Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Rectal tears in horses - causes and treatment options
By Slone, D E et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1982·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Noniatrogenic rectal tears in three horses.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Three horses that were being treated for colic (abdominal pain) had rectal tears that were not caused by the veterinarian's actions. One tear was linked to a blockage in blood flow, likely due to a blood clot, while another tear happened without any clear reason and led to severe inflammation in the abdomen. The third tear occurred when the horse's owner examined the horse's rectum before calling the vet. After examining the last horse after it passed away, the findings suggested that blood clots may have played a role in two of the tears, and it couldn't be ruled out for the third.
Abstract
Rectal tears were detected in three horses treated for colic. Based on historical, clinical, and postmortem findings, the tears could not be attributed to the attending veterinarian and were therefore not iatrogenic (physician induced). One tear was attributable to an infarction that presumably resulted from thromboembolism; 1 tear occurred without any evidence of external cause and resulted in such severe peritonitis that the cause and resulted in such severe peritonitis that the cause could not be determined, and 1 tear occurred during rectal palpation by the owner, before he called the veterinarian. Postmortem examination of the last horse revealed lesions suggestive of thromboembolism. It was concluded that thromboembolism may have caused or predisposed to two of the rectal tears and could not be ruled out in the third.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7085454/