I’ve been a colic surgeon for the better part of 50 years. In that time, we’ve made tremendous progress in understanding and treating all types of colic. Thanks to research breakthroughs and technological advances, we can now save many horses that we would have lost just a few decades ago.
But there’s still one key factor that can have a significant impact on a horse’s chances of survival from colic that can’t be overcome with research, high-tech diagnostics or innovative surgical techniques. This factor? Delay. This is time lost, not because horse owners seek to put off the inevitable or avoid it altogether, but rather when they struggle to make tough decisions complicated by imperfect information, financial concerns and fear of the consequences.
A TRAGIC CHAIN OF EVENTS
Here’s typically how it unfolds: A veterinarian will be called out to a farm to see a horse with colic. Treatment begins and the veterinarian soon determines that the situation may be severe enough to warrant colic surgery. Presented with the option of transporting the horse to a clinic with necessary facilities, the owners decide they can’t afford surgery or “don’t want to put the horse through that” and opt for treatment on the farm. They state then that surgery is not an option.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with deciding against surgery. I’ve been a horse owner and I know there are times when money is available
