Diagnosis and treatment of right dorsal colitis in horses

Right dorsal colitis has been associated with experimental and clinical adm inistration of NSAIDs, which may cause ulcers in the gastrointestinal tract of horses and other species. Signalment and history are important, especia lly in horses receiving NSAIDs for the treatment of several diseases. Clini cal signs of the condition may vary from acute diarrhea, colic, and death t o mild, intermittent colic and weight loss with or without mild diarrhea. D epending on the severity of the condition, several clinicopathologic abnorm alities may be observed. In addition, prerenal or renal azotemia may result from dehydration or primary renal damage (or both) caused by NSAID adminis tration. Treatment may be either medical or surgical, although medical trea tment is preferred. Early recognition of the condition and compliance with dietary management may enable some horses to recover. Severely affected hor ses may require surgical resection or bypass of the colon, however, and the prognosis for survival may be poor.