Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Horse with colic due to enteroliths - what to know
By Blue, M G·Published in Equine veterinary journal·1979·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Enteroliths in horses--a retrospective study of 30 cases.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
In a study of 30 horses, abdominal pain (colic) was found to be caused by blockages in the large intestine due to enteroliths, which are hard mineral formations. These issues mainly occurred in horses older than four years. The horses showed signs like mild abdominal pain that came back, eating less than usual, a swollen belly from gas, and slow movement in their intestines. Most of the blockages were located at the start of the small colon, and typically, each horse had just one large stone made up of layers of minerals around some ingested material. The treatment and management of these cases were discussed, and the study highlighted the importance of recognizing this condition in older horses.
Abstract
In a retrospective study of selected cases, abdominal colic in 30 horses was attributed to enterolith obstructions of the large intestine. Obstructions caused by "true" enteroliths were confined to horses more than four years old. Prominent clinical features were recurrent mild abdominal pain, inappetance, gaseous distension and minimal intestinal motility. The various aspects of the clinical syndrome, including diagnostic problems and clinical management, are discussed. Most obstructing enteroliths were found near the beginning of the small colon and most horses contained only a single major concretion. Enteroliths were formed by mineral deposition in concentric layers about a central nidus of ingested material and were spherical or tetrahedral in shape. Intestinal concretions were found to consist primarily of ammonium magnesium phosphate.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/477649/