Geriatric horses have lower survival rates than younger horses following exploratory colic surgery, but there's no significant difference in long term survival rates between age groups, report Florida equine veterinarians in a new study. Most horses discharged post-surgically were still alive one year later, regardless of their age.

Since many horse owners approach colic surgery with trepidation and age is often a consideration for owners when deciding whether or not to proceed with colic surgery, Kathryn Krista, DVM and Leann Kuebelbeck, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, collected 10 years worth of data on both geriatric (20 years of age or older) and non-geriatric horses undergoing colic surgery from the Surgi-Care Center for Horses in Brandon, Fla.