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Specific Type Of Colic More Prevalent In Spring

Though colic can occur at any time of year, some gastrointestinal disruptions are more common in specific seasons. Spring, with its warmer weather and greener grass, brings with it a heightened risk of gas colic.

Gas colic occurs when a horse ingests forage that is high in sugar. Excessive fermentation takes place in the gut, which creates an abundance of gas. Horses can't burp, but they can flatulate in an effort to rid themselves of the excess gas. Because a horse's intestinal tract is about 100 feet long, it can be difficult for all the gas to escape. As the gas accumulates, it can stretch the intestinal wall and become painful.

A horse with gas colic may nip at his flanks, be withdrawn or lie down repeatedly. He may have lots of gut noises. Gas colic may clear on its own, but it's best to call the vet if a horse is suspected of having it – gas colic can cause the intestine to twist, which may require surgery to correct.

When called out for a gas colic, the vet will perform a rectal exam to rule out displacements or a blockage. Next, a nasogastric tube will be passed into the horse's stomach to give the gas an extra escape route.

A horse that doesn't have his gas colic fully resolved with the passing of the nasogastric tube may be prescribed an antispasmodic drug and a pain reliever. Once the horse is relaxed, he is often able to pass the gas.

The Lowdown On Lipomas And Surgery Survival

Colic is a broad term that is often used to indicate any type of abdominal pain, but veterinarians can often determine — or at least narrow down — what is causing the abdominal issue. One common cause of colic, particularly in older equines, is a strangulating lipoma.

A strangulating lipoma is a benign, fatty tumor on a stalk that can wrap around and strangulate a section of small intestine. There are no good markers to denote a horse that may be at risk of a lipoma other than advancing age. The only repair for this type of colic is surgery.

When the veterinarian has the horse on the table, he or she will prophylactically remove all of the lipomas found in the small intestine and small colon to prevent strangulation in the future. Older horses tend to be more stoic so may not show the intense pain they are in. For this reason, some strangulating lipomas are missed during vet exams.

It's imperative that if a horse is suspected to have a strangulating lipoma that he is sent directly to an equine hospital equipped to handle surgery. The idea that older horses don't handle colic surgery and anesthesia well is a myth, according to EQUUS magazine. Older horses have as good of a chance of survival after colic surgery as younger horses.

Atypical Myopathy: Why Are Only Some Horses Affected?

Equine atypical myopathy is an unusual, deadly disease which is poorly-understood. If a group of horses is turned out together, only some will be affected by the debilitating disease, caused by the ingestion of the seeds or saplings of specific trees in the Acer family.

Equine atypical myopathy typically affects horses that live on pasture in the spring and fall. It has been seen in Europe since the mid-1990s. Some 2,500 cases have been reported in the last decade.

Researchers believe intestinal bacteria may play a role in why some horses get the disease while herdmates don't. Drs. Christina Wimmer-Scherr, Bernard Taminiau, Benoît Renaud, Gunther van Loon, Katrien Palmers, Dominique Votion, Hélène Amory, Georges Daube and Carla Cesarini hypothesized that fecal microbiota may play a role in whether or not horses became affected by the disease.

The study team used fecal samples from 59 horses with atypical myopathy that were referred to Belgian clinics: 29 horses that survived and 30 that didn't. The team also used 26 healthy horses that shared pastures with the affected horses during the outbreak periods.

The team concluded that horses suffering from atypical myopathy have different fecal microbiota than their healthy counterparts. The changes were more severe in horses that didn't survive the disease.

Horses impacted by atypical myopathy will suddenly become stiff and weak; they will have a rapid heart rate and dark urine. As the disease progresses, the horse may be unable to rise, experience breathing issues and eventually die. There is no cure and treatment of symptoms is often unsuccessful. The mortality rate is between 43 and 97 percent.

Read the article here.

Abdominal Surgery Poses Greatest Risk Of Surgical Site Infection

As with human surgery, there is always a potential for infection during equine surgery, Drs. Kelmer, Paz, Tatz, Dahan, Bdolah-abram and Oreff reviewed 198 post-operative complications related to surgery procedures on 167 horses at the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine in Israel over a 15-month period.

The study reviewed 40 percent abdominal surgeries, 30 percent orthopedic surgery and the rest were general surgeries that had a 9 to 20 percent chance of developing a surgical site infection. The incidence of infection was 16.7 percent during the study period.

The study team noted that post-operative surgical site infections created difficulties with recovery, increased the length of stay in the hospital, increased client coats sand delayed return to work. It addition, surgical site infections caused an increase in equine morbidity and mortality.

Of all the surgeries performed, abdominal procedures had the highest risk of infection with 28 percent. This may be because of the length of the incision or the weight of the intestines on the incisions.

The scientists identified the following as factors that increase the risk for a surgical site infection:

Type of surgery.
Having a repeat surgery in less than 6 months in the same area or in an area near the original incision. Abdominal procedures are particularly at risk.
Weight of the horse. Heavier horses have more weight resting on the incision line in their abdomen.
Gender. In the study, only 2.3 percent of stallions developed infections, compared to 16.1 percent of geldings and 24.3 percent of mares; 50 percent of pregnant mares had surgical site complications.
Recovery from anesthesia. A horse that has a hard time recovering from anesthesia may increase his risk of infection development by four times.

Abdominal procedure infection rate ranges from 7 to 37 percent; arthroscopic surgery infection rate was less than 1 percent. Overall infection frequency in orthopedic procedures was around 10 percent.

The team found that other factors may amplify infection risk. These include time of day and season when the surgery takes place; the surgeon; and a horse's breed and age. They also note that as this study looked at cases between 2011 and 2013, surgical techniques, bacterial resistance and bacterial populations have changes, so additional studies are needed.