Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pony with abdominal tumor - surgery and recovery tips
By Boyle, Ashley G et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2004·Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Management of hemodynamic changes associated with removal of a large abdominal myofibroblastic tumor in a pony.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 22-year-old female Welsh-cross pony was brought in for intermittent colic, depression, fever, loss of appetite, muscle wasting, and a swollen abdomen. After discovering a large abdominal mass, the veterinarians performed surgery to remove it, which was challenging due to significant fluid loss and the need for careful monitoring afterward. The tumor was quite large, weighing 19% of the pony's body weight, but with diligent postoperative care, the pony was successfully managed and showed improvement. This case highlights the importance of considering myofibroblastic tumors as a possible cause of large abdominal masses in ponies.
People also search for: pony colic symptoms · abdominal mass in horse · myofibroblastic tumor treatment · pony surgery recovery · signs of depression in ponies
Abstract
A 22-year-old female Welsh-cross pony was evaluated because of intermittent colic, signs of depression, pyrexia, anorexia, muscle wasting with abdominal distention, and weight gain over the preceding 12 months. A large abdominal mass was detected and surgically removed; the hemodynamic alterations and complications caused by the dramatic fluid losses and shifts that can occur in association with removal of a large abdominal mass required extensive postoperative management. Monitoring of clinical and hematologic variables such as attitude, heart rate, mucous membrane color, mean arterial blood pressure, PCV, and plasma total protein concentration provided useful information for successful management of the patient after surgery. On removal, the tumor weighed 19% of the pony's body weight and was characterized as a myofibroblastic tumor. Myofibroblastic tumors should be considered as a differential for large internal abdominal masses in horses, and surgical removal may be feasible and life extending with appropriate postoperative care.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15515987/