What is colic?

Colic is a potentially life-threatening disease affecting horses (which includes horses, ponies donkeys and mules).  Colic is a key concern to horse owners and carers world-wide and is of the most common causes of death in horses.  The term ‘colic’ describes abdominal (‘belly’) pain in horses.  Colic isn’t a simple, single disease and we know that there are over 80 different underlying problems that can cause colic signs.  For more information about colic including signs of colic, causes and how it is treated, please visit University of Liverpool Equine Colic webpages  

a horse with colic rolling around in their box

Surgery to treat colic

Surgery to treat colic

Fortunately, most episodes of colic in horses can be treated by vets using medications to provide pain relief, giving drugs to reduce intestinal (‘gut’) spasm and by giving fluids to keep horses hydrated and to help the intestines return to normal movement.  However, in some horses, medical treatment is not enough and surgery is essential to save their life.  This may involve placing parts of intestine back into the correct position or removing intestine that is dead and which if left in place, will result in the death of that horse.  Colic surgery is a commonly performed in large equine clinics with suitably trained veterinary surgeons and nurses.  It requires a team of dedicated, highly trained staff involving surgeons, anaesthetists, and clinicians and nurses to provide medical support and nursing care at the time of surgery and during recovery from surgery.  

a team of surgeons operating on a horse

What is INCISE?

INCISE is the INternational ColIc SurgEry audit project.  This is an international collaboration between equine veterinary clinics across the world.  Our aim is to improve the quality of care and outcomes for horses and their owners following colic.  INCISE involves equine hospitals based all over the world who are collaborating by collecting information about horses admitted to clinics for assessment and treatment of colic.  This confidential, international study will investigate the ways in which horses with colic can be best treated to give them the greatest chance of surviving.  The project will involve clinics recording key clinical data about colic cases. Confidentiality is critical and horse names and owner names will not be recorded as part of this study nor will individual clinics be identified.  

a horse after surgery

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