Objective: To estimate the national incidence of, operation-level risk factors for, and annual economic impact of colic among horses in the United States during 1998 and 1999.
Design: Epidemiologic survey.
Animals: 21,820 horses on 1,026 horse operations in 28 states.
Procedures: Horses were monitored for colic for 1 year, and results were recorded in a log that was collected quarterly. Operation-level data were collected via 4 on-site personal interviews. Associations between colic and independent variables adjusted for size of operation were determined.
Results: Annual national incidence of colic in the US horse population was estimated to be 4.2 colic events/100 horses per year. Case fatality rate was 11%, and 1.4% of colic events resulted in surgery. Annual cost of colic in the United States was estimated to be $115,300,000.
Conclusions and clinical relevance: The national impact of equine colic is substantial because of the high case fatality rate.