Intestinal obstruction and other causes of abdominal pain in foals

There are numerous causes of colic in foals. Nearly all forms of obstructive gastrointestinal disorders that have been recognized in adultshave also been described in foals. Meconium impaction, intussusceptions, ascarid impactions, small intestinal volvulus, and hernias are evidently the most common causes of mechanical obstruction in foals. Other frequently recognized causes of colic in foals are gastric ulceration, uroperitoneum, and ileus. For some disorders, the history, signalment, and physical examination findings may lead to a presumptive diagnosis; in other disorders, ultrasonography and clinicopathologic examination of blood and peritoneal fluid may be required in the diagnostic evaluation. This article considers the causes of intestinal obstructionand abdominal pain in foals from birth to weaning