Veterinarians might consider colic surgery when a horses pain is severe or persistent and doesnt respond to medical treatment, or when diagnostics suggest an impaction or intestinal displacement. Researchers have shown the best surgical outcomes are typically seen in horses treated early, before significant damage occurs. Prognosis also depends on the specific type of colic and severity of damage. In this Ask TheHorse Live excerpt, Bianca Ruspi, DVM, equine surgery resident at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, and Michael Fugaro, VMD, Dipl. ACVS, owner and founder of Mountain Pointe Equine Veterinary Services, in Hackettstown, New Jersey, explain when they usually recommend colic surgery for horses and how they come to that decision.This podcast is an excerpt from our Ask TheHorse Live Q&A, Equine Colic 101. Listen to thefullrecordinghere.About the Experts: Michael Fugaro, VMD, Dipl. ACVSMichael Fugaro, VMD, Dipl. ACVS, is the owner and founder of Mountain Pointe Equine Veterinary Services, in Hackettstown, New Jersey. Fugaro received his VMD at the University of Pennsylvanias School of Veterinary Medicine, in Kennett Square, where he graduated in 1997. He then completed a large animal internship at the University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada, and a large animal surgical residency at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana. Previously, Fugaro was the resident veterinarian and a tenured full-professor at Centenary University, in Hackettstown. He has also taught as a visiting instructor at Rutgers University in the Animal Science Department, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Fugaro has held veterinary positions with the New Jersey Department of Agricultures Division of Animal Health and the New Jersey Racing Commission. He has also been the president of the New Jersey Association of Equine Practitioners, an advisory board member for the Rutgers University Board for Equine Advancement (RUBEA), and an admissions committee member for University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine. When not performing surgeries, Fugaro enjoys golfing and going to the gym. He resides in Morris County, New Jersey, with his wife, Donna, and dog, Curtis.Bianca Ruspi, DVMBianca Ruspi, DVM, is a third-year resident in equine surgery at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. She attended the University of Kentucky (UK), in Lexington, for her undergraduate degree and Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, for veterinary school. She is interested in orthopedic surgery and joint disease and is pursuing a PhD at UK's Gluck Equine Research Center following her residency.