Equine gastrointestinal tract Flashcards
Describe the GI tract of a horse.
hindgut fermenter, herbivore, i.e. most microbial activities take place in the cecum & large intestine which constitutes approximately 60 per cent of the gastro-intestinal tract
Chronic diarrhea in horses is defined as a
diarrhea that has lasted several days with no improvement.
in the adult horse chronic diarrhea is the result of
large intestinal diseases
What is the FLASH technique?
FLASH scanning technique for colic patients, stands for Fast Localised Abdominal Sonography of Horses and can be used
to aid decision making in horses with colic, and may be more accurate for detecting lesions requiring surgical intervention versus per-rectum palpation.
a quick, noninvasive tool for formulating accurate diagnosis of horses
presenting with acute colic
transcutaneous ultrasound
equine main energy source (not food):
volatile fatty acids (VFA-s) produced by bacterial fermentation in the large intestine
What is equine FUO?
Fever of unknown origin (FUO) is a syndrome characterized by prolonged, unexplained fever associated with non-specific signs of illness such as lethargy, inappetence and weight loss.
Feeding large quantities of concentrates is a risk factor for
gastric ulcers/colic
Decreased water consumption or decreased
movement (sudden box rest) is a risk factor
for
impaction colic
Increased risk for enteroliths if horse fed
alfalfa
Recent foaling is a risk factor for what GI problem?
colonic torsion
Crib-biting and windsucking increase the
risk of
colic
How to assess horse’s cardiovascular status (4)
mm-s color and moisture, CRT, jugular filling
Tachycardia should always raise
a concern.
Mms:
– Normally (pale) pink, moist, crt <2 sec
– Darker pink to purple in toxic horses
– Dry or tacky in dehydrated horse
Pain helps to differentiate between
surgical and medical lesions with some exceptions
Describe auscultation of Ileocecocolic sounds
Ileocecocolic sound in right paralumbar area
– 1-3 times/min
– Sound resembles flushing a toilet
Lack of gut sounds indicates a marked abnormality.
What part of the GI tract can be auscultated in the Left paralumbar area:
pelvic flexure, ascending colon
Lack of gut sounds indicates a marked abnormality.
Abdominal distention Often indicates
distention of the
large intestine.
Sometimes large portion of small intestine is involved.
What is OGAT?
The oral glucose tolerance test in the horse provides an aid to the diagnosis of pancreatic and small intestinal dysfunction/malabsorption syndromes.
A dose of 1 g. glucose/Kg bodyweight is administered by stomach tube producing a peak glucose level after two hours, which returns to the resting level four hours later.
This test has no relevance to large intestinal disease such as parasitism.
Nasogastric intubation: purpose (4)
- To evacuate fluid or gas from the stomach.
- Administration of enteral fluids/medications/supplements.
- To relieve esophageal obstruction.
- Diagnostic value– Large quantities of
reflux indicate a SI lesion (usually).
Restraint for NG intubation requires
(twitch +/- sedation) and an assistant
presence of reflux: what amount of fluid out of a large horse is abnormal
more than 2 liters of fluid out of a large horse
is abnormal
– In that case do not put ANYTHING in the
stomach.
What does abnormal reflux tell you?
Usually indicates a SI problem (or a long lasting/severe LI problem).
■ Indicates that Fluid cannot pass from the stomach into the small intestine.
■ There could be Closure of the intestinal lumen (displacement, torsion, mass).
■ Inflammation (large amount of fluid produced
by intestinal mucosa).
‘
■ Appearance and smell of fluid: the smellier,
darker, redder, the more likely there’s an
inflammation or serious intestinal damage.
NG intubation: complication epistaxis is usually due to
ethmoidal trauma
– Happens occasionally
– Usually of low significance and stops spontaneously.
– To prevent: always use proper restraint, guide the tube ventromedially and advance the tube gently; at removal maintain downward angle and avoid sudden movements.
Rectal examination: purpose
Used to evaluate horse with acute or chronic colic and/or weight loss.
Allows evaluation of structures in the caudal part of abdomen.
