A 25-year-old mule was showing signs of colic. Clinical examination re
vealed acute pain, bilateral abdominal distention, stretching out and
standing in this position. Rectal palpation revealed a hardened mass i
n the ventral region of the pelvic inlet, Surgical intervention was ac
complished and faecaliths removed by colotomy. The mule died unexpecte
dly and postmortem examination revealed sand masses within the right v
entral and right dorsal colon which caused obstruction of the intestin
al tract in sternal and diaphragmatic flexures, respectively. This app
ears to be the first report of sand colic in a mule in Iran.