Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Perforation of the gastrointestinal tracts of four horses by metallic wires.
- Journal:
- The Veterinary record
- Year:
- 2009
- Authors:
- Saulez, M N et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Four horses were found to have holes in their intestines caused by metallic wires. Three of these horses showed sudden signs of severe abdominal pain, while the fourth one gradually lost weight, ate less than usual, and had a fever. The wires were discovered either during surgery or after the horses had passed away. In three cases, the wires were surrounded by scar tissue in the small intestine, and in the fourth case, the wire was trapped in an abscess that also affected the liver, spleen, and surrounding tissue. Unfortunately, the outcomes for these horses were not positive.
Abstract
The medical records of four horses whose intestines had been perforated by metallic wires were reviewed. Three of the horses developed acute colic, and the other progressively lost weight and became inappetent and pyrexic. Metallic wires were detected either by exploratory laparotomy or postmortem examination. In three of the horses there were adhesions containing an encapsulated metallic wire in the small intestine, and in the other the wire was contained within an abscess with multiple adhesions involving the liver, spleen and mesentery.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19151406/