65 Horse owners’ survey regarding equine feeding management post colic surgery

Abstract

Nutritional care following colic surgery may be important to help prevent further digestive issues and prolong the life of the equine patients. The objective of this study was to determine how horses are managed nutritionally following colic surgery. Upon approval of the University's Institutional Review Board, an anonymous survey was created using the program Qualtrics that consisted of 15 questions. The survey recorded pre-colic diet, post-colic diet, and any nutritional advice the owner received, both from the surgical clinic and other sources. Respondents also reported the current status of their horse, i.e., retired, deceased, decreased work level, or returned to their previous level of work. A list of all equine colic surgeries performed at the NC State University vet school since 2019 was obtained. The time between surgery and completion of the survey ranged from 6 mo to over 3 years, with the majority (48%) completing it within 2–3 years following the surgery. The survey was sent to a total of 134 horse owners, 27 of which responded for a response rate of 20%. The data collected from the survey was predominantly descriptive in nature. 81% percent of respondents were happy with their horse's overall appearance and performance before the colic episode. At the time of the colic, 26% were feeding a commercial grain mix, 30% werefeeding a low-starch commercial grain mix, 15% were feeding a ration balancer, and 22% were feeding a senior feed. Approximately 48% of the living horses were back to their pre-colic workload at the time of the survey, while 4 horses were deceased. Several owners (21%) reported receiving minimal nutritional instructions at discharge, while others were encouraged to change their horse's hay or pasture (25%), grain (41%) and/or add a supplement (48%). 70% of owners reported gaining nutritional advice from sources outside the surgical clinic, 73% of which spoke with their regular veterinarian, while others consulted friends, online sources, and nutritionists. The majority of supplements implemented by owners were those designed for gastrointestinal health (e.g., probiotics, psyllium, etc.). Many owners received additional nutritional information from outside sources (friends, nutritionist, internet, etc.) or from their regular veterinarian. At the time they completed the survey, 29.6% of respondents reported at least one instance of colic following the horse's discharge. Based on the number of respondents seeking outside advice, the results imply that owners may benefit from additional nutritional resources following surgery.