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HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Colic, Diarrhea, GI Tract » Weight Loss in Horses » Malabsorption in Horses » |
Discussion on URGENT HELP NEEDED ! | |
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Posted on Friday, Apr 21, 2000 - 5:45 pm: Dear Dr O,Floris (17 year old gelding, thoroughbred) is sick. He is loosing weihgt and has soft stinking stools (no blood). This has been going on for about half a year. He is still happy, his skin is shining, but he has far less tolerance for training. He looks extreemly thin! 550 kg 175 cm while eating normally (good appetite) He was admitted to the university hospital in Utrecht, The Netherlands two times. Results: Hb, white blood count+diff normal creat high normal liver"function" normal Protein low (55g/l) spectrum rel. high beta fraction D-Xylose test normal endoscopy stomach normal rectal examination possible fibrous changes 1st admittence treated with trimethoprim and NSAID's 2nd time deworming (Ivermectine) The condition of my horse is critical now! Do you have other diagnostic or therapeutical options? I will be very greatful for any suggestions. Thanking you in advance, Madelon van Agteren mvagteren@hotmail.com |
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Posted on Saturday, Apr 22, 2000 - 6:52 am: Hello Madelon,Can you tell me what the diagnosis of the University was? I would also like all the values on the lab tests including the normals. In particular the liver function tests and the bvalues of the specifice proteins: albumin, globulin, fibrinogen. DrO |
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 26, 2001 - 7:42 pm: At a barn where I teach, one of the horses has no appetite and is rapidly loosing weight. The owner took the horse to a vet clinic and the results of the ultrasound showed a thickening of the intestinal wall. The diagnosis was Crohn's Disease. Is Crohn's Disease found in horses and if so what causes the condition. I have read the information on the human form of the disease and wonder if the causes are the same. |
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Posted on Friday, Apr 27, 2001 - 10:32 am: For those who are not familiar with the term: Crohn's disease is a subacute to chronic enteritis, of unknown cause, involving the terminal ileum and less frequently other parts of the gastrointestinal tract; characterized by patchy deep ulcers that may cause fistulas, and narrowing and thickening of the bowel by fibrosis and lymphocytic infiltration, with noncaseating tuberculoid granulomas that also may be found in regional lymph nodes; symptoms include fever, diarrhea, cramping abdominal pain, and weight loss. Currently it seems likely Crohn diseases is of autoimmune origin.Horses also have inflammatory bowel diseases of unknown cause. There was a recent review of published cases: Chronic idiopathic inflammatory bowel diseases of the horse. To see a summary of this report and other information on this condition in horses see the article associated with this forum, Equine Diseases: Colic and GI Diseases: Weight Loss in Horses: Malabsorption in Horses. DrO PS: Mary, learn to post your questions in New Discussions and not at the bottom of other members discussions. See the READ THIS FIRST topic nest to every "Add a Message" form. I will move this into a new subtopic in a few days. |
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Posted on Saturday, Jul 6, 2002 - 12:52 am: My family owns a 20 year old morgan that has been very over weight for at least a couple of years. She is basically a brood mare. She is on the pasture 24/7 year round. I only see her about once a month because I live 100 miles away. On my last visit, she looked as though she was begining to lose weight. Her back bone around the withers is starting to stick up and the top of her ribs are starting to show. My brother, who is in charge of the horses there thinks she is fine because she still has a crest and is fat in the stomach. He wormed her a few months ago with some wormer his vet gave him. He said the wormer was a form of tablets that he crushed into the horses' food. He said this wormer should have killed all types of worms. I didn't see her stool, so I don't know if it is loose or smelling. On my next visit I plan to deworm her again. She has never had her teeth floated. Could this be the start of Malabsorption, and can Malabsorption be caused be lack of dental work? Should I plan to go back more often and worm her three or four times during a month to see if that will work? |
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Posted on Saturday, Jul 6, 2002 - 6:50 am: Definitely have her teeth floated . . . soon. Older horses do the best they can on pasture, but it is often not enough, especially if they can't grind the grass. It is not unusual for older horses who aren't being used to lose weight and muscle tone on their top lines. If, after floating her teeth, there isn't an improvement, you may want to add more than pasture feed to her ration. A physical exam would be a good idea when you have the vet out to do the teeth.Holly |
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