes of ‘colic’?

Answer 1

• Renal Disease - uncommon in horses
• Urogenital tract disorders
• Liver disease - uncommon to cause signs of colic
• Peritonitis
• Thoracic disease

Question 2

what is the approach for the atypical colic?

Answer 2

Start with a standard “colic exam”
* Major body system assessment
* Rectal exam
* presonse to analgesia
* +/- Abdominal Ultrasound
* +/- Peritoneal fluid analysis
* +/- Nasogastric intubation

when signs start to not add up eg: very high HR but only mild colic sings or fluid status not mathcing colic signs, need to start thinking about other things