At BVEH, veterinarians are on-call 24 hours a day to evaluate and treat your horse should it experience gastrointestinal pain and injury. We understand the stress of finding your horse colicking, and are here to provide a quick assessment and discuss your options thoroughly. We are able to quickly and accurately evaluate colics with a full examination, on-site imaging, and a full laboratory for complete blood counts, chemistries, blood gases, lactate, and abdominal fluid analysis. In addition, we are able to provide the best possible care to your horse with veterinary-trained interns on-site 24 hours a day in our Intensive Care Units and board certified Veterinary Surgeons available for exploratory laparotomy (colic surgery).

What to expect when your horse colics:
Upon arrival to the hospital, we will collect a history regarding your horse’s diet and duration of signs as well as perform a full examination, including rectal palpation. It is likely that your horse will also be tubed through the nose to assess for fluid on the stomach. Depending on the level of discomfort and information gained on examination, your horse may have an abdominal ultrasound, blood work, or belly tap (abdominocentesis) performed. Additional diagnostics which may be beneficial include gastroscopy and abdominal radiography. Once we have fully assessed your horse, we will discuss the likely cause of colic and your treatment options with you.

We have surgical suites and veterinary surgeons on-call 24 hours a day for abdominal surgery should your horse require it. Colics which often require surgery include conditions in which blood supply is cut off from a section of intestine, severe obstruction/impaction, or displacements/torsions. We are equipped to fully monitor our patients while under anesthesia, thereby adjusting protocols to the individual patient’s needs. Following colic surgery, you can expect that your horse would be hospitalized for a minimum of 3 days in our Intensive and Intermediate Care Units while recovering.
 

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