Clinical Research Abstracts of the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress 2015.
Authors: Bowden A, Brennan M L, England G C W, Burford J H, Freeman S L
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Owner Recognition and Knowledge of Equine Colic Early recognition of colic fundamentally shapes patient outcome, yet 1061 UK horse owners surveyed demonstrated considerable variability in their ability to identify the condition and significant knowledge gaps regarding basic clinical parameters. Only 6% of respondents were confident recognising all colic types, whilst 30% acknowledged they could identify some cases but not others; reassuringly, most owners (61%) reported recognising most presentations. When presented with suspected colic, owners' assessment protocols were inconsistent—whilst 73% would evaluate faecal output and 69% check gastrointestinal sounds, only 50% would measure heart rate, and concerningly, 22% would immediately contact their veterinarian without performing any assessment. Critical gaps in baseline knowledge further complicated the picture: over 65% of owners either couldn't state or incorrectly estimated normal heart rate values, roughly three-quarters lacked confidence in normal respiratory rates, and 69% couldn't accurately recall normal temperature ranges—deficits that persisted regardless of owner age, educational background, or equine experience. These findings highlight a pressing need for structured owner education programmes and readily accessible clinical reference materials, enabling horse owners to perform rapid, confident preliminary assessments that could meaningfully influence time-to-treatment and ultimately survival rates for this most common equine emergency.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Veterinarians should provide targeted education to horse owners on recognising colic signs and normal clinical parameters, as current knowledge gaps are widespread and not correlated with experience level
- •Educational materials should focus on teaching owners how to assess faecal output, gastrointestinal sounds, respiratory rate, and heart rate, as these are the most commonly assessed parameters but many owners lack confidence
- •Consider that many owners will call for veterinary assistance without conducting any assessment; education should emphasize which parameters are most critical to evaluate before professional assessment
Key Findings
- •Only 6% of horse owners believed they could recognise all types of colic, while 61% thought they could recognise most cases
- •22% of owners would call a vet immediately without assessing any clinical parameters in suspected colic cases
- •30.4% of owners were unsure of normal heart rate values and 35.5% provided incorrect estimates outside reference ranges
- •No significant correlation existed between owner age, educational qualifications, or horse experience and knowledge of normal clinical parameters