Which of the following describes signs of colic in horses?

• A. Failure to eat or drink, pawing, rolling, and lack of manure
• B. Excessive grazing and increased appetite
• C. Lameness in one limb
• D. Coughing and nasal discharge

Answer: (A)

Colic signs arise from abdominal pain and disrupted gut motility. The best description includes refusal to eat or drink, pawing, rolling, and not passing manure. Each of these reflects distress in the abdomen: not wanting to take in fluids or food, restlessness and pawing as attempts to find relief, rolling as a reaction to pain, and absence of manure indicating reduced intestinal movement. Together they point to abdominal discomfort and warrant prompt evaluation.

The other options describe issues not typical of colic: excessive grazing and increased appetite suggest a different, non-painful condition; lameness in a limb is an orthopedic/soft-tissue issue; coughing and nasal discharge indicate a respiratory problem.