Veterinary Surgery, 18, 1, 48-51, 1989 Surgical Treatment of Sand Colic Results in 40 Horses CLAUDE A. RAGLE, DVM, DENNIS M. MEAGHER, DVM, PhD, DiplomateACVS, CHARLOTTE A. LACROIX, DVM, and CLIFFORD M. HONNAS, DVM A retrospective study of 40 horses that underwent surgical treatment for sand colic was per- formed. Three horses were euthanatized and one died during surgery. Of the 36 horses that recovered from anesthesia, five died before discharge from the hospital and seven died after discharge. Twenty-four horses survived at least 12 months. Sand impaction of the right dorsal colon was present in 26 horses. In addition to sand impaction, 10 horses also had colonic displacement or volvulus. NGESTION OF SAND by horses may lead to signs of ab- I dominal pain. Sand colic is one of the most common forms of colic in areas of loose sandy soils. More than 30% of the colics encountered in one equine practice in central Arizona were sand colics. ' Despite the frequent occurrence of this condition, there is a paucity of infor- mation about its clinical signs, treatment, and prognosis. Most of the information available is anecdotal or based on a limited number of cases. Although the prognosis for surgical treatment of sand colic is said to be poor to guarded, no supportive studies are a ~ a i l a b l e . ~ . ~ Informa- tion is needed about survival rates, anatomic sites of ob- struction, and operative and postoperative complica- tions. The objective of this retrospective study is to deter- mine short- and long-term survival rates of horses treated surgically for sand colic, to determine which segments of the gastrointestinal tract are obstructed by sand, the presence ofconcurrent abdominal lesions, and operative and postoperative complications. Materials and Methods Medical records of 40 horses treated surgically for sand colic at the University of California, Davis, between Jan- uary 1980 and January 1987, were reviewed. The indica- tions for surgical treatment included intractable pain, marked abdominal distension, failure to respond to medical therapy within 48 to 72 hours, and progressive physiologic deteri~ration.~ The diagnosis of sand impac- tion was based on findings at exploratory celiotomy. In- formation obtained from the medical records included signalment, clinical signs, short-term survival, seg- ment(s) of the intestinal tract obstructed with sand, con- current gastrointestinal lesions found at surgery, and op- erative and postoperative complications. Long-term sur- vival and complications that occurred after discharge from the hospital were determined by telephone inter- views of the owners. Survival rates were based only on 36 horses allowed to recover from anesthesia. Three horses were euthanatized, and one died during surgery. One of the horses euthanatized had a ruptured stomach, one sustained rupture of the colon during surgical manipula- tion, and one had a severely devitalized large colon be- cause of concurrent 360" colonic volvulus. Results Breeds represented were the American Quarterhorse ( 16), Thoroughbred (7), Arabian (4), Appaloosa (3), Tra- kehner (2), Pony of America (2), American Miniature horse (2), Morgan (l), Percheron (l), Mule (l), and Don- key (1). There were 15 geldings, 3 intact males, and 22 females. The mean age was 9.5 years (range, 2 months to 30 years). The most common presenting clinical signs included anorexia, depression, diarrhea, and signs of ab- dominal pain. The mean heart rate was 62 beats per min- From the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (Ragle, Lacroix, Honnas) and the Department of Surgery (Meagher), School of Veterinary Reprint requests: Dennis M. Meagher, DVM, PhD, Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, Universityof California, Medicine, University of California, Davis, California. Davis, CA 95616. 48