Large Colon
Congenital Abnormalities
Basic Information 
Epidemiology
Species, Age, Sex
• Foals with atresia coli present within the first days of life.
• Information on other congenital abnormalities of the large colon is restricted to case reports, personal communications, and clinical experience; therefore accurate information on epidemiology is not available. Because of the congenital cause of the problem, it is presumed that horses with defects that result in signs of abdominal disease will be relatively young at presentation. However, one case report described a 27-year-old mare, illustrating that horses of any age may be affected.
Clinical Presentation
History, Chief Complaint
Clinical signs are variable depending on the abnormality.
• Foals with atresia coli present with acute, sometimes severe signs of colic and abdominal distension. Complete lack of fecal production is a hallmark clinical sign.
• The presence of a diverticulum may result in intermittent impaction or obstruction, resulting in signs of recurrent colic.
• In the case report describing a large duplication cyst, the affected horse had clinical signs of recurrent colic and a pendulous abdomen.
• Defects within the mesentery allow displacement or volvulus of the colon through the defect, resulting in signs of colic; there have been no reports of strangulation of the segment of the intestine.
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