FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2024; 14(4); 599; doi: 10.3390/ani14040599

Retrospective Study of 25 Cases of Acorn Intoxication Colitis in Horses between 2011 and 2018 and Factors Associated with Non-Survival.

Abstract: The aim of this study is to describe clinical data associated with acorn intoxication and to find variables associated with survival. Data from horses presented at CISCO-ONIRIS from 2011 to 2018 with a diagnosis of acorn intoxication were included. Diagnosis was based on the following: season, the presence of acorns in the environment, clinical and hemato-biochemical parameters suggestive of a digestive/renal disease, the co-morbidity of companion animals, and post-mortem findings. Statistical analysis was completed using Student's t-test for mean comparisons and a Chi-square test for group comparisons ( < 0.05). A total of 25 horses were included, and seasonality suggests that the intoxication may vary from year to year. Clinical signs associated with acorn intoxication were signs of circulatory shock (lethargy, tachycardia, abnormal mucous membrane, tachypnea), digestive signs (diarrhea, ileus, colic), and abnormal temperature. Clinical pathological findings included increased hematocrit, WBC, creatinine, BUN, GGT, AST, CK and decreased albumin. Overall, 44% (11/25) of horses survived. The majority (13/14) of non-survivors died, or were euthanized, during the first 48 h. Findings significantly associated with non-survival were age, heart rate, hemorrhagic diarrhea, ileus, hematocrit, creatinine, blood lactate, and thickness of the colon wall at ultrasonography. This study provides equine practitioners with valuable prognostic information in cases of acorn intoxication.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2024-02-12 PubMed ID: 38396567PubMed Central: PMC10886181DOI: 10.3390/ani14040599Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The study focuses on evaluating the clinical features and severity of acorn poisoning in horses, by analyzing 25 cases between 2011 and 2018, to identify factors that influence survival rates.

Study Methodology

This study involved an evaluation of data related to cases of acorn intoxication brought to the CISCO-ONIRIS clinic between 2011 and 2018. The key elements of the methodology included:

  • Criteria for diagnosing acorn intoxication were based on several factors, including the season, the presence of acorns in the horse’s environment, blood and biochemical findings indicative of digestive or renal disease, the presence of similar symptoms in companion animals (co-morbidity), and post-mortem observations.
  • A statistical approach was used to analyze averages (t-tests) and categorize the results into distinct groups (Chi-square tests) with a chosen significance of less than 0.05.

Results and Findings

The results showed that acorn poisoning in horses often exhibits symptoms such as lethargy, rapid heartbeat, abnormal mucous membrane, rapid breathing, digestive issues (e.g., diarrhea, ileus, colic), abnormal temperature, and variations in blood parameters. The findings brought forth from the study include:

  • A total of 25 horses were studied, out of which 44% (11/25) survived. Most of the deaths occurred within the first 48 hours.
  • The incidence of acorn intoxication showed a seasonal trend, indicating a variable year-to-year pattern.
  • The study noted an increase in certain blood parameters (hematocrit, WBC, creatinine, BUN, GGT, AST, CK) and a decreased level of albumin.
  • The non-surviving horses were significantly associated with factors like age, heart rate, hemorrhagic diarrhea, ileus, levels of creatinine, blood lactate, hematocrit, and thickness of the colon wall observed in ultrasonography.

Implications for Equine Practitioners

The study is invaluable for veterinarians and equine practitioners as it provides key insights into the symptoms, diagnostic criteria, and prognostic factors associated with acorn intoxication in horses. By identifying factors linked to survival, it can aid practitioners in making more informed decisions when diagnosing and treating horses affected by acorn intoxication. This, in turn, could potentially improve survival rates and promote effective management strategies.

Cite This Article

APA
Hermange T, Ruault B, Couroucé A. (2024). Retrospective Study of 25 Cases of Acorn Intoxication Colitis in Horses between 2011 and 2018 and Factors Associated with Non-Survival. Animals (Basel), 14(4), 599. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14040599

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 14
Issue: 4
PII: 599

Researcher Affiliations

Hermange, Tanguy
  • Unité de Nutrition, PhysioPathologie et Pharmacologie, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, Agro-Alimentaire et de L'alimentation Nantes-Atlantique (Oniris), Université Bretagne Loire, 44307 Nantes, France.
Ruault, Basile
  • Unité de Nutrition, PhysioPathologie et Pharmacologie, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, Agro-Alimentaire et de L'alimentation Nantes-Atlantique (Oniris), Université Bretagne Loire, 44307 Nantes, France.
Couroucé, Anne
  • Unité de Nutrition, PhysioPathologie et Pharmacologie, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, Agro-Alimentaire et de L'alimentation Nantes-Atlantique (Oniris), Université Bretagne Loire, 44307 Nantes, France.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

This article includes 23 references
  1. Spier SJ, Smith BP, Seawright AA. Oak toxicosis in cattle in northern California: Clinical and pathologic findings.. J. Am. Vet. Med. Ass. 1987;191:958–964.
    pubmed: 3679990
  2. Anderson GA, Mount ME, Vrins AA. Fatal acorn poisoning in a u2028horse: Pathologic findings and diagnostic considerations.. J. Am. Vet. Med. Ass. 1983;182:1105–1110.
    pubmed: 6863124
  3. Broughton J. Acorn poisoning.. Vet. Rec. 1976;99:403–404.
    doi: 10.1136/vr.99.20.403pubmed: 997188google scholar: lookup
  4. Daniels MG. Acorn poisoning.. Vet. Rec. 1976;99:465–466.
    doi: 10.1136/vr.99.23.465pubmed: 997201google scholar: lookup
  5. Duncan CS. Oak leaf poisoning in two horses.. Cornell Vet. 1961;51:159–162.
    pubmed: 13724971
  6. Warren CG, Vaughan SM. Acorn poisoning.. Vet. Rec. 1985;116:82.
    doi: 10.1136/vr.116.3.82-apubmed: 3976149google scholar: lookup
  7. Wharmby M. Acorn poisoning.. Vet. Rec. 1976;99:343.
    doi: 10.1136/vr.99.17.343-apubmed: 997170google scholar: lookup
  8. Wiseman A, Thompson H. Acorn poisoning.. Vet. Rec. 1984;115:605.
    doi: 10.1136/vr.115.23.605-bpubmed: 6523695google scholar: lookup
  9. Smith S, Naylor RJ, Knowles EJ, Mair TS, Cahalan SD, Fews D, Dunkel B. Suspected acorn toxicity in nine horses.. Equine Vet. J. 2015;47:568–572.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.12306pubmed: 24917312google scholar: lookup
  10. Linster M, Foucher N, Le Net JL, Tapprest J. Intoxication par les glands chez les équidés: Étude à partir de 19 cas autopsiés entre 2007 et 2017 (Acorn toxicity in horses: Study of 19 cases autopsied between 2007 and 2017). Le Nouv. Pract. Vétérinaire Équine 2018;12:10.
  11. McSweeney CS, Palmer B, McNeill DM, Krause DO. Microbial interactions with tannins: Nutritional consequences for ruminants.. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 2001;91:83–93.
    doi: 10.1016/S0377-8401(01)00232-2google scholar: lookup
  12. Tor ER, Francis TM, Holstege DM, Galey FD. GC/MS determination of pyrogallol gallic acid in biological matrices as diagnostic indicators of oak exposure.. J. Agric. Food Chem. 1996;44:1275–1279.
    doi: 10.1021/jf950238kgoogle scholar: lookup
  13. Cappai MG, Wolf P, Liesner VG, Kastner A, Nieddu G, Pinna W, Kamphues J. Effect of whole acorns (Quercus pubescens) shred based diet on parotid gland in growing pigs in relation to tannins.. Livest. Sci. 2010;134:183–186.
    doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2010.06.136google scholar: lookup
  14. Shimada T. Salivary proteins as a defense against dietary tannins.. J. Chem. Ecol. 2006;32:1149–1163.
    doi: 10.1007/s10886-006-9077-0pubmed: 16770710google scholar: lookup
  15. Mehansho H, Asquith TN, Butler LG, Rogler JC, Carlson DM. Tannin-mediated induction of proline-rich protein-synthesis.. J. Agric. Food Chem. 1992;40:93–97.
    doi: 10.1021/jf00013a018google scholar: lookup
  16. Hermange T, Ruault B, Flambard P, Courouce A. Epidemiological analysis of 25 cases of acorn intoxication colitis presented at CISCO-ONIRIS in France between 2011 and 2018; Proceeding of the 2019 Havemeyer workshop on acute equine colitis; Niagara-on-the-lake, ON, Canada.. 14–17 July 2019; New York, NY, USA: Wiley Online Library; 2019.
  17. Espalta JM, Cortès P, Molowny-Horas R, Sanchez-Humanes B, Retana J. Masting mediated by summer drought reduces acorn predation in mediterranean oak forests.. Ecology 2008;89:805–817.
    doi: 10.1890/07-0217.1pubmed: 18459343google scholar: lookup
  18. Koenig WD, Knops JMH, Carmen WJ, Stanback T, Mumme RL. Acorn production by oaks in central coastal California: Influence of weather at three levels.. Can. J. For. 1996;26:1677–1683.
    doi: 10.1139/x26-189google scholar: lookup
  19. Koenig WD, Knops JMH. Large-scale spatial synchrony and cross-synchrony in acorn production by two California oaks.. Ecology 2013;94:83–93.
    doi: 10.1890/12-0940.1pubmed: 23600243google scholar: lookup
  20. Koenig WD, Knops JMH, Carmen WJ, Pearse IS. What drives masting? The phenological synchrony hypothesis.. Ecology 2015;96:184–192.
    doi: 10.1890/14-0819.1pubmed: 26236903google scholar: lookup
  21. Perez-Ramos IM, Padilla-Diaz CM, Koenig WD. Environmental drivers of mast-seeding in Mediterranean oak species: Does leaf habit matter?. J. Ecol. 2015;103:691–700.
    doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.12400google scholar: lookup
  22. Basden KW, Dalvi RR. Dermination of total phenolics in acorns from different species in conunction with acron poisoning in cattle.. Vet. Hum. Toxicol. 1987;29:305–306.
    pubmed: 3629909
  23. Pavon A, Binquet C, Quenot J-P. Épidémiologie du choc septique: Facteurs pronostiques à trois mois. (Epidemiology of septic choc: 3-months prognostic factors). Réanimation 2012;22:S17–S20.

Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Votion DM. Happiness Is in the Field. Animals (Basel) 2025 Oct 24;15(21).
    doi: 10.3390/ani15213087pubmed: 41227418google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,850 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.