Jejunal perforation due to porcupine quill ingestion in a horse.

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.