Equine i ntestinal disease s

and the same therapy is used

due to spasm of intestinal musculature
Diagnosis is based on the

lack of other findings
Abdominal pain is relieved by administration of mild analgesics or spasmolytic agents
Abdominal pain is mild, and the signs occurs intermittently

unknown
Clostridium? Salmonella?

pain
Depresion, Dehydration,
Fever- rare in other form of colic
Gastric reflux

(orange, bloody in color, foul-smelling liquid)
Breath rate and heart rate depend on volume of reflux in gaster
Rectal examination- you feel distended loops of small intestine- like in ileal impaction or small intestinal strangulation (USG)

test of blood
Peritoneal fluid analysis (increased protein content and WBC

count)
Abdominal USG
Treatment
Clinical signs indicate a ileal impaction or small intestinal strangulation
But– fever (general examination!!!)
Long and intensive treatment
Nasogastric tube and remove reflux (Leave tube or repeat every 1-2 hours)
NSAIDS
Board spectrum antimicrobials
Iv administration of balanced electrolyte solution
continuous monitoring of the horse, fluid therapy, and naso gastric tube for few days)
Do not give food in first days; then linseed or other protectans and then good hay
Prognosis is generally good but laminitis

feeding
Duodenal impaction: in foals Parascaris equorum
Ileal impaction : tapeworms infestation

(Aloplocephala)

reflux in very short time
Perforation of dudenal wall cause pertonitis

and toxemia
Rectal examination not always helpful




Ileal impaction
Mild to moderate abdominal pain firstly then acute
In most cases gastric reflux
In most cases reduced intestinal sounds
In most cases distended intestine on rectal exam

in many cases, but symptomatic treatment:
Nasogastric tube
Painkillers (NSAIDS)
Antispasmodic drugs
Fluid therapy
Surgical

In most cases not effective because of anatomical location of the duodenum

Ileal impaction
In first stage when jejunum is not distended and impacted ileum is not hard by rectal examination treat by
Nasogastric tube
Antispasmodic drugs
Painkillers
Fluid therapy
If jejunum is distended impacted ileum is hard and medical treatment has no effect treat by surgery
Masage to the cecum
Prognosis is good

small intestine
Small intestinal volvulus

dehydrated
Distended loops of small intestine on rectal palpation.

Treatment
Surgery
Perform a resection

and anastamosis.

Prognosis is poor
Better if surgery is perform fast
Postoperative adhesions

vaginal ring

Testicle on affected side becomes enlarged, swollen pain and

cold

Surgery to remove entrapped intestine
and if intestine is necrotic perform resection

it can occur in different situation
Clinical signs
Acute pain, sometimes dengerous

for owner and vet, and for himself (head injury)
HR, BR very high, CRT > 3-5 sec
inaudible intestinal motility
Gastric reflux
Distended small intestinal in rectal palpation
Peritoneal fluid- bloody and in increased volume

painkillers, nasogastric tube, fluid therapy,
Surgical in short time

of parasite migration,
Abdominal abscesses,
penetrating abdominal wounds, or
serosal inflammation

history

of a gradual onset of colic and weight loss, and in many instances the pain occurs after the horse eats

of abdominal wall (right paralumbar fossa)
Pain
Tachycardia, tachypnea
Metalic sound during auscultation

of cecum area
Distended cecum during rectal palpation

paralumbar fossa
If it is secondary to another disease, treat underlying

problem
Colonic displacement
Colon volvulus

of motor cecum
Problems with teeth
Insufficient water supply or reduced water

intake
> 8 years old
Clinical Sings
Clinical symptoms develop slowly, usually a few days. Initially horse is periodic sad, has reduced appetite and reduced the amount of faeces.
between periods of pain, HR and BR is normal, dehydration is not observed.
When the disease is long, clinical signs are more severe. Horse often and for a long time looks at the right side. Horse lies longer than normal.
You can feel enlarged cecum on right side during rectal palpation
Rupture of cecum is common as a consequence of inflammation and necrosis cecum wall.
In this case acute clinical sign are observed

by motility disorders of the cecum
Painkillers, smasmolitycs drugs
Nasogarstic tube
If reflux:

remove it
If not reflux: give water orally and mineral oil
iv fluid therapy
If therapy is not effective after 2-4 days surgery, but after removing of impaction atony can be still present, and disise can return

teeth
Insufficient water supply or reduced water intake after transport
Clinical

signs
Clinical symptoms develop slowly, usually a few days like in cecal impaction
Mild abdominal pain:
Initially horse is periodic sad, has reduced appetite and reduced the amount of faeces.
Between periods of pain, HR and BR is normal,
When the disease is long, clinical signs are more severe. Horse can have acute abdominal pain, because of disetnsion of the colon
Initially, reflux is not present
In rectal palpation you can find impaction the most common is in pelvic fexure

by trocar placed aseptically
If no reflux give mineral oil by

nasogastric tube
Some clinicans recommended do not give a hay for few days
But very small portion of hay improve GI motility

If you have no result of treatment after 2-3 days or if suddenly clinical signs are more acute  surgery, but prognosis is good

dorsal colon  severe distension proximal to impaction and abdominal

pain
Sand accumulation in different part of ventral colon  thickening of the colonic mucosa mild abdominal pain

Hores lie down
Reduce appetite
Sometimes diarrhea

Clinical pathology
USG
Test of feces for sand

Treatment
Removing the sand from colon
repeted administartion of psyllium metylcellulose orally
Orally and iv fluid therapy

Surgery is necessery to remove sand from right dorsal colon and transverse colon

Large colon moves to space between the spleen and left

kidney
Clinical signs
Mild to moderate abdominal pain
Painful episodes
If colon is distended clinical signs are more acute

Clinical pathology
Rectal examination
USG

Treatment
Feed restriction
Administration of the phenylephrine- contraction of the spleen and some running
Short time anasthesia and rolling
Surgery
Prognosis is good

wall
pelvic fexure impaction

Clinical signs
Modetare to acute abdominal pain
Distended

colon in rectal palpation
Abdomen wall is distended

Treatment:
Druing short time if clinical sign are mild medical treatment
If acute clinical signs  surgery

360 o pain develop very fast
Rapid accumulation of gas
Distension

Ischemia result in the development of endotoxemia
HR, BR very fast
Distension of abdominal wall
Distension of colon during rectal palpation- sametimes is impossible to perform examination and removing of gas by trocar is necessery to perform examination
There is no effect of any painkillers

Treatment
Surgery in short time

(increased HR, long CRT, discolored mucous membranes)
Moderate to acute pain

because of distension of colon

Clinical pathology
Neutropenia with left shift
Peritonitis can develop

pain
Distension of colon and abdominal wall
In rectal palpation you can

feel impaction in small colon
Remove gas through trocar if severe distesion of colon

trocar
Antibiotic
Painkillers and spasmolitic drugs
Nasogarstric tube and if not reflux (

rare in small colon impaction) give mineral oil (8 ml/ kg  4 l / horse)
Intensive iv and orally fluid therapy
Rectal enema 2l/ every 1 hr

acute pain
Signs of endotoxemia
Sweating
Dehydration
Loss of appetite
In acute diffuse peritonitis

death occurs 4- 24 hours

Correction of dehydration
Correction of hypoproteinemia
Broad spectrum antimictrobial therapy
iv administration of

balanced electrolyte solution