Question

I have a four-year-old gelding that had surgery 18 months ago for anterior enteritis and segmental small intestinal volvulus. What is the chance of him ever having this problem again, and how can it affect his sale value in the future?

Answer

This is a complicated question, as you might have guessed. In general, horses that have had colic surgery for large intestinal disease have fewer problems than horses with small intestinal disease, and horses that did not require removal of diseased gut or have an intestinal bypass created tend to have a better prognosis. However, this varies widely based on the exact problem that required colic surgery, its location, and severity. Whenever colic surgery is performed, there is always a risk that a horse may develop adhesions (scar tissue that affects gut movement or causes a narrowing of the gut), and this risk increases if gut must be removed or bypassed.

In my experience, I cannot recall a horse diagnosed with anterior enteritis on more than one occasion. Eighteen months after surgery without any colic problems is an excellent outcome. Unfortunately, this cannot rule out problems at some time in the future, but the longer that a horse goes after surgery without problems, the better the outlook.

Advances in veterinary medicine and surgery have greatly improved the chances of surviving colic surgery and returning to previous activity. A study of 195 horses that had colic surgery reported that 68% of horses returned to their intended use before surgery, and 54% were performing at or above their level before surgery (Davis et al., 2013). Horses were significantly less likely to return to their previous activity if they had previous exploratory abdominal surgery, were stall-rested for an orthopedic problem, had a nonstrangulating lesion at surgery (a twist that cuts off the blood supply), or developed diarrhea, laminitis, or hernia at the abdominal incision.

Davis, W., C.A. Fogle, M.P. Gerard, et al. 2013. Return to use and performance following exploratory laparotomy for colic in horses: 195 cases (2003-2010). Equine Vet. J. 45:224-228.