Table 1 Colic categories, case definitions and number of cases in each category admitted to the PLEH between January 1^st 1995 and 31^st December 2004

All Colics

All confirmed cases of colic admitted to the hospital

2580

All Surgical Colics

Colic cases with surgical lesions confirmed at exploratory laparotomy or post-mortem examination

1612

All Medical Colics

All colic cases that resolved with medical treatment only

968

Pedunculated Lipoma

Obstruction of small intestine by a pedunculated lipoma diagnosed at exploratory laparotomy or post-mortem examination

231

Epiploic Foramen Entrapment

Entrapment of the small intestine in the epiploic foramen diagnosed at exploratory laparotomy or post-mortem examination

92

Equine Grass Sickness

Equine grass sickeness cases confirmed by histological examination of the ileum

109

Large colon displacements or torsions

Displacement or torsion of the large colon diagnosed by rectal examination, clinical signs and response to treatment; treated either surgically or medically or diagnosed at post-mortem examination

435

Large colon impactions

Primary large colon impactions confirmed by rectal examination and response to treatment (medically treated group) or at exploratory laparotomy

214