Abstract
Horse owners are crucial in recognizing colic because they are responsible for identifying the signs of colic and deciding whether to seek veterinary intervention. Common reasons for delayed response to clinical issues include lack of understanding or knowledge of the subject and difficulty in recognizing subtle clinical signs of abdominal pain. Examining horse owners’ basic knowledge of colic, their motivations, obstacles in seeking veterinary care, and their responses to the various clinical symptoms manifested during colic will identify current knowledge gaps and decision-making barriers. This study aimed to examine the experiences, recognition, and attitudes of horse owners during an episode of equine colic in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. A cross-sectional study was conducted using questionnaires in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The sample consisted of horse owners, competitors of any equestrian modality (provided that they were responsible for a horse at the time of the application of the questionnaire), or individuals who had previously owned a horse. There were differences related to the recognition and attitudes adopted towards colic in horses compared to the studies performed in other countries. The overall results of this study highlight the need for educational campaigns for horse owners to fill knowledge gaps about colic and the need for a clearer picture of colic, including what it is, the predisposing factors, and the range of symptoms. Additionally, this knowledge will equip horse owners to appropriately respond to these symptoms.
References
Arantes, J. A., Reginato, G. M., & Dória, R. G. S. (2020). Ileal impaction resolution in a horse with colic via a standing right flank laparotomy: Case report. Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, 72(4), 1369-1374. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1678-4162-11749.
Archer, D. C. (2019). Colic surgery: Keeping it affordable for horse owners. The Veterinary Record, 185(16), 505- 507. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/vr.l6062. PMid:31653737.
Belli, C. B., Silva, L. C. L., & Fernandes, W. R. (2005). Estudo gastroscópico em eqüinos adultos com suspeita de ulceração gástrica. Revista Brasileira de Ciência Veterinária, 12(1/3), 92-98. http://dx.doi.org/10.4322/rbcv.2014.311.
Bowden, A., Burford, J. H., Brennan, M. L., England, G. C. W., & Freeman, S. L. (2020). Horse owners’ knowledge, and opinions on recognising colic in the horse. Equine Veterinary Journal, 52(2), 262-267. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/evj.13173. PMid:31461570.
Buckley, P., Dunn, T., & More, S. J. (2004). Owners’ perceptions of the health and performance of Pony Club horses in Australia. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 63(1-2), 121-133. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2004.01.013. PMid:15099721.
Curtis, L., Burford, J. H., Thomas, J. S., Curran, M. L., Bayes, T. C., England, G. C., & Freeman, S. L. (2015). Prospective study of the primary evaluation of 1016 horses with clinical signs of abdominal pain by veterinary practitioners, and the differentiation of critical and non-critical cases. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 57(1), 69. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13028-015-0160-9. PMid:26444675.
Desrochers, A., & White, N. A. (2017). Diagnostic approach to colic. In A. T. Blikslager, N. A. White II, J. N. Moore & T. S. Mair (Eds.), The Equine Acute Abdomen (3rd ed., pp. 221-263). Wiley. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781119063254. ch20.
Di Filippo, P. A., Duarte, B. R., Albernaz, A. P., & Quirino, C. R. (2021). Effects of feed deprivation on physical and blood parameters of horses. Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 43(1), e000321. http://dx.doi. org/10.29374/2527-2179.bjvm000321. PMid:35749104.
Di Filippo, P. A., Pereira, R. N., Perotta, J. H., Alves, A. E., Dias, D. M., & Santana, Á. E. (2010). Estudo retrospectivo de 50 casos de cólica em equinos atendidos no Hospital Veterinário da FCAV – UNESP, no período de setembro de 2004 a julho de 2005. Ciência Animal Brasileira, 11(3), 689-694. http://dx.doi.org/10.5216/cab.v11i3.6131.
Dias, R. V. C., Ribeiro Filho, J. D., Bevilacqua, P. D., Ribeiro Júnior, P. I., & Souza, M. V. (2013). Estudo epidemiológico da síndrome cólica de equinos em parques de vaquejada no estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil. Veterinária e Zootecnia, 20(4), 683-698.
Dória, R. G. S., Freitas, S. H., Laskoski, L. M., Carvalho, M. B., Monteiro, A. O. N., Camplesi, A. C., & Valadão, C. A. A. (2015). Clinical evaluation and evolution of colic cases associated with Panicum maximum in Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 37(4), 303-308.
Ferreira, C., Palhares, M. S., & Melo, U. P. (2007). Peritonite em equinos: Fisiopatologia, diagnóstico e tratamento. Revista CFMV, 42(1), 48-60.
Ferreira, C., Palhares, M. S., Melo, U. P., Gheller, V. A., & Braga, C. E. (2009). Cólicas por compactação em equinos: Etiopatogenia, diagnóstico e tratamento. Acta Veterinaria Brasilica, 3(3), 117-126.
Filgueiras, J. M., Melo, U. P., Ferreira, C., França, S. A., & Shimoda, E. (2009). Características das fezes e excreção fecal de areia em equinos mantidos a pasto no município de Cachoeiro do Itapemirim, Espírito Santo, Brasil. Ciência Animal Brasileira, 10(4), 1200-1206.
Gonçalves, S., Leblond, A., Drogoul, C., & Julliand, V. (2005). Using feces characteristics as a criterion for the diagnosis of colic in the horse: A clinical review of 207 cases. Revue de Médicine Vétérinaire, 157(1), 3-10.
Gonzaga, M. C., Wilson, T. M., Castro, M. B., Teixeira-Neto, A. R., Campebell, R. C., & Câmara, A. C. L. (2020). Primary gastric rupture in 20 horses from Midwestern Brazil: Case report. Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, 72(3), 681-687. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1678-4162-11543.
Ireland, J. L., Clegg, P. D., McGowan, C. M., McKane, S. A., Chandler, K. J., & Pinchbeck, G. L. (2012). Comparison of owner-reported health problems with veterinary assessment of geriatric horses in the United Kingdom. Equine Veterinary Journal, 44(1), 94-100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2011.00394.x. PMid:21696434.
Maia, M. A., Botteon, P. T. L., Spindola, B. F., & Botteon, R. C. C. M. (2017). Alteração do pH fecal de equinos pela administração de alcalinizantes orais. Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 39(1), 1-6. http://dx.doi. org/10.29374/2527-2179.bjvm017.
Melo, U. P., & Ferreira, C. (2021). Diarreia crônica associada a enteropatia arenosa em equinos. Revista Brasileira de Ciência Veterinária, 28(4), 176-180. http://dx.doi.org/10.4322/rbcv.2021.049.
Melo, U. P., Palhares, M. S., Ferreira, C., Gheller, V. A., & Leme, F. O. P. (2021). Efeitos da nutrição parenteral ou enteral, associadas ou não à glutamina, sobre a motilidade gastrintestinal em equinos submetidos à inanição e realimentação. Revista Brasileira de Ciência Veterinária, 26(2), 69-74. http://dx.doi.org/10.4322/rbcv.2021.0013.
Nardi, K. B., Barros, A. M. C., Zoppa, A. L. V., Silva, L. C. L. C., Ambrósio, A. M., Hagen, S. C. F., Belli, C. B., Baccarin, R. Y. A., Fernandes, W. R., Spagnolo, J. D., & Corrêa, R. R. (2022). Large bowel obstruction by enteroliths and/ or foreign bodies in domestic equids: Retrospective study of cases seen from January 2003 to March 2020. Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, 74(1), 83-92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1678-4162-12442.
Santos, A. C., Curcio, B. R., Finger, I. S., Júnior, J. C., & Nogueira, C. E. W. (2017). Enterolitíase em equinos da raça crioula. Acta Scientiae Veterinariae, 45, 5. http://dx.doi.org/10.22456/1679-9216.85232.
Traub-Dargatz, J. L., Salman, M. D., & Voss, J. L. (1991). Medical problems of adult horses, as ranked by equine practitioners. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 198(10), 1745-1747. PMid:2071472.
Wild, I., Freeman, S., Robles, D., Matamoros, D., Ortiz, M., Rodriguez, J., & Burford, J. (2021). Owners’knowledge and approaches to colic in working equids in Honduras. Animals (Basel), 11(7), 2087. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11072087. PMid:34359215.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2022 Mariana Henrique da Silveira Costa, Paulo Roberto Medeiros, Ubiratan Pereira Melo, Renato Fernandes de Souza, Gabriel Evangelista Lopes da Silva, Cíntia Ferreira , Daniel Barbosa de Assis, Leanderson Paiva da Silva , Emilson Lima de Brito Filho