Which of the following is a differential diagnosis for a foal presenting with colic?

• A. Meconium impaction
• B. Exercise-induced colic in a mature horse
• C. Hairball ingestion
• D. Renal failure due to dehydration

Answer: (A)

In foals, colic is often linked to issues that are specific to newborns, and a common, treatable cause is failure to pass meconium. When a foal doesn’t pass its first stool soon after birth, the thick, sticky meconium can become impacted in the colon, causing abdominal discomfort and colicky signs. Detecting this early is crucial because it responds to relatively simple treatments like laxatives and enemas, with good outcomes.

The other scenarios are less typical for a newborn foal. Exercise-induced colic happens in mature horses during or after exercise, not in foals. Hairball ingestion isn’t a recognized common cause of equine colic. Renal failure from dehydration isn’t a classic cause of colic in a neonate and would usually present with broader systemic signs rather than the typical abdominal pain pattern of colic.

So, meconium impaction stands out as a plausible, common differential in a foal with colic.