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[RC] colic clarification - Ramy JishaI know many of you are going to take issue with this explanation because you've heard the old wives' tale, often from veterinarians, that rolling causes a twisted gut.BUT, in fact, a twisted gut is not caused by violent rolling, actually it is the other way around. The horse is thrashing and rolling because he has a twisted gut. Horses will roll in response to the abdominal pain. They will also stretch out and attempt to urinate. They will also try to "outrun" the pain. Anything to try to escape the discomfort. Horses roll all the time with no problem. Twisted guts occur because, for one thing, their guts are just not designed to stay where they should be. All of the intestines are suspended by connective tissue from an area in the middle of the back, allowing them to "swing" and move freely within the abdomen. Twists can happen simply as a freak of nature. The intestine twists around on itself, cutting off its own blood supply, much like the balloon animals a clown makes by twisting a long thin balloon. When you have abnormal motility, such as happens with heat stress and dehydration, when circulation to the gut is decreased and irregular, a twist becomes more likely. Ramy Jisha DVM
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