Equine Gastrointestinal Tract p1 Flashcards
Name the parts of the GI tract
What are two reasons why horses can’t vomit?
- The terminal esophagus enters the stomach at a very acute angle.
- The lower esophageal sphincter is always tensed but constricts further in response to distention of the stomach.
- ^ prevents vomiting but also can result in stomach rupture
Name the parts of the stomach
Choke
1. Etiology
2. When does it occur?
- Esophageal obstruction
- When a bolus (chunk) of material, usually food, lodges in the esophagus
- May cause complete or partial obstruction
Choke causes (6)
- Food: pelleted or dehydrated (expand w/moisture)
- Chunk of food (whole apple, carrot, balled twine)
- Drugs (xylazine & detomidine)
- Strictures
- Neoplasia
- Trauma that narrow esophageal lumen
Choke diagnosis (7)
- Dx
- Hx
- Signs
- Palp of mass in esophagus
- Inability to pass nasogastric tube
- Reflux of water flushed down NG tube, back out nostrils
- Rads
- Endoscopy
Choke signs (8)
- Dysphagia
- Drooling
- Food coming out of the nose
- Throat/neck swelling
- Extended neck
- Restless
- Repeated attempts to swallow
- Coughing
Choke treatment (9)
- Attempts to pass NG tube
- Sed w/xylazine or detomidine
- Flush warm water down NG tube to dissolve/dislodge blockage
- Gently massage to break it up
- IV fluids
- Lidocaine to anesthetize & relax area
- Anesthesia to protect airway w/high vol flushing in esophagus
- Antibiotics
- NSAIDS for inflamm & discomfort
Complications of choke (3)
- Stricture from scar tissue forming after impaction
- Perforation of the esophagus
- By tube or from necrosis of the esophageal wall - Pneumonia
How many stomachs does a horse have?
What is the gastric lining composed of?
- Single stomach (small-ish)
- Composed of:
- Squamous mucosa
- Glandular mucosa
T/F: Gastric ulcers can occur at any age in a horse
True! This includes foals
Causes of gastric ulcers (5)
- Confinement
- High concentration meals instead of grazing
- Fed 2-3 meals daily
- Lack of saliva production
- Constant secretion of hydrochloric acid in stomach
Gastric ulcer signs in Foals (6)
- Colic (abdominal pain)
- Bruxism (grinding teeth)
- Interrupted nursing/poor appetite
- Lying on back
- Diarrhea
- Poor growth
- Rough hair coat
- Pot belly
Gastric ulcer signs in Adults (7)
- Chronic, low-grade colic
- Poor performance
- Decreased appetite
- Changes in temperament
- Loss of condition
- Decreased endurance
- Intermittent diarrhea
Gastric ulcer
Diagnosis
How it’s done: (5)
Endoscopy
1. Long scopes for adults to reach duodenum.
2. Fasted for 10-12hrs adults (foals >3w no need).
3. Sedation
4. Stomach is distended with air by the scope so lining can be observed
5. Water flushed across lens for debris
Gastric ulcer treatment (4)
- Increase time allowed out to graze (as many hours as possible)
- Feeding small frequent meals to increase time spent chewing
- Increase amount of forage & decrease amount of concentrate
- Medications:
- omeprazole
- sucralfate
- ranitidine
Colic is a general term for abdominal ___ or ___. Determining what is causing the colic can be ___. The major decision is between ___ vs non-____ colic.
- Discomfort or pain
- Challenging/difficult
- Surgical
- Non-surgical
T/F: Exploratory laparatomy is expensive and some horse may have complications & never fully return to full activity again.
True
Signs of colic
Name 4 (13)
- Pawing w/front feet
- Looking back at flank
- Curling upper lip & arching neck
- Rep raising rear leg or kicking abdomen
- Lying down
- Rolling from side to side
- Sweating
- Stretching as tho to urinate
- Straining to BM
- Distension of abdomen
- Loss appetite
- Depression
- Decreased BM
Colic diagnosis (8)
- Signs
- Abnorm MM
- Prolonged CRT
- Increased body temp
- Increased PCV
- Rectal examination
- Abnorm gut sounds
- NG tube
Types of colic (6)
- Spasmodic
- Impaction
- Displacement/entrapment
- Infection/inflammatory
- Necrotic
- Gastric ulcer associated
Spasmodic (gassy) colic
1. Etiology
2. Cause
3. Tx
- Accumulation of gas distend the intestines & cause pain.
- Cause
- Grain ingestion (overload)
- Without specific reason - Tx
- NG tube to assess stomach gas/fluid/contents
- Withold feed
- Analgesics
- Hand walking to encourage intestinal movement & passage of gas distally
Impaction colic (small or large intestine)
1. Etiology
2. Cause (2)
3. Treatment (7)
- Occurs where there is anatomical narrowing of the intestinal tract
- Cause
- Dehydrate bolus of feed
- Foreign body - Tx
- Withhold food
- IV fluids
- Oral meds (hydration)
- Analgesics
- Mineral oil via stomach tube
- DSS
- Sx
Displacement/entrapment can occur in the ___ or ___ intestine. Various mobile areas of the intestine can ___, slip into narrowed areas, or inguinal ___. This may or may not be ___ of the tissue. This will often require ___ to replace or repair offending portion of intestine.
- Small or large
- Twist
- Hernias
- Strangulation
- Surgery
Infectious/inflammatory colic
Causes (5)
- Pyelonephritis
- Uroliths
- Pyometra
- Neoplasia
- Abscesses
Peritonitis is…
Inflammation of the abdominal lining
