A Fresh Look at the Process of Arriving at a Clinical Prognosis Part 2: Colic

Generating an accurate prognosis in a horse with colic involves identifying and determining the severity of homeostatic derangements, particularly aberrations in cardiorespiratory, metabolic, and hemostatic functions. The basic questions to be answered are as follows: How sick is the horse?, How healthy was he to begin with?, and How well has he responded to treatment? Although laboratory data are very helpful in making such determinations, a thorough physical examination can suffice if necessary, particularly when repeated to obtain serial data. By reframing the serious colic case in terms of how the horse’s system is responding—or failing—as a whole in its attempts to restore homeostasis, we are better equipped to act preemptively or promptly enough to avert a fatal result and to ensure minimal short- and long-term complications.