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Equine
UPDATE ON GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASES

IN HORSES

Bettina Dunkel, Associate Professor in Equine Medicine
he most commonly described unreliable. operative pain and development of reflux
intestinal disease in horses is The mainstay of successful treatment for are recorded. This important investigation
T probably gastric ulcers and colic colic remains rapid recognition, immediate will contribute to answering the important
but other diseases such as colitis and assessment and, in cases with a high clinical question on best use of lidocaine in
inflammatory bowel disease also play likelihood of a strangulating lesion, timely post-operative colic care.
an important role. The article describes exploratory surgery. For horses undergoing Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is
selected recent developments in aetiology, exploratory laparotomy, post-operative increasingly recognised as a cause of
diagnosis and treatment of equine reflux remains a serious and potentially weight loss and hypoproteinaemia. Less
gastrointestinal diseases. life-threatening complication. During the well recognised presentations might include
Gastric ulcers remain a very common last two decades, a continuous intravenous poor weight gain and recurrent colic. IBD
condition in horses and knowledge about in