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Veterinary Medicine vocabulary · Animal Diseases

Colic

Meaning in veterinary medicine, with examples

/ˈkɒlɪk/nounCommon term

In veterinary medicine, colic means: Abdominal pain, especially in horses. It is a sign rather than one disease and can range from mild gas pain to a twisted gut that needs surgery.

In Turkish: kolik, sancı

How it is used

Horse owners say the horse is colicking or has colic. Signs include rolling, pawing, looking at the flank and not eating. Vets do a colic examination, including rectal palpation and passing a stomach tube, and decide between medical and surgical colic.

Example sentences

  1. The mare has been rolling and pawing since this morning; I think it's colic.

  2. It was a surgical colic, so we referred him to the equine hospital.

Common collocations

  • colic surgery
  • surgical colic
  • mild colic
  • signs of colic
  • colic examination
  • equineRelating to horses, donkeys and other members of the horse family. As a noun, an equine is any animal of this family.
  • palpateTo examine part of an animal's body by feeling it carefully with the hands or fingers, for example the abdomen, the lymph nodes or a swelling.
  • referralSending an animal to a specialist or a better-equipped hospital for tests or treatment that the first practice cannot provide.
  • analgesiaRelief of pain with drugs or other methods, or the absence of pain in a conscious animal. A drug that does this is an analgesic.

More terms: Animal Diseases

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.