Changes

===Description===  

===Description===  

Impaction of the large colon is seen in horses with limited access to drinking water or grazing bare pastures. The sand is not ingested but accumulates within the right dorsal colon, pelvic flexure and transverse colon. Due to its high density, the sand forms a sediment within the colon. This type of colic is particularly common in dry sandy regions of the world and is far less common in the UK and rest of Europe.

Impaction of the large colon is seen in horses with limited access to drinking water or grazing bare pastures. Horses fed on  a low-roughage diet are more prone to developing the condition.

 

The sand is not ingested but accumulates within the right dorsal colon, pelvic flexure and transverse colon. Due to its high density it forms a sediment within the colon. This type of colic is particularly common in dry sandy regions of the world and is far less common in the UK and rest of Europe.

===Clinical signs===

===Clinical signs===

Clinical signs are generally dependent on the site of impaction.  Horses affected by a pelvic flexure impaction often present with signs of mild abdominal pain and generally respond well to conservative treatment. Impaction of the transverse colon is often associated with more severe abdominal pain due to the build up of gas in the the colon proximal to the obstruction.

Clinical signs are generally dependent on the site of impaction.  Horses affected by a pelvic flexure impaction often present with signs of mild abdominal pain and generally respond well to conservative treatment. Impaction of the transverse colon is often associated with more severe abdominal pain due to the build up of gas in the the colon proximal to the obstruction. Due to the abrasive nature of sand the horse may present with signs relating to a physical colitis, such as diarrheoa,

===Diagnosis===

===Diagnosis===