Jejunal perforation due to porcupine quill ingestion in a horse.
Abstract: An 8-month-old Andalusian filly was treated for jejunal perforations due to ingestion of a porcupine quill. During exploratory laparotomy, 2 separate stapled side-to-side jejunojejunal resection and anastomoses were performed. Post-operative complications after 2 years follow-up included mild incisional herniation following incisional infection and chronic intermittent colic. Perforation jéjunale causée par l’ingestion d’une aiguille de porc-épic chez un cheval. Une pouliche d’Andalousie âgée de 8 mois a été traitée pour des perforations jéjunales causées par l’ingestion d’une aiguille de porc-épic. Durant une laparatomie exploratoire, deux résections et anastomoses jéjuno-jéjunales séparées et agrafées côte-à-côte ont été réalisées. Après un suivi de 2 ans, les complications postopératoires incluaient une légère hernie cicatricielle suite à une infection de l’incision et des coliques intermittentes chroniques.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).
Publication Date: 2014-02-04 PubMed ID: 24489394PubMed Central: PMC3894874
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Summary
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This research article describes a case in which an 8-month-old horse swallowed a porcupine quill resulting in serious damage to its intestines. The horse underwent multiple surgical procedures and experienced several health complications over the course of two years following the incident.
Case Background
- The subject of the study was an 8-month-old Andalusian filly (a young female horse) that had ingested a porcupine quill. This act led to the perforation of the jejunum, a part of the small intestine.
Intervention
- During an exploratory laparotomy (a surgical procedure where the abdomen is opened and the abdominal organs are examined), two separate treatments were conducted. Both interventions involved the same process, known as jejunojejunal resection and anastomosis. This means that the damaged parts of the jejunum were removed (resection), and the healthy ends were surgically connected to each other (anastomosis).
- The anastomoses were secured with staples, a common method used to seal wounds in surgical procedures.
Post-operative Complications and Follow-up
- Over the course of two years following the surgery, the horse encountered several health complications. One included incisional hernia, a condition that occurs when tissue protrudes through the site of an abdominal surgery.
- This incisional hernia was a complication resulting from the horse’s surgical wound becoming infected.
- In addition, the horse experienced chronic intermittent colic – a common digestive disorder in horses that causes abdominal discomfort. Chronic intermittent colic suggests repeated episodes of this condition over a long period of time.
Cite This Article
APA
Anderson SL, Panizzi L, Bracamonte J.
(2014).
Jejunal perforation due to porcupine quill ingestion in a horse.
Can Vet J, 55(2), 152-155.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences (Anderson) and Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences (Bracamonte), University of Saskatchewan, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4; Massey Equine, Institute of Veterinary, Animal, and Biomedical Sciences, Tennet Drive, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand (Panizzi).
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences (Anderson) and Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences (Bracamonte), University of Saskatchewan, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4; Massey Equine, Institute of Veterinary, Animal, and Biomedical Sciences, Tennet Drive, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand (Panizzi).
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences (Anderson) and Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences (Bracamonte), University of Saskatchewan, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4; Massey Equine, Institute of Veterinary, Animal, and Biomedical Sciences, Tennet Drive, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand (Panizzi).
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Female
- Foreign Bodies / complications
- Foreign Bodies / pathology
- Foreign Bodies / surgery
- Foreign Bodies / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Intestinal Perforation / etiology
- Intestinal Perforation / pathology
- Intestinal Perforation / surgery
- Intestinal Perforation / veterinary
- Porcupines
References
This article includes 15 references
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Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Maire U, Genton M, Vitte-Rossignol A. Iatrogenic cecal perforation after abdominal drain placement on a horse. Can Vet J 2025 Feb;66(2):138-142.
- Ing S. Ocular and facial porcupine quills in a miniature horse. Can Vet J 2022 Jul;63(7):747-750.
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