Effects of Varying Horse Care Factors on the Susceptibility to Colic in Horses

School Name

Governor's School for Science and Mathematics

Grade Level

12th Grade

Presentation Topic

Zoology

Presentation Type

Mentored

Written Paper Award

3rd Place

Abstract

Colic is the leading cause of death among equines and is a term that refers to a severe cause of abdominal pain in horses. Previous studies determined broad causes of colic such as the fact that water intake has some effect on colic susceptibility or that feed may affect a horse’s risk of colic, but a specific amount of water recommended to avoid colic or a type of feed that caused more colics was not determined. This research project sought to find more specific causes of colic. Two surveys were created: one for horse that had colicked within the past year and another for horses that had not colicked. Questions were asked such as: “What feed does the horse eat?” and “Approximately how much water does the horse drink?”. These questions were sent to the patients of Carter Veterinary Services via email. After two weeks, the responses were analyzed. Graphs were created to represent the data. As a result of this survey, it can be concluded that the more hay a horse eats, the greater the risk of colic. The more water a horse drinks, the lower the chances of colic. The amount of time a horse is in the stall did not conclusively affect the incidence of colic. Finally, the best stall bedding to reduce colicking is wood shavings. Overall, this study provided a great insight on the specific causes of colic and will allow horse owners to be better informed when making choices about their horse’s daily care.

Location

Neville 122

Start Date

4-14-2018 11:45 AM

Presentation Format

Oral and Written

COinS
 
Apr 14th, 11:45 AM

Effects of Varying Horse Care Factors on the Susceptibility to Colic in Horses

Neville 122

Colic is the leading cause of death among equines and is a term that refers to a severe cause of abdominal pain in horses. Previous studies determined broad causes of colic such as the fact that water intake has some effect on colic susceptibility or that feed may affect a horse’s risk of colic, but a specific amount of water recommended to avoid colic or a type of feed that caused more colics was not determined. This research project sought to find more specific causes of colic. Two surveys were created: one for horse that had colicked within the past year and another for horses that had not colicked. Questions were asked such as: “What feed does the horse eat?” and “Approximately how much water does the horse drink?”. These questions were sent to the patients of Carter Veterinary Services via email. After two weeks, the responses were analyzed. Graphs were created to represent the data. As a result of this survey, it can be concluded that the more hay a horse eats, the greater the risk of colic. The more water a horse drinks, the lower the chances of colic. The amount of time a horse is in the stall did not conclusively affect the incidence of colic. Finally, the best stall bedding to reduce colicking is wood shavings. Overall, this study provided a great insight on the specific causes of colic and will allow horse owners to be better informed when making choices about their horse’s daily care.