Equine colic (Fig. 1) is a common disorder of the digestive system. Colic is age and race independent and symptoms may vary from mild to severe. There are various causes of equine colic such as dietary problems, sand ingestion, gut parasites, stomach ulcerations,....

Post-operative ileus, which means a decreased gastrointestinal motility after surgery, is a frequently encountered problem. It is predominantly seen after surgical intervention of the small intestines and result in fluid (reflux) accumulation in the stomach with a risk for stomach rupture. Despite intensive fluid therapy, regular emptying of the stomach and medical treatment, horses with ileus have an increased risk (>30%) for death.

Research at our department on ileus has identified specific risk factors and new drugs to reduce the risk (4x) for ileus.

View publications

PhD's on equine colic:

• Complications and prognostic factors in equine surgical colic (Sara Torfs, 2012)(PDF-form, 2MB, 217 pages)

• Ileus in the horse: prognostic factors and the role of serotonin and serotonergic receptors (Cathérine Delesalle, 2008) (PDF-form, 2,5MB, 267 pages)