Evaluating the Colicky Foal

Special considerations should be made when evaluating a colicky foal as opposed to an adult horse.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Although foals might look like mini versions of their adult counterparts, when it comes to treating them for health issues veterinarians often take a different approach than they would for a mature animal. Take colic for example. Most horse owners have an idea what they and veterinarians look for when dealing with a colicky horse, but what special considerations should be made for colicking foals? The differences might surprise you.

At the American Association of Equine Practitioners Focus on Colic Meeting, held July 24-26 in Indianapolis, Ind., Vanessa L. Cook, VetMB, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, ACVECC, assistant professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, discussed a systematic method by which veterinarians can evaluate colicky foals.

"Evaluation of the foal with colic is more challenging than in adult horses, particularly as the degree of pain is difficult to assess and rectal examination cannot be performed," she began. "However due to their size, abdominal radiography, ultrasound, and gastroscopy can be more readily performed."

Cook described the steps she takes when presented with a colicking foal to give him the best chance for survival. Not all the steps are needed in every case; however, it’s important to ensure an accurate diagnosis

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Erica Larson, former news editor for The Horse, holds a degree in journalism with an external specialty in equine science from Michigan State University in East Lansing. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in the saddle and has dabbled in a variety of disciplines including foxhunting, saddle seat, and mounted games. Currently, Erica competes in eventing with her OTTB, Dorado.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

How much time do you usually spend grooming your horse?
439 votes · 439 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!