What is involved in surgery for colic?
If the decision is taken to operate on a horse or pony, it is given a general anaesthetic and placed on its back on an operating table. A hole about a foot (30 cm) long is made into the abdominal cavity and the intestines are explored to find the site of the blockage. If the problem can be cleared easily and the intestine still has its blood supply, that may be all that is required. However, usually it is necessary to remove a section of dead intestine and stitch the two remaining ends together. In some horses, it is not possible to reconnect the pieces of intestine, while, in others, so much of the intestine is damaged that they could not live if everything which had to be was removed. Unfortunately, these cases have to be put down under the anaesthetic. Where the intestine can be repaired, the surgical wound in the abdomen is repaired, and the horse recovered. 5. What are the chances of success? This can be considered in two parts: (a) cases which leave the hospital, and (b) cases wh
