Top 8 Acute Colics Flashcards
list some causes of small intestine disease that cause colic and what they are associated with
strangulating lipoma: OLDER horses usually
volvulus
intussusception: YOUNG horses, parasites
herniation
mesenteric entrapment
proximal enteritis: treated with medical management, mimics an obstruction
clinical signs of small intestinal disease (colic) include
severe pain that does not respond to analgesics, shock, gastric reflux, big dilated loops on ultrasound, serosanguinous abdominal fluid, palpable distended SI on rectal palp
how is small intestinal disease/colic treated?
surgical: can do resection of the intestine, only works if you catch it early enough :(
why is it so important to treat large intestinal volvulus/impaction quickly?
you cant resect large intestine
who is at risk for large intestinal volvulus?
broodmares
what are clinical signs of large intestinal volvulus/impaction?
severe pain not responsive to analgesics, shock, NO GASTRIC REFLUX, abdominal fluid normal, palpable large intestinal gas distention on rectal palp
how is large intestinal volvulus treated
surgery, but you cant resect any of it, have to catch it early
colonic impaction is ultimately caused by what?
backup of fecal material, especially with decreased water intake, decreased manure production
who is particilarily at risk for developing colonic impaction?
horses with bad dental care, decreased water intake, cold weather, minature horses
clinical signs of colonic impaction include
mild or intermittent colic signs, decreased manure production, palpable firm feces on rectal palp,
a minature pony presents for intermittent colic for the past week. some days she is pawing at the ground and looking at her flank, while other days she is normal again. the owner mentions her manure production is less so than normal. most likely diagnosis and treatment?
colonic impaction
treatment: oral fluids + laxatives or IV fluids
you get called out on an emergency farm call to see Liddia, a 22 year old mare. she seems to be in severe pain since last night; she is pawing and looking at her flank, and she us sweating. When you arrive you pass an NG tube and get lots of gastric reflux back. You then do a rectal palp and feel distended loops of what feels like small intestine. number one differential?
strangulating lipoma/small intestinal disease
you get called to go see Daisy, a 7 yo Broodmare, who is in severe pain. When you pass an NG tube you dont get any reflux back. on rectal palp her colon feels quite distended. number one differential?
large intestinal volvulus/impaction
colonic tympany or “gas colic” is traditionally caused by what?
diet change or grain overload (think of grain overload in cattle and overproduction of gas from fermentation)
clinical signs of colonic tympany incluide
spasmostic/intermittent colic pain, lots of farting, can progress without treatment. may be able to feel some gas on rectal palp but may be minimal.
colonic tympany can be treated by
analgesics, sedation, and fluids
true or false: colinic displacement can often be medically managed
true! usually no ischemic damage is done
how is nephrosplenic ntrapment treated?
phenylephrine to shrink the spleen, exercise/trotting, or sedation and rolling
what are risk factors for sand impaction/enterololiths?
sandy areas like california, florida, or arizona
horses fed on a dirt ground
malnourished animals
arabians
horses eating alfalfa hay
how does an enterololith form/
precipitation of struvite salts (ammonium phosphate) around a foreign body
what is a simple diagnostic to check for sand impaction?
fecal float, will see sand
how are enteroliths treated vs sand impactions treated?
enteroliths require an enterotomy
sand can be medically managed
what are some risk factors for gastric ulcers in horses?
stressed horses, prolonged time with empty stomach, NSAID use
gastric ulcers are usually on which part of the stomach?
the squamous portion or non glandular portion
a client of yours recently adopted a horse from an abusive situation. ever since the client got the horse, he has been intermittently acting colicky and has been on and off his feed. He is kept in a small box stall right now because the client wants to keep an eye on him and keep him away from her other horses. You examine the horse and he seems very up tight and nervous around both you and the client. PE and rectal palp are normal. Upon asking more questions, your client says she gave a dose of flunixin right when he arrived to her property to address a small laceration on the horse’s front right let (now healed). What should you do next to confirm your top ddx?
a fasted gastroscope to look for gastic ulcers
how should gastric ulcers be treated?
omeprazole or other H2 blocker, feed alfalfa hay to reduce stomach acid, and make lifestyle changes to reduce stress.
what is the classic signlament and history for ascarid impaction?
a young horse that has not been previously dewormed, then given a high dose of antihelmentics
what is the name of the parasite that migrates to the cranial mesenteric artery and creates a thrombus causing an infarction?
stronglylus vulgaris
colitis in horses can be caused by many things both infectious and non infectious. list a few examples that may appear similar to colic
infectious: salmonella, clostridium perfringens or difficile, potomac horse fever (neorickettskia), equine coronavirus
non infectious: diet change,, right dorsal coltiis secondary to NSAIDs,
what makes a horse more likely to get urolithiasis?
geldings and stallions, alfalfa diet or high protein diet
what kind of urinary stones do horses normally get
calcium carbonate
who is at risk for uterine torison
mares in last trimester
you get called out to see Trudy, a broodmare in her last trimester. she is acting colicky so you examine her. on rectal palp you feel tight bands of what feels like the broad ligament. ddx? how will you treat?
uterine torsion
anesthesia & roll the mare around the fetus to correct
what drug should be given to treat sand colic?
psyllium
a gastro reflux pH pf greater than ____ indicates that small intestinal contents are refluxing into the stomach
5
making it less acidic and more basic
