Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ponies in petting zoo got colic from eating too much wheat
By Wolf, P & Kamphues, J·Published in DTW. Deutsche tierarztliche Wochenschrift·2006·Institut fü, Germany·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: [Animal nutrition for veterinarians--case study: colic in ponies in a "petting zoo" caused by ingestion of higher amounts of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)].
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Two ponies at a petting zoo were brought in for colic symptoms, which they experienced repeatedly after weekends. During surgery, veterinarians discovered light yellow balls in their stomachs, caused by the ponies eating too much wheat, about 1 to 1.5 kg. This high intake of wheat can lead to serious health issues like colic and stomach ruptures. To prevent this, it's recommended to avoid feeding ponies large amounts of wheat and instead provide fiber-rich snacks like straw or hay before the zoo opens.
People also search for: pony colic symptoms · what to feed ponies at petting zoos · colic treatment in ponies · wheat dangers for ponies
Abstract
Nutritional disorders in domestic or pet animals depend not seldom on special situations, for example when different influences coincide concerning keeping, housing and offering of feed or water. These lead suddenly to high-risk situations, that can cause sometimes the death of the animal. The following case report deals with two ponies, that were kept on a so-called "petting zoo" and showed repeatedly colic symptoms (always after a weekend). During surgery in the stomach light yellow balls were found, that can be explained by ingestion of 1.0 to 1.5 kg wheat. This cereals consist--depending on variety--gluten, that can cause the observed conglobates. Due to the forming of such balls that can lead to health disorders in form of colics, gastritis or ruptures of the stomach the feeding of high amounts of wheat should be avoided. Snacks rich in fiber or high amounts of roughage (straw, hay) that are fed before opening of the zoo could be a practical alternative.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17078533/