Colic surgery can save horses with life-threatening intestinal conditions, but involves significant welfare costs and difficult decisions about prognosis and quality of life.
Equine colic surgical emergencies present acute welfare crises — pain from intestinal obstruction or strangulation is severe, and decisions about surgery must be made rapidly. Welfare considerations include pain management before, during, and after surgery; honest assessment of prognosis; and careful quality of life evaluation in the post-operative period. For cases with poor prognosis, euthanasia may be the welfare-optimal choice. The welfare cost of surgery is significant — recovery is prolonged and involves restriction. Owners need clear prognostic information to make welfare-centred decisions rather than defaulting to intervention regardless of likely outcome.