Colic and Weight Loss in Senior Horses

While pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, or PPID, may be the health condition thought to be most common in senior horses, senior equines can have other maladies that may be influenced by age. Dr. Cristy Secombe of Murdoch University discussed diseases found in older horses at the 2014 Equine Centre Conference held at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

According to Secombe, colic is the digestive system problem most often seen in older horses. Impaction in the large colon is the most frequent cause, possibly because horses have somewhat poorer digestion and absorption in the colon as they age. Strangulating lipomas, stalked fatty tumors that become wrapped around a section of the small intestine, occur with greater frequency in older horses than in younger equines. Choke, which may be related to poor dental condition, is also seen more often in older horses compared to younger ones.

Weight loss is another frequent problem among senior horses. Some possible factors that contribute to weight loss are poor dental condition, less efficient organ function, increased metabolic rate, and inadequate utilization of feedstuffs. One or more of these factors could be present in an older equine, and because these horses may lose weight as a side effect of any illness, nutritional therapy should always be part of disease treatment, Secombe said.