The medical management of eight horses with grade 3 rectal tears.

This study investigates the treatment of severe rectal tears in horses using a combination of medical therapies and dietary alterations, with six of the eight treated horses making a recovery.

Study Overview

• The research involves a case study of eight horses diagnosed with Grade 3b rectal tears. Such injuries involve tears to the peritoneal lining of the rectum or the small colon, posing a serious health risk that can lead to development of septic peritonitis – a potentially fatal infection in the peritoneum.

Treatment Approach

• The treatment regimen employed a mix of various medications administered through different routes. This included injectables like penicillin, gentamicin and flunixin meglumine, oral metronidazole, and liquid paraffin delivered through a nasogastric tube.
• Alongside medication, some of the horses also received intravenous fluid and electrolyte therapy, plasma, and heparin. Heparin is an anticoagulant which prevents the formation of clots which could potentially aggravate the horse’s condition.
• Additionally, all the horses underwent dietary management where they were kept on a laxative diet to ease their bowel movements and minimise further damage to the rectal area.

Treatment Outcomes

• Of the eight horses treated, six successfully recovered, showing the potential effectiveness of the treatment protocol applied. The duration of therapy for these recovering horses ranged from two to seven weeks. This variance in recovery time could possibly be attributable to factors like the individual horse’s health status, severity of the tear and the body’s response to therapy.
• Three of the six recovering horses developed a rectal diverticulum – a condition creating an outpouching in the rectal wall. However, this did not cause any subsequent medical issues, suggesting it might not be a detrimental consequence of the treatment.
• The two horses that did not survive experienced worsening of their condition, with their Grade 3 rectal tear progressing to a Grade 4. This advancement led to fecal contamination of the abdomen, a critical situation warranting immediate intervention.
• The researchers identified manual evacuation of the rectal tear cavity during treatment and the size of the tears as possible reasons for the disease progression in the two non-surviving horses. Further research may be necessary to establish any potential correlational or causal relationship.