Small intestinal incarceration through the lateral ligament of the urinary bladder in a horse.

This research paper details a rare and fatal case of small intestinal incarceration through the lateral ligament of the urinary bladder in a horse. The horse, despite undergoing surgery to rectify the issue, eventually had to be euthanized due to poor survival prognosis.

Introduction

• The article presents a clinical case where a 14-year-old, castrated Quarter Horse suffered from a unique event of small intestinal incarceration through the lateral ligament of the urinary bladder.

Diagnosis and Treatment

• Upon diagnosis, a surgical procedure, specifically a ventral midline celiotomy, was performed to correct the problem.
• Approximately 70 cm of the middle part of the jejunum (a section of the small intestine) was taken out during the procedure.
• An end-to-end, single-layer anastomosis was carried out to connect the remaining sections of the jejunum. This adaptative procedure is done to restore the continuity of the jejunum.

Post-operative Complications

• After the surgery, the horse presented signs of adynamic ileus – a disorder where the intestine does not function properly, causing issues to the normal passage of food and fluids.
• The horse also showed signs of lameness in its right forelimb.
• Within 24 hours of surgery, the horse developed laminitis in all four feet. Laminitis is a painful and serious disease that affects the feet of horses and can lead to incapacitating lameness.

Outcome and Euthanasia

• Due to severe complications and visibly poor prognosis for survival, the decision of euthanizing the horse was made.
• Euthanasia is the act of intentionally causing the death of an animal to free it from pain or suffering when no viable treatment options are available.

Necropsy findings

• Post-mortem examination (necropsy) revealed a 4.5 cm rent (tear) in the left lateral ligament of the urinary bladder.
• The cause of this tear was, however, undetermined by the conducting veterinarians.