Dietary and other management factors associated with colic in horses

Objective - To determine whether dietary and other management factors were associated with development of colic in horses. Design - Prospective matched case-control study. Population - 2,060 horses examined by veterinarians in private practice in Texas for colic and noncolic emergencies. Procedure - Each month for 12 months, participating veterinarians were sent forms to collect information on 1 horse with colic and 1 horse that receiv ed emergency treatment for a condition other than colic. Information collec ted included signalment, farm management and characteristics, diet, medical and preventive medical factors, transport, and activity or use. Case and c ontrol horses were compared by means of conditional logistic regression to identify factors associated with colic. Results - Recent change in diet, recent change in type of hay, history of p revious episode of colic, history of abdominal surgery for colic, recent ch ange in weather conditions, recent change in housing, Arabian breed, admini stration of an anthelmintic during the 7-day period prior to examination, f ailure to receive regular deworming, age > 10 years, and regular exercise ( vs pastured at all times) were associated with increased risk of colic. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance - Results suggest that changes in diet ( particularly in type of hay fed) contribute to increased risk of colic. A r egular program for administration of anthelmintics may reduce the overall f requency at which colic develops, but recent administration of anthelmintic s may predispose some horses to colic. Arabian horses may have an increased risk of colic, and horses at pasture may have a decreased risk of colic.