Investigation of the treatment of sand accumulations in the equine large colon with psyllium and magnesium sulphate.

This study investigates an effective treatment for horses suffering from a build-up of sand in their large colon using a mixture of psyllium and magnesium sulphate. The findings indicate that this combined treatment significantly helped clear the sand accumulation in horses, though individual variations were observed.

Objective of the study

• The primary objective of this study was to examine the efficacy of a combination of two substances, psyllium and magnesium sulphate (MgSO), in eliminating large accumulations of sand in horses’ large colons. The condition, known as enteropathy, has been reported across the globe and is usually treated medically. With the lack of controlled clinical trials on horses, this research provides a meaningful contribution to this area.

Study Design and Methodology

• A total of 40 horses were involved in the study and split into two groups, with one group behaving as the control and receiving no treatment. Horses in the second group were administered a dose of 1g/kg of body weight of psyllium and 1g/kg of body weight of magnesium sulphate. These substances were delivered once daily for four days via nasogastric intubation.
• Access to soil was controlled during the study to avoid the intake of additional sand.
• The amount of sand accumulation was evaluated before and after the treatment using radiographic imaging to gauge its success rate.

Findings of the study

• The study found that the treated group displayed a significantly higher success rate in clearing the sand accumulations from their large colons compared to the control group. This was measured by estimating the quantity of sand present in the horse’s large colon both before and after the treatment period.
• Statistical analysis showed a significant difference (p=0.001) between the two groups, indicating that the combined psyllium and magnesium sulphate treatment had a decisive impact on the removal of sand from the large colon of horses.
• However, while the treatment was largely successful, there were individual variations that could not be explained within the scope of this research.