RE: [RC] question for treatment vets - Susan E. Garlinghouse, D.V.M.
>ok,
i have a question. if a horse is dehydrated, and since fluids are
absorbed in the hindgut, can dehydration >be treated with an enema instead of an iv
drip? please, no silly responses, this is a serious question.
cowboy >ed
It’s a potential *additional*
site for fluids, but has as many or more risks as an IV catheter, and I wouldn’t
use it as a first-line of treatment. Primarily, it’s darned easy to
rupture the wall of the rectum and then you’re in really big trouble if
you do. Both the hand introducing the delivery hose, or the weight of the
water itself can be sufficient to rupture the rectal walls, and if the tear
goes full thickness, you’ve just dumped watery fecal material directly
into the abdominal cavity (say goodbye). A dehydrated horse’s
rectal walls are more friable than one fully hydrated, so the risks of an enema
are proportionately higher. Not something I would recommend even a pretty
savvy rider/owner doing lightly, though in a truly
life-or-death-and-no-vet-available situation, it would be an option to TRICKLE
water a few ounces at a time in that way, and don’t get adventurous going
in up to your elbow. Pre-lubing your hand with darn near anything
(sunscreen, chapstick, etc) would be very helpful.
On a thankfully very few occasions, I’ve given cool
water enemas to horses that were dehydrated and had way high rectal temps, and even
after very, very carefully delivering a good gallon or more of of water up the
back door, virtually none came back out---so I’m assuming was sucked
right into circulation, along with the 12 liters an hours going in through the
IV catheter. Fine by me. I sure wouldn’t have only done the
enema without the IVs, though. Fred Beasom, another endurance vet here in
So Cal, tells a similar story of introducing an enema that never saw the light
of day again as well.
