Gastric Impaction in Horses
Synonym—Stomach staggers—Stomach is distended with solid food. Occasionally it is
com-binned with tympani.
Etiology
1. Long fasts and greedy feeders. Horses given a big feed after a long day’s work with-out any midday meal.
2. Bulky or indigestible food or food con-tainting little moisture such as wheat, barley, grains etc. This is most likely to occur when the horse is unaccustomed to food and takes too much. Predisposing causes include debility, dilatation of stomach, wind sucking, defects of teeth, mild exertion after feeding, agony of the stomach.
Symptoms
Occur soon after feeding. Animal may show some dull continuous colic and occasionally at-tempts to froth. But not infrequently colicky sump-toms are absent and nervous symptoms develop.
The animal becomes dull and sleepy, may rest its head on manger or press its forehead on the wall. It staggers in its head and drags the toes off the hind limb. The breathing is slow, the pulse is full, and mucous membranes injected or may be yellow. Animal is not feeding and is constipated. Some-times, it sits on its haunches. It may resist drenches which are returned through the nose. The course is variable, recovery or death within away or two, usually within some hours. Death commonly results from rupture or from auto-intoxication.
Diagnosis: Is made from history, nervous symptoms and perhaps attempts at frothing and vomiting.
Treatment: Remove the food. Put the animal in a roomy comfortable loose box with a good bed and prevent any liability to injury. Give mod-irate dose of purgative and stimulants, e.g. Lin-seed oil, oil of turpentine, Fine. Nix Vim. Spamming aroma. The stimulant—except NuxVomica—may be repeated as required. A counter-irritant may be applied to the abdominal wall. The stomach tube is useful and may be adopted to wash out the stomach. Copious warm enemata should be given: After recovery, attend to any tooth defects present and to feeding and give tonics. In foals, impaction of stomach has been noted where they have been weaned abruptly and are not taking water.