| Colic and Digestive Diseases Program
Mission  Diseases of Principal Interest Clinical Service Colic and Digestive Disease
Database Current Areas of Clinical Investigation
Research Current Research
Studies Summaries of Completed
Research Projects Potential Practical
Outcome of Clinical and Basic
Research
Outreach and Continuing Education Faculty Residents and Graduate Students Links for North Carolina Horse Owners Articles for Horse Owners Contact Information Equine Health Program Home
The
Colic and Digestive Diseases Program,
a cooperative arrangement between
the North Carolina State University
College of Veterinary Medicine
and the College of Agriculture and
Life Sciences, provides a focus
for equine gastrointestinal-related
instruction, research, continuing
education, and clinical service to
benefit North Carolina's rapidly expanding
horse industry. The North Carolina
horse industry generates $525 million
annually with its 225,000 horses and
43,000 horse producers despite a lack
of racing-related activity.
The
Colic and Digestive Diseases Program
focuses on colic, a problem that remains
the leading known cause of mortality
among sport and leisure horses, and
other digestive diseases of horses
such as diarrhea and gastric ulcers.
The latter is a leading cause of poor
performance in sport horses. Continuing
education from this program will target
horse owners on the most efficient
management and feeding of horses to
maximize their athletic potential
and decrease mortality from colic.
University wide collaborative research
investigation and clinical services
within the Veterinary Teaching Hospital
(VTH) will be aimed at reducing the
unacceptably high number of colic-associated
fatalities and clinical problems related
to other digestive diseases.
 Mission
To
study clinical and basic science mechanisms
of gut injury and repair in order
to develop novel therapeutic approaches
in horses with infectious, dietary,
or colic-related diseases of the gastrointestinal
tract.
Diseases
of Principal Interest
NEW:
Summary
of CDDP non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
(NSAID) research with new information
on adverse effects of these drugs
on the equine gut.
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Clinical Service
The
Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH)
is one of the foremost referral centers
on the East Coast for evaluation of
horses with acute colic and colitis
(diarrhea), and gastric ulcers. Approximately
350 horses are received annually for
evaluation of colic, diarrhea, and
gastric ulcers of which approximately
125 require colic surgery or further
diagnosis and treatment of colic,
100 require intensive medical treatment
for colic, and 25 require intensive
medical treatment of infectious diarrhea.
Approximately 75-80% of all horses
presented with these diseases are
successfully treated and discharged
from the hospital.
The
VTH has 10 faculty, 6 residents and
interns, and highly skilled veterinary
technicians that provide either surgical
or medical expertise for the diagnosis
and treatment of digestive disease
of horses. The Veterinary Teaching Hospital
supplies state of the art diagnostic
and surgical facilities as well as
critical care facilities for neonates
and adult horses. Imaging techniques
such as radiography, ultrasonography,
nuclear scintigraphy, and computed
tomography are being applied to horses
with a variety of gastrointestinal
conditions as a means of diagnosis.
Advanced surgical techniques using
sophisticated surgical and anesthetic
equipment are used to provide definitive
treatment for horses requiring surgery.
DNA-based molecular techniques have
become important for identifying the
organisms that cause gastrointestinal
infections in horses, monitoring the
response of infections to treatment,
and even determining which genes are
important for bacteria and viruses
to cause disease.
Clinical
services at the Equine
Health Center at Southern Pines
(EHC-SP) are
available to local veterinary practitioners.
The Center provides laboratory
support and coordinates sending
samples out for tests not run in-house.
Certain items of equipment (e.g.
x-ray equipment, a darkroom, and
an endoscope) can be made available
to local practitioners. State of
the art diagnostic techniques are
used to identify and understand
disease syndromes such as colic,
colitis, and gastric ulcers.
The
Equine
Extension group provides service
to horse owners of the state of North
Carolina by evaluating and formulating
diets in order to make sure that horses
receive optimal energy, protein, roughage,
and mineral intake. Optimal dietary
recommendations can theoretically
decrease the incidence of all gastrointestinal
diseases, particularly colic.
Colic and Digestive
Disease Database
Current Areas of Clinical Investigation
- Investigation into specific causes and outcome of horses
with diseases of the small intestine
- Critical evaluation of intensive care of horses after
colic surgery
- Dietary
causes of ileal impactions in horses
- New
anti-inflammatory treatments for
horses with gastrointestinal diseases
- Postoperative analgesia for horses with colic
- Epidemiological studies of gastrointestinal diseases
Research
Investigators have received federal and state funding
to study mechanisms whereby the gut
heals after colic, the role of non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. flunixin
meglumine) in intestinal repair, causes
of stomach ulcers in performance horses,
the cell biology of intestinal inflammation,
and the mechanisms used by Salmonella
and other pathogens to infect and
multiply in horses.
In separate studies, faculty from
Equine Extension are currently conducting
studies on grazing management systems
that enhance forage utilization.
Current
Research Studies
- Mechanisms of intestinal repair following strangulating
obstruction
- The
role of cyclooxygenases in recovery
of intestinal barrier function
- Role
of neutrophils in mucosal injury
during inflammation of the intestine
- Mechanisms of acid and bile salt-induced gastric injury
- The
molecular and genetic basis of Salmonella
virulence
- Cellular and molecular biology of inflammation in the
gut
- Mechanism of diarrhea in colitis
- Novel
anti-inflammatory drugs
Summaries of
Completed Research Projects
Potential Practical
Outcomes of Clinical and Basic Research
- Greater
understanding of the intestinal
repair process following severe
colic
- Treatment strategies for inflammatory diseases of the
gastrointestinal tract
- More
selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs for treatment of horses with
colic
- Definitive answers as to the cause of stomach ulcers
in performance horses
- Greater
understanding of the mechanisms
of infection and immune response
to Salmonella and other organisms
- Encourage ration formulation to enhance forage utilization
and reduce expenses
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Outreach and Continuing
Education
The
Colic And Digestive Diseases Program
provides outreach to the public and
continuing education for veterinarians.
Locally, faculty of the Colic And
Digestive Diseases Program provide
programs, short courses, and wet labs
through the North Carolina Veterinary
Medical Association, the College of
Veterinary Medicine, and the North
Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.
Colic and Digestive Diseases Program
faculty also present lectures and
programs at a variety of national
meetings, including the American Veterinary Medical Association,
the American
Association of Equine Practitioners,
the American College of Veterinary
Internal Medicine, the American College of Veterinary Surgeons,
and the Georgia Colic Symposium.
The
Regional Equine Information Network
System (REINS) was developed by
the North Carolina Cooperative Extension
Service to assist in education and
development of the North Carolina
Horse Industry. Colic and Digestive
Diseases Program members from the
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
coordinate the program, and Colic
and Digestive Diseases Program members
from both the College of Agriculture
and Life Sciences and the College
of Veterinary Medicine assist in educating
volunteer regional agents, who then
disseminate this information to horse
owners around the state.
A
quarterly newsletter highlighting
activities of the Colic And Digestive
Diseases Program members has been
produced since 1995 and is currently
mailed to approximately 5000 homes.
The newsletter contains articles on
various aspects of horse health care
and husbandry, as well as announcements
regarding presentations, short courses,
and other events occurring at NCSU.
Faculty
Anthony
Blikslager
Mat Gerard
Sam Jones
Dick Mansmann
Bob
Mowrey
Malcolm
Roberts
Jock Tate
Residents, Graduate Students and Postdoctoral
Fellows
Vanessa
Cook (Doctoral Candidate)
Callie
Fogle (Large Animal Surgery Resident)
Raphael
Labens (Large Animal Surgery
Resident)
Jennifer
Merlo (Medicine Resident)
Adam
Moeser (Combined DVM/PhD program)
James
Nutt (Large Animal Surgery Resident)
Tiffany
Ping (Equine Medicine and Surgery
Intern)
Katie
Sheats (Equine Medicine Resident)
Jenna
Wooten (Doctoral Candidate)
CLICK
HERE FOR A LIST OF PUBLISHED RESEARCH
BY THE GROUP
For
more information about graduate programs
and how to apply, please click here.
Links for North Carolina Horse Owners
Carolina
Horse Park
Carolina
Mule Association
Central
Carolina Western Horseman's Association
Equine
Health Center at Southern Pines
Halifax
Farm
Horse
Carolina (A Community for North
& South Carolina Horse Owners)
NC Horse News
NC
State Fair
North Carolina Arabian Horse Association
North
Carolina Dressage & Combined Training
Association
North
Carolina Horse Council
North Carolina
Hunter Jumper Association
Pinehurst
Harness Track
Southern
Pines Equine Associates
Triangle
Farms
United
State Equine Rescue League, Inc.
Articles of Interest for Horse Owners
Straight Talk About Colic
*Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view the above files.
Contact Information
Anthony
Blikslager
Associate Professor of Equine Surgery
Interim Head, Department of Clinical
Sciences
Email: anthony_blikslager@ncsu.edu
Sam Jones
Associate Professor of Equine Medicine
Department of Clinical Sciences
Email: sam_jones@ncsu.edu
Department
of Clinical Sciences
4700 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27606
Phone:
919.513.6424
Fax: 919.513.6336
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