Clinical and Laboratory diagnosis of Impaction and Spasmodic colic in Draft Horses

Equine colic is abdominal pain. Although gastrointestinal diseases are the main cause, any intra-abdominal organ disease can manifest as abdominal pain. Colic due to gastrointestinal tract problems is the most important cause of colic, more severe and fatal than that originating from other organs. It is considered the most frequent and important disease causing death in equines. This paper focused on the clinical, diagnostic, and prognostic approaches for spasmodic, food impaction, and sand impaction. The study involved 15 healthy draft horses and 50 with colic;12 had spasmodic colic, 33 had food impaction, and 5 had sand impaction. Case history, clinical signs, and physical examination were evaluated. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for a complete blood count and biochemical parameters, including liver and kidney function tests, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and glucose levels. Additionally, oxidant and antioxidant parameters, as well as electrolyte levels, were measured. The results showed a significant increase in heart rate (HR), capillary refill time (CRT), red blood cells, packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular volume, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), albumin, total protein, glucose, malondialdehyde (MDA), and sodium. In contrast, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, iron, and bicarbonate levels demonstrated a significant decrease when comparing the colic groups to the control group. No significant changes were found in the other parameters between the groups. The present study concluded that clinical and laboratory examination, especially HR, CRT, PCV, ALT, AST, ALP, LDH, and MDA, act as prognostic indicators for impaction colic.