Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Gastrointestinal complications associated with the use of atropine in horses.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1983
- Authors:
- Ducharme, N G & Fubini, S L
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
In a study involving healthy ponies, researchers gave atropine sulfate at two different doses to see how it affected their digestive systems. They found that the normal sounds of the intestines stopped about 30 minutes after the injection but returned to normal within 12 hours. Some ponies showed signs of stomach pain, and in three cases where ponies had gastrointestinal problems, previous use of atropine made it harder for veterinarians to diagnose the issues, causing a delay in surgery for one pony. The study concluded that atropine should not be used to relieve intestinal cramps in horses.
Abstract
Atropine sulfate was given at 2 dosages (0.044 mg/kg, 0.176 mg/kg) to clinically normal ponies in order to evaluate the drug's effect on the gastrointestinal tract. Intestinal motility, as assessed by ausculation of borborygmus, was stopped 30 minutes after injection, but it gradually returned to normal within 12 hours. Signs of abdominal pain developed in 3 of 10 ponies. In 3 clinical cases of gastrointestinal disorder, prior atropine treatment was confusing to the diagnostician and resulted in delayed surgical treatment in 1 case. It was concluded that atropine should not be used for alleviation of intestinal spasm of horses.
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: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6826443/