Evaluation of racing performance after colic surgery in thoroughbreds: 85 cases (1996-2010)

Abstract

Objective-To determine racing performance after surgery for colic in Thoroughbreds. Design-Retrospective cohort study. Animals-85 racing Thoroughbreds that survived to discharge following colic surgery and 170 race-matched reference horses. Procedures-Earnings, starts, and earnings per start were compared between horses that underwent surgery and reference horses, the proportions of horses that returned to racing were analyzed, and career longevity was determined. Results-Among 85 racing Thoroughbreds that underwent colic surgery, 31 (36%) had primarily small intestinal lesions, of which 11 underwent resection; 54 (64%) had large intestinal lesions, of which 2 underwent resection. Fifty-nine of 85 (69%) horses that underwent colic surgery returned to racing after a 6-month recovery period versus 125 of 170 (73%) reference horses (OR, 0.81). In the 36-month postoperative period, reference horses earned a mean of $7,866 more, had a mean of 0.26 more starts, and had mean earnings per start of $29 more than horses that underwent surgery. Horses that underwent surgery did not have different career lengths than reference horses. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Horses that underwent colic surgery did not have a significant reduction in measures of performance or career length, compared with a reference cohort.