Medical Colic 1

Question 1

What are the three types of medical colic?

Answer 1

Spasmodic
Gas
Impaction
(Undiagnosed)

Question 2

What are the P’s of colic in horses?

Answer 2

Pain
Passage of time
Pulse
Pass a tube
Palpate per rectum
Peritoneal fluid
PCV
Pyrexia
Per abdominal ultrasonography

Question 3

What analgesia should you give to horses with mild to moderate colic pain?

Answer 3

IV phenylbutazone

Question 4

What drug can you use to aid rectal examination?

Answer 4

Hyoscine (Buscopan)

Question 5

What is spasmodic colic?

Answer 5

Spasm of muscle layers in small intestine.

Question 6

What are the two spasmolytic agents available for spasmodic colic?

Answer 6

Buscopan - hyoscine/butylscolpolamine
Buscopan Compositum - butylscolpolamide + dipyrone (weak NSAID)

Question 7

What NSAIDs can you you use for spasmodic colic?

Answer 7

Phenybutazone or half dose flunixin or (carprofen/ketofen/meloxican)

Question 8

List six risk factors for gas colic.

Answer 8

Diet change
Rich grass
Rich haylage
>2kg concentrate in any one meal
Parasites
Poor dentition

Question 9

What are the rectal findings in a gas colic and what can this be confused with?

Answer 9

Rectal - gas distended but still squishy viscus. This can be confused with a LI displacement or a LI torsion.

Question 10

How would you treat a gas colic?

Answer 10

Treat as you would in a spasmodic colic AND stomach tube with water (~1L/100kg) as will activate the gastro-colic reflex.
Gentle trot lunging may help.

Question 11

Where do 40% of impaction colics occur?

Answer 11

At the pelvic flexure

Question 11

Where do 40% of impaction colics occur?

Answer 11

At the pelvic flexure

Question 12

Where do impactions tend to occur?

Answer 12

Just oral to sites of intestinal narrowing and/or active pacemakers.

Question 13

List 5 risk factors of LI impactions.

Answer 13

Reduced water intake
Physical exertion (sweating)
Reduction in exercise
Parasite migration
Dental disease

Question 14

What is the most common colic type in donkeys and waht is the survival rate?

Answer 14

LI Impactions (50%)
50% survival rate

Question 15

What is the aim of treatment in large intestinal impactions?

Answer 15

Aim is to (over) hydrate ingesta so that gut peristalsis can clear the impaction

Question 16

When do the two most common types of ileal impaction occur?

Answer 16

Blocked with ingesta - usually due to hypertrophy of the wall at the ileocaecal junction secondary to tapeworm.
Blocked with Parascaris - Often within 24 hours of derworming too effectively when have a high worm burden.

Question 17

When is sand impaction seen?

Answer 17

Grazing on sandy soil
Turnout in a sand paddock/arena

Question 18

How would you diagnose a sand impaction?

Answer 18

History
Sedimentation test increases suspicion
Lateral abdominal radiograph

Question 19

What should you feed to horses to treat and prevent sand impaction?

Answer 19

Psyllium

Question 20

Which pathogen could be a cause of small colon impactions?

Answer 20

Salmonella

Question 21

List four aspects of the diagnoses of gastric impactions

Answer 21

Difficult to pass the stomach tube
Spleen pushed caudally on rectal
Large stomach on ultrasound
Gastroscopy

Question 22

What is choke predisposed by?

Answer 22

Eating very quickly and having dental abnormalities

Question 23

List 5 severe/prolonged signs of choke

Answer 23

Dehydration
Electrolyte imbalances
Acid-base imbalances
Aspiration pneumonia
Oesophageal rupture

Question 24

What is the aim of choke treatment?

Answer 24

To lavage the obstruction back out of the oesophagus

Question 25

Describe how you would treat choke.

Answer 25

Pass a nasogastric tube
Gently up to the obstruction and then pull back a little
Pour 1 litre of water in, then tube down to the floow to empty back out
Water coming out will be food contaminated
Repeat