Challenging the long-held belief that horses need to fast before surgery, Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital’s Rachel Hector, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVAA, conducted an in-house study to examine the age-old practice. They found that horses that weren’t fasted passed manure sooner and produced more of it after surgery, with no increase in anesthesia risk or complication.
Source: Paulick Report, August 7, 2025. Link. The study was published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, September 1, 2024. Link.