Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Assessment of the modified Forssell's procedure for the treatment of oral stereotypies in 10 horses.
- Journal:
- The Veterinary record
- Year:
- 1998
- Authors:
- Schofield, W L & Mulville, J P
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Surgery
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A surgical treatment called the modified Forssell's procedure was tried on 10 horses to help with a problem known as oral stereotypies, which involves repetitive behaviors like chewing or licking. Out of these horses, three were completely cured, two showed significant improvement, but five still continued their behaviors after being free of them for a while, ranging from two weeks to six months. Overall, this method was not as successful as the original Forssell's procedure used in the past. Due to the lower success rate and the potential for increased stress in the horses, this modified surgery is no longer recommended for treating these behaviors.
Abstract
The modified Forssell's procedure was performed on 10 horses in an attempt to cure oral stereotypies. Three horses were cured completely, two horses were considerably improved, and five horses continued to perform the stereotypy after periods of remission ranging from two weeks to six months. This rate of success for the modified Forssell's procedure, as in other published reports, was lower than for the original Forssell's procedure. Surgery to eliminate a stereotypical behaviour pattern may exacerbate the stress for an animal and the modified Forssell's procedure can no longer be recommended for the treatment of oral stereotypies in horses.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9634706/