Cecal perforation in the horse.

This research article explores the issue of cecal perforation (CP) in horses. The study involved going through the case records of 23 horses in which CP occurred unexpectedly or was present at the time of admission. Some common clinical signs and laboratory changes linked with endotoxin shock were identifiable in the affected horses, all of which died. The findings of this study aim to shed light on the characteristics, causes, and effects of CP in horses.

Research Methodology and Subjects

• The research is a review of case records pertaining to 23 horses that developed cecal perforation (CP).
• The horses varied in age and included both genders and various breeds including Standardbreds, Thoroughbreds, Belgians and Morgans.

Characteristics and Classification of Horses

• The researchers divided the horses into two groups: Group I, comprising 13 hospitalized horses where CP developed unexpectedly, and Group II of 10 horses which had CP when brought into the hospital.
• Interestingly, the study found that most of these horses were sick or diseased, in ways not related to the cecum before the CP occurred.
• The study also records that a majority (16) of the horses had been administered nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs prior to the onset of CP.

Clinical Signs and Symptoms

• The study found that the hospitalized group (Group I) presented only vague and barely recognizable clinical symptoms of gastrointestinal disease before the cecal perforation.
• The clinical symptoms and laboratory changes that were observed in the affected horses were consistent with severe endotoxin shock, a consequence of ingesta and bacteria contaminating the peritoneum.

Post-mortem Observations

• All the horses in the study unfortunately died, providing the researchers with the opportunity to perform detailed autopsies.
• The autopsies revealed that in most instances the cecum was large and firm, filled with ingesta (partly digested food), and the colon was generally empty.
• In each horse, there was a single perforation which occurred at different sites, with the most common being a transverse perforation on the ventral aspect of the cecal body. The study found no evidence of disease near the perforation site or other areas of the cecal wall or cecocolic orifice.