Colic, Equine - contd.
Most colic cases will respond to early medical intervention. These cases carry an excellent prognosis. Horses with significant clinical signs and serious physical exam findings will have a less favorable prognosis. Failure to respond to initial therapy or continuous uncontrollable pain offers a poorer prognosis also. Surgical cases, pending findings during surgery, rarely warrant better than a guarded prognosis. Horses surviving severe colic, with or without surgery, tend to develop laminitis, or founder, which also confers a poor prognosis for recovery.
