For example, some colics can only be resolved through surgery. This is the most common category and simply means that the horse's bowels are not working properly. It includes such things as gas distention, impaction, spasms, and paralysis. Intestinal Accidents . These occur less frequently, and include displacements, torsions, and hernias, whereby sections of the intestine become trapped or pinched in body cavities.
Some horses seem anatomically predisposed to such problems.
Intestinal accidents almost always require emergency surgery. Enteritis or Ulcerations . These are colics related to inflammations, infections, and lesions within the digestive tract. They can be caused by numerous factors, including stress, disease, salmonellosis, and parasites. While horses seem predisposed to colic due to the anatomy and function of their digestive tracts, management can play a key role in prevention.