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Animals
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Equine Colic
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Equine Colic

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Equids".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 November 2022) | Viewed by 19327

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Diana M. Hassel

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Equine Emergency Surgery and Critical Care, Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Interests: colic; horses; equine GI microbiome; equine endotoxemia; equine enterolithiasis
Prof. Dr. Julie Dechant

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
Interests: colic; emergency/critical care; equine surgery

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to serve as the guest editors of a Special Issue in the open access journal Animals, focused on Equine Colic. Colic continues to be the leading cause of mortality in horses and is an area of active research for equine surgeons, medicine specialists, criticalists, and private practitioners. This Special Issue on colic will provide a comprehensive resource encompassing the most recent research on colic that will contribute to improvements in post-operative survival, reduction in morbidity, and improvements in understanding of epidemiology and prevention of disease. New findings pertaining to equine gastrointestinal physiology, the gastrointestinal microbiome, epidemiology, preventative medicine, pathophysiology of disease, ileus, pain management, post-operative monitoring, therapeutics, diagnostics, and surgical techniques are encouraged. 

Prof. Dr. Diana M. Hassel
Prof. Dr. Julie Dechant
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • horse
  • colic
  • epidemiology
  • post-operative complications
  • SIRS
  • ileus
  • surgery

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3877 KiB  
Article
Retrospective Evaluation of the Most Frequently Observed Histological Changes in Duodenal and Rectal Mucosal Biopsies in Horses with Recurrent Colic
by Natalia Siwińska, Agnieszka Żak-Bochenek, Marzena Paszkowska, Maciej Karczewski, Dorota Długopolska and Wolfram Haider
Animals 2022, 12(24), 3527; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12243527 - 13 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2394
Abstract
Colic, a condition affecting the gastrointestinal tract of horses, manifests as severe pain and may be a life-threatening condition. It is possible to distinguish between an acute, disposable process, as well as recurrent colic symptoms (abdominal pain) caused by an ongoing chronic inflammatory [...] Read more.
Colic, a condition affecting the gastrointestinal tract of horses, manifests as severe pain and may be a life-threatening condition. It is possible to distinguish between an acute, disposable process, as well as recurrent colic symptoms (abdominal pain) caused by an ongoing chronic inflammatory process. This paper presents a retrospective analysis of the histopathological findings of duodenal and rectal samples taken from horses with recurrent colic, with the aim to determine the frequency and extent of inflammation. The samples, i.e., duodenal biopsy (60 samples) and rectal biopsy (17 samples), were taken from 77 horses showing recurrent colic symptoms. Histopathological examination included staining with hematoxylin and eosin. The examination included evaluation of the superficial epithelium, mucosal lamina propria, and submucosa. All samples from the duodenum and rectum showed the presence of leukocyte infiltration in the mucosal lamina propria. The most frequently observed cellular infiltration was a moderate infiltration consisting of lymphocytes and plasma cells in duodenum and mixed populations of plasma cells, lymphocytes, and eosinophilia in the rectum. Mott cells were also noted among the inflammatory infiltrates. More than one-fourth of the horses were found to have shortened intestinal villi. The results presented here showed the involvement of inflammation in the course of recurrent colic, which can be both its cause (by impairing motility and absorption) and its effect (as a result of obstruction or ischemia). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Colic)
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11 pages, 219 KiB  
Article
Effect of Nasogastric Tube Placement, Manipulation, and Fluid Administration on Transcutaneous Ultrasound Visualization and Assessment of Stomach Position in Healthy Unfed and Fed Horses
by Kira Lyn Epstein and Mark David Hall
Animals 2022, 12(23), 3433; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12233433 - 6 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1879
Abstract
Knowledge of the effects of feeding and nasogastric tube placement and manipulation on gastric ultrasound is limited. Given the variability in duration since feeding and the ubiquitous use of nasogastric tubes in horses with colic, the interpretation of gastric ultrasound in horses with [...] Read more.
Knowledge of the effects of feeding and nasogastric tube placement and manipulation on gastric ultrasound is limited. Given the variability in duration since feeding and the ubiquitous use of nasogastric tubes in horses with colic, the interpretation of gastric ultrasound in horses with colic requires an understanding of these effects. Cranial to caudal and dorsal to ventral ultrasonographic dimensions of the stomach were obtained in 10 unfed horses and five fed horses, before and after nasogastric tube placement, after checking for reflux and after administration of 6 L of water in unfed horses. Fed horses’ stomachs were larger in both cranial to caudal and dorsal to ventral dimension than unfed horses. Nasogastric intubation and the administration of water increased ultrasonographic gastric dimensions in fed and unfed horses. Checking for reflux did not consistently decrease ultrasonographic gastric dimension in fed or unfed horses. Fluid was consistently identified in the stomach with ultrasound after 6 L of water. Increases in gastric ultrasound dimensions found in horses that have been recently fed and/or had a nasogastric tube placed can occur without pathologic gastric distension related to colic and should be interpreted in this context. In contrast, the identification of fluid in the stomach on ultrasound occurs consistently with fluid administration and may be more useful than standard ultrasound parameters of gastric dimensions to identify horses with colic likely to have significant gastric reflux. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Colic)
9 pages, 3300 KiB  
Article
Transcutaneous Detection of Intramural Microchips for Tracking the Migration of the Equine Large Colon: A Pilot Study
by Sara KT Steward, Hannah M. McKee, Allison M. Watson, Mo D. Salman and Diana M. Hassel
Animals 2022, 12(23), 3421; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12233421 - 5 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1928
Abstract
Colic remains the number one cause of mortality in horses, and large colon displacement including colonic volvulus is one of the leading causes for equine hospitalization and surgery. Currently, there is not an adequate model to study the pathophysiology of this condition. The [...] Read more.
Colic remains the number one cause of mortality in horses, and large colon displacement including colonic volvulus is one of the leading causes for equine hospitalization and surgery. Currently, there is not an adequate model to study the pathophysiology of this condition. The objective of this proof-of-concept study was to determine if subserosal implantation of bioinert microchips in the large intestine would be detectable by a RFID (radio-frequency identification) receiver when the implanted microchips were adjacent to the body wall, thus identifying the location of the colon within the abdomen. A horse with no history of gastrointestinal disease underwent a ventral midline celiotomy to implant twelve bioinert microchips into the subserosa at predetermined locations within the large colon and cecum. A RFID scanner was used to monitor the location of the colon via transcutaneous identification 1–3 times daily for a one-month period. Following humane euthanasia, a postmortem examination of the horse was performed to assess microchip implantation sites for migration and histologic assessment. Eleven out of the 12 implanted microchips were successfully identified transcutaneously at occurrences as high as 100%. Odds ratios were calculated for the likelihood of identifying each chip in a location different from its most common location. Microchips implanted into the subserosa of the equine large colon can be used as a means of identifying the approximate location of the equine large colon via transcutaneous identification with an RFID scanner. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Colic)
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18 pages, 29455 KiB  
Article
Low Flow versus No Flow: Ischaemia Reperfusion Injury Following Different Experimental Models in the Equine Small Intestine
by Anna Marei Grages, Nicole Verhaar, Christiane Pfarrer, Gerhard Breves, Marion Burmester, Stephan Neudeck and Sabine Kästner
Animals 2022, 12(16), 2158; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12162158 - 22 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1937
Abstract
In experimental studies investigating strangulating intestinal lesions in horses, different ischaemia models have been used with diverging results. Therefore, the aim was to comparatively describe ischaemia reperfusion injury (IRI) in a low flow (LF) and no flow (NF) model. Under general anaesthesia, 120 [...] Read more.
In experimental studies investigating strangulating intestinal lesions in horses, different ischaemia models have been used with diverging results. Therefore, the aim was to comparatively describe ischaemia reperfusion injury (IRI) in a low flow (LF) and no flow (NF) model. Under general anaesthesia, 120 min of jejunal ischaemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion was induced in 14 warmbloods. During ischaemia, blood flow was reduced by 80% (LF, n = 7) or by 100% (NF, n = 7). Intestinal blood flow and oxygen saturation were measured by Laser Doppler fluxmetry and spectrophotometry. Clinical, histological, immunohistochemical and Ussing chamber analyses were performed on intestinal samples collected hourly. Tissue oxygen saturation was significantly lower in NF ischaemia. The LF group exhibited high variability in oxygen saturation and mucosal damage. Histologically, more haemorrhage was found in the LF group at all time points. Cleaved-caspase-3 and calprotectin-stained cells increased during reperfusion in both groups. After NF ischaemia, the tissue conductance was significantly higher during reperfusion. These results aid in the selection of suitable experimental models for future studies. Although the LF model has been suggested to be more representative for clinical strangulating small intestinal disease, the NF model produced more consistent IRI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Colic)
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9 pages, 1060 KiB  
Article
Multi-Institutional Retrospective Case-Control Study Evaluating Clinical Outcomes of Foals with Small Intestinal Strangulating Obstruction: 2000–2020
by Sara J. Erwin, Marley E. Clark, Julie E. Dechant, Maia R. Aitken, Diana M. Hassel, Anthony T. Blikslager and Amanda L. Ziegler
Animals 2022, 12(11), 1374; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12111374 - 27 May 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2469
Abstract
Lower survival has been reported in foals than adults with small intestinal strangulating obstruction (SISO), but age-dependent outcomes have not been examined directly. Hospital records were collected from five US academic referral hospitals. It was hypothesized that foals would exhibit lower survival than [...] Read more.
Lower survival has been reported in foals than adults with small intestinal strangulating obstruction (SISO), but age-dependent outcomes have not been examined directly. Hospital records were collected from five US academic referral hospitals. It was hypothesized that foals would exhibit lower survival than case-matched adults. Foal cases 6-months-of-age or younger, and adult cases between 2- and 20-years-of-age were collected. Data revealed 24 of 25 (96.0%) foals and 66 of 75 (88.0%) adults that were recovered from surgery for SISO survived to hospital discharge. Sixteen of the total 41 (39.0%) foals studied were euthanized intraoperatively, whereas 30 of 105 (28.6%) adults were euthanized intraoperatively. Common lesions in foals that were recovered from surgery were volvulus (n = 13) and intussusception (n = 5), whereas common lesions in adults were volvulus (n = 25) and strangulating lipoma (n = 23). This study was limited by incomplete medical records, relatively small sample size, and lack of long-term follow-up. Unexpectedly, short-term survival tended to be higher in foals than adults and may have been partly driven by case selection prior to referral or surgery or decision-making intraoperatively. More optimism toward surgical treatment of foals with SISO may be warranted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Colic)
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Review

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17 pages, 345 KiB  
Review
Biomarkers of Intestinal Injury in Colic
by Elsa K. Ludwig, Kallie J. Hobbs, Caroline A. McKinney-Aguirre and Liara M. Gonzalez
Animals 2023, 13(2), 227; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13020227 - 7 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2992
Abstract
Biomarkers are typically proteins, enzymes, or other molecular changes that are elevated or decreased in body fluids during the course of inflammation or disease. Biomarkers pose an extremely attractive tool for establishing diagnoses and prognoses of equine gastrointestinal colic, one of the most [...] Read more.
Biomarkers are typically proteins, enzymes, or other molecular changes that are elevated or decreased in body fluids during the course of inflammation or disease. Biomarkers pose an extremely attractive tool for establishing diagnoses and prognoses of equine gastrointestinal colic, one of the most prevalent causes of morbidity and mortality in horses. This topic has received increasing attention because early diagnosis of some forms of severe colic, such as intestinal ischemia, would create opportunities for rapid interventions that would likely improve case outcomes. This review explores biomarkers currently used in equine medicine for colic, including acute phase proteins, proinflammatory cytokines, markers of endotoxemia, and tissue injury metabolites. To date, no single biomarker has been identified that is perfectly sensitive and specific for intestinal ischemia; however, L-lactate has been proven to be a very functional and highly utilized diagnostic tool. However, further exploration of other biomarkers discussed in this review may provide the key to accelerated identification, intervention, and better outcomes for horses suffering from severe colic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Colic)
13 pages, 1949 KiB  
Review
Age-Dependent Intestinal Repair: Implications for Foals with Severe Colic
by Sara J. Erwin, Anthony T. Blikslager and Amanda L. Ziegler
Animals 2021, 11(12), 3337; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11123337 - 23 Nov 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4480
Abstract
Colic is a leading cause of death in horses, with the most fatal form being strangulating obstruction which directly damages the intestinal barrier. Following surgical intervention, it is imperative that the intestinal barrier rapidly repairs to prevent translocation of gut bacteria and their [...] Read more.
Colic is a leading cause of death in horses, with the most fatal form being strangulating obstruction which directly damages the intestinal barrier. Following surgical intervention, it is imperative that the intestinal barrier rapidly repairs to prevent translocation of gut bacteria and their products and ensure survival of the patient. Age-related disparities in survival have been noted in many species, including horses, humans, and pigs, with younger patients suffering poorer clinical outcomes. Maintenance and repair of the intestinal barrier is regulated by a complex mucosal microenvironment, of which the ENS, and particularly a developing network of subepithelial enteric glial cells, may be of particular importance in neonates with colic. Postnatal development of an immature enteric glial cell network is thought to be driven by the microbial colonization of the gut and therefore modulated by diet-influenced changes in bacterial populations early in life. Here, we review the current understanding of the roles of the gut microbiome, nutrition, stress, and the ENS in maturation of intestinal repair mechanisms after foaling and how this may influence age-dependent outcomes in equine colic cases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Colic)
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