Peritonitis in horses refers to inflammation of the peritoneum, the thin membrane lining the abdominal cavity and covering the abdominal organs. This condition can result from various causes, including bacterial infections, gastrointestinal perforations, or abdominal trauma. Clinical signs in horses may include abdominal pain, fever, anorexia, and depression. Diagnosis typically involves clinical examination, blood tests, and abdominal fluid analysis. Treatment strategies often include antimicrobial therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, and supportive care. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the etiology, pathophysiology, diagnostic methods, and treatment options for peritonitis in equine patients.
Merritt AM, Bolton JR, Cimprich R.Pertinent questions regarding the history of a horse with diarrhoea are listed, as are diagnostic procedures that might be included in a complete clinical work-up. For purposes of discussion, diarrhoea is regarded as "acute" or "chronic" wherein the former concerns cases where the features of the disease are severe with progressive electrolyte imbalance, dehydration, toxaemia, or other life-threatening manifestations and the latter refers to cases that have been prolonged for a month or more. Patterns of disease, including results of diagnostic techniques, are stressed. In the "acute" category...
A 25-year-old pony mare was presented to the clinic with preliminarily reported severe acute colic. The pony during the previous week had shown inappetence, apathy and fever of unknown origin. Clinical examination and placement of a gastric tube were indicative of a secondary gastric dilation. Rectal exploration found moderate caecal meteorism with a tensed and painful medial taenia as well as a dilated and fluid-filled small intestine. In addition, a solid, mobile, non-painful structure of approximately 10 cm diameter was palpated ventrally. A hyperechogenic mass close to the caecum was detec...
Asin J, Nyaoke AC, Samol MA, Arthur RM, Uzal FA.Epiploic foramen entrapment (EFE) is a common cause of small intestinal colic in horses and may lead to intestinal strangulation. Strangulating intestinal obstruction impairs the gastrointestinal outflow and can lead to secondary gastric rupture and endotoxemia. Clostridioides difficile can cause enterotyphlocolitis with colic in horses of all ages, and the process is commonly referred to as C. difficile-associated disease (CDAD). Here we report the results of the postmortem examination of a 7-y-old Thoroughbred racehorse with concurrent CDAD, EFE, and gastric rupture that was euthanized follo...
Cribb NC, Arroyo LG, Bouré L.The use of a laparoscopic suction-irrigation device in 2 standing horses for lavage of the abdomen for the treatment of primary suppurative peritonitis is reported. Two horses were presented with a 1- to 2-week history of weight loss. Abdominocentesis revealed highly elevated total nucleated cell count. Peritoneal lavage systems were placed in both horses, but complications prevented adequate lavage. Both horses underwent standing laparoscopy; the dorsal abdomen was explored and the abdomen was profusely lavaged, using a suction-irrigation device. The procedure was efficient and allowed adequa...
Reynolds DJ, Nicholl TK.A 5 month old colt foal with recurrent pyrexia and a loud pansystolic murmur later developed signs of cardiac failure. Peritoneal fluid and blood samples both demonstrated an extreme leucocytosis and neutrophilia. At post-mortem both a cranial mesenteric arteritis and the congenital cardiac anomaly, Tetralogy of Fallot were found. The detailed clinical and post-mortem findings contributing to the case are described.
Carvalho BVL, de Souza MCN, Avanza MFB, Teixeira RBC, Silva JRB, da Silva Cardoso T, Novais LGES, de Oliveira Monteiro FD, Viana RB, Monteiro BM....Access to the equine cecum is required for various therapeutic and experimental procedures, including decompression, fluid therapy, and transfaunation. Traditional approaches via laparotomy are highly invasive. This study aimed to describe a minimally invasive, laparoscopically assisted technique for cecal cannulation in standing horses. Unassigned: Seven horses underwent the procedure under sedation and paravertebral anesthesia. Two right flank accesses were created: a 10-mm laparoscopic port for visualization and a 2-cm minilaparotomy for cecal exteriorization. A Foley catheter was inserted ...
