As CEO and chief veterinarian of RockStar Vet, Dr. Laura Palumbo provides on-site services to a wide variety of animals. Dr. Laura Palumbo frequently travels to local farms, where she treats equine colic and other diseases that affect livestock.
A common digestive disease in horses, equine colic presents as severe abdominal pain. Horses most often show such discomfort by pawing at the belly and rolling on the ground. Some patients may paw at the ground, turn their head to look at the abdomen, or appear unusually anxious. Other common symptoms include constipation and a reluctance to eat or drink.
Such symptoms may stem from a variety of causes, which range in severity from gas to an impaction in the colon to a torsion of the intestine. It can be very difficult for a horse owner to assess the potential cause of the colic, particularly in its earliest stages, when pain presents as mild regardless of disease type. Experts warn owners not to assume that early mild pain will resolve on its own and to contact a veterinarian for a thorough examination.
