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HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Colic, Diarrhea, GI Tract » Colic in Horses » Large Colon Displacement, and Twists » |
Discussion on 2yr old - nephrospenic entrapment | |
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 1, 2001 - 8:25 am: Hi Dr. O:Last week I trucked my two year old (standardbred) colt to the University of Guelph (Ontario)for suspected nephrospenic entrapment. The staff vet on call was Dr.Kenney - (Dr.Kenney from New Bolton's son) Examination per rectum revealed a distension of the left colon which was partially twisted. Ventral large colon was high in the abdomen right of the spleen. The left large colon was felt between the spleen and the left kidney, and a very tight band of the large colon from the left to the right at the level of the right kidney was noted. Ultrasound examination could not visualize the left kidney. The colt was intravenously given 30mg of phenylephrine, jogged and rectal exam repeated; the NSE was still present. The same procedure was repeated; the same results. He was then put under general anesthesia and rolled; without response. Surgery was then elected as a final method of treatment with Dr.Trout performing the surgery. As "luck" would have it, the abdominal cavity was opened, only to find the NSE had corrected itself! The surgeons only explanation to this correction was while moving the horse from the rolling apparatus to the surgery table. What looked to be a promising 2yr old season; two starts; 1st/3rd timed in 1:57, has suddenly come to a 'bitter-sweet' end (for this year). I was told that he would have missed only 2 wks had the abdominal cavity not been opened. My 'little man' was released yesterday with instructions for stall rest with 15 minutes of hand walking 3-4 times a day for 3 weeks, followed by 3 weeks in a small paddock. His diet (hay) and time of grazing is to be increased over the next 5 days. Due to him being a stud colt my greatest concern is turning him out. There are mares/babies and other race horses and he is a noted, fence runner! Question(s) How soon is it 'safe' for him to be jogged in a jogger? When can his diet of grain be started? He weighed 770 lbs.prior to the surgery and has lost a noticeable amount of weight. He's presently allowed 2 flakes/day. The suture material is to be removed in 10 days; he's on no medication; he's allowed to be bathed but not to have topical ointment on the incision. I'm told the greatest risks is infection and/or hernia. If you have any articles/suggestions/guidelines for post-operative care, I'd appreciate it. Thanks Nancy B. |
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 2, 2001 - 4:57 am: Hello Nancy,These questions really depend a lot on the particular surgeon. Things like the size of the incision, technique used to close the incision, even the texture of your particular horses tissues, problems incountered the first few days all affect the answers so the best thing to do is to stick with your surgeons recommendations. That said I do get this questions a lot. Today or tomorrow I will put together some general recommendations for post op care in an article in the colic section. DrO |
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 2, 2001 - 6:58 am: Hello Nancy,The article is up at Equine Diseases: Colic and GI Diseases: Colic in Horses: Post Op Care of Abdomial Surgery. Hope it helps. DrO |
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Posted on Thursday, Aug 2, 2001 - 8:18 am: Dr.O:Thanks so much for the general post-op care recommendations. The discharge papers were very vague with regards to questions such as 'how much' (hay/day), and time frames; 'when' (example)grain can be introduced to the diet, and 'what' to look for (normal appearance, complications and treatment)of the incision. Prior to reading your article I placed a call to speak with one of the staff vets. Due to our local vet vacationing in B.C. I needed answers regarding the continuous pleas from Sam, asking to be fed!! He recommended bran mashes and slowly increasing his hay intake (now at 2-3) to ideally 4-5 flakes/day, adjusted by his intake of grazing. I realize the importance for Sam to remain quiet and welcome any recommendions/suggestions for 'low energy' feeds. Thank you Nancy |
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Posted on Friday, Aug 3, 2001 - 7:58 am: Hard to beat a clean, green, but stemmy hay for a good low energy feed. The one thing to watch for with just hay and bran as part of the diet is too low a calcium content in the diet. You should supplement with a nonphosphorus containing calcium supplement. See Care: Nutrition: Calcium / Phosphorus for details.DrO |
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