Director's Message - Summer 2024

Summer is a time of transition at UC Davis. We say farewell to graduating students, and welcome many into the equine veterinary profession. We wish them well in the next stages of their careers!

For the summer Horse Report, we chose a big topic - colic. Colic is a word that gives pause to even the most seasoned equestrians. One of the most common equine health conditions, it is of significant concern for owners and veterinarians.

My own horse, Kaiden, required two colic surgeries when he was 8 years old. He had an epiploic foramen entrapment, in which the liver traps the small intestine. He recovered from surgery and had another episode less than 24 hours later. We took him BACK to surgery and he received a “bypass,” so he now has a two-lane highway between his small intestine and colon. I was a veterinary resident at UC Davis at the time and fortunately had insurance, so I was able to cover the costs. Kaiden went on to compete at the Preliminary level of 3-day eventing until he was 17 years old. He is now 25 and still competing at the lower levels. Pursuing colic surgery was among the best decisions I have ever made.

Few know more about colic than UC Davis equine surgeon Dr. Julie Dechant, our collaborator on this issue. She is an expert on colic treatment, surgery, and prevention, and is passionate about owner education on this topic. We thank her for sharing her expertise.

We hope this issue provides clarification about equine colic and enables you to work closely with your veterinarian should you encounter this issue in your horses.

Best wishes,

Carrie J. Finno, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM  
CEH Director

Thank You to Our Contributor

Dr. Julie E. Dechant, DVM, MS, DACVS and DACVECC, is a professor in the Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences and a clinician in the Equine Surgical Emergency and Critical Care Service. She is the assistant director of the UC Davis Large Animal Clinic. Dechant graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1996 and completed a Large Animal Surgery Residency at Colorado State University in 2000. She received Faculty Teaching Awards from the School of Veterinary Medicine (2015) and UC Davis (2016) and the Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award for UC Davis (2023). Her research interests are related to improving the diagnosis and care of large animal emergency and critical care patients.