Clinico-Therapeutic Management of Impacted Colic in a Donkey

Abstract

Colic is defined as pain originated from the gastro-intestinal tract. It causes the most serious condition in horses and donkeys, which result in severe abdominal pain and discomfort (Radostits et al., 2007). It occurs in all animals, but it is most common in equines due to anatomical configurations. Equines are monogastric animals with hindgut fermenters in which digestion of fiber takes place physiologically in cecum and colon, and it provides major energy source. One of the most important key factors of colic is retropulsive peristalsis of ingesta in large intestine close to the narrow pelvic flexure causing impaction (Argenzio, 1975). The clinical symptoms in donkeys are less marked as compared to the horses. Dullness is the most important clinical symptom observed in colic, but other symptoms observed are rare as compared to horses, like laying down, pawing, sweating, rolling on the ground etc (Donkey sanctuary, 2014). Diagnosis of colic is multidimensional (Temesgen and Fasika, 2018) and it is treated medically and surgically as early as possible to get rid from severe pain. This paper reports a rare case of colic and its medical management in a donkey.