This lecture will discuss current knowledge of the equine gastrointestinal microbiome with a focus on aspects that have relevance to common post-operative complications in horses following colic surgery. In addition, we will discuss how these findings and knowledge can be translated to the clinical setting for application to patients. Finally, we will present some of the limitations that exist when employing some of the the techniques that target the microbiome for management of post-operative colic cases.
