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RE: [RC] Weather Change Colic - steph teeterAgain, the vets did not suspect either impaction or anterior enteritus in any of the three horses. The horses initially refluxed between 3 and 5 gallons. The reflux diminished after the first tubing. All three horses recovered after administration of fluids. It was a bit of a head scratcher for the ride vets, and the vets at the clinic. The scary thing is not really knowing what the 'cause' was, and therefore not knowing if something coulda/shoulda been done differently. I guess that's the nature of a tough sport though - not a lot of room for error. I will say though, that the vets at the ride were very good, very quick to react, and very supportive of a hasty exit to the nearest clinic. And very quick to run a tube and check for reflux - and to empty the stomach if necessary. We are learning some things... Steph First off, anterior enteritis is a metabolic issue rather than an infection, so will not elevate the white count particularly. But how much reflux are we talking about, and did it go away promptly with the administration of fluids? The classical anterior enteritis cases are more like what Howard describes, where the cellular fluid transfer in the small intestine actually reverses, and the small intestine pulls fluids OUT of the body as fast as you can put them in IV, so the reflux is gallons and gallons. If the reflux was not this copious and did not particularly continue after the horses were rehydrated, then that would be the indicator IMO that you were not dealing with anterior enteritis. With regard to impaction, I would not expect a mass per se in such cases that could be detected by palpation or ultrasound since the horses were indeed exercising. But I'd still say this is classic of impaction, since the gut is apt to be dehydrated and shuts down as a result. >> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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