Effect of intestinal resection on two juvenile horses with granulomatous enteritis.

The research summarizes a study investigating the effects of intestinal resection on two young horses diagnosed with granulomatous enteritis, a disease characterized by inflammation and sores within the digestive tract. The findings elucidate how post-surgical interventions can potentially aid in the recovery of horses from the disease, although long-term risks and complications may still occur.

Subjects and Initial Symptoms

• Two juvenile horses, a 12-month-old American Paso Fino colt and a seven-month-old Tennessee Walking Horse filly, showed signs of lethargy, weight loss, anorexia, and swelling of the limbs and ventral body wall.
• The colt additionally exhibited acute abdominal pain, while the filly had diarrheic stools.

Pre-intervention Clinical Observations

• Both horses had low serum protein concentration and a low number of neutrophils (neutropenia) indicating possible malnutrition and immunodeficiency, though their packed cell volumes, a measure of hydration, were normal.
• Upon intravenously administering blood plasma, both horses’ packed cell volume dropped, hinting at potential hemodilution effects.

Surgical Intervention and Diagnosis

• Exploratory surgery was performed on both horses, during which parts of their thickened terminal small intestine were removed, and a jejunocecostomy (anastomosis between the small intestine and cecum) was performed.
• The histologic examination of the resected intestines confirmed diagnoses of equine granulomatous enteritis, a disease causing intestinal inflammation and sores.

Postoperative Observations and Outcomes

• Both horses showed clinical improvement within two days following the surgery. The colt developed neutrophilia, an elevated level of neutrophils indicating an active immune response, within 24 hours of surgery.
• The horses’ serum protein concentrations stabilized and eventually increased to near-normal values within two weeks post-surgery, indicating improvements in their nutritional status.
• Long-term follow-ups revealed variations in outcomes: four months post-surgery, for the colt had to be euthanized due to abdominal pain symptoms associated with small intestinal volvulus — a twisting of the intestine around the area of the adhesion formed post-surgery. In contrast, the filly remained clinically normal 13 months after surgery.

The study, therefore, demonstrates that while intestinal resection can potentially improve short-term clinical outcomes in horses affected by granulomatous enteritis, the risk of long-term complications like adhesion and volvulus warrants careful postoperative monitoring and care.