CHRONIC STOMACH IMPACTION ????

C

carabella

Member
Joined
2 July 2008
Messages
15
Visit site
HI TO YOU ALL,

IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WHOSE HORSE HAS HAD OR IS SUFFERING FROM CHRONIC STOMACH IMPACTION. ??

MY 20 YEAR OLD HAS JUST BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH THIS RARE CONDITION AND I'M TOTALLY GUTTED.

VETS SAY THEY AREN'T SURE WHAT CAUSES IT AND THAT THEY HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG HIS LIFE WILL NOW BE.

ANY BODY ELSE OUT THERE IN THIS SAME POSITION ???
 
Hello and welcome. I am sorry to hear about your horse and do not have any advise that would be better than your vets advice.
H's mum on here may be able to help you , hope you can keep him comfortable.
 
has he had liquid paraffin administered by the vet?
how can they tell it is stomach impaction and not further along?
i've had an old horse with a rectal impaction, but that's much further along than the stomach, obviously.
 
Hi and thanks for replying.

My horse has had so far 3 endescopys and been admitted to vet clinic for 5 days where he received 2 stomach tubings every day to try and remove the impaction in the stomach.

This was clearly seen on the first endescope and even after a week of starvation and the stomach tubing his stomach still retains some food.

He is now on a diet of sloppy conditioning cubes, very wet sugar beet and some liquidised carrots.

Dry hay etc is totally out of the question - he may hopefully in a week or so be able to have some grazing but need to keep the vet updated and this will be looked at as we go.

I know the vet said it is rare and i just wondered if there is anyone else with this ???
 
hmm, very strange. very best of luck with it, hope he pulls through.
what were the symptoms, btw? i'd really like to hear, please.
i can't help thinking that this might happen to some horses and never get diagnosed because they colic and die from it.
frown.gif
 
I really hope someone can advise you further but it sounds as if you are having the very best of help from your vets.
Healing vibes and hugs on there way to you and him
 
THE CHRONIC FORM OF THE CONDITION DEVELOPS SLOWLY AND DIAGNOSIS IS DIFFICULT IN EARLY STAGES. VERY LITTLE OR NO ABDOMINAL PAIN AT ALL.
THEY CONTINUE TO EAT AND GO TO TOILET AS NORMAL.

THE ONLY SYMPTOMS MY BOY DISPLAYED WAS A LAMENESS AND HE STARTED LYING DOWN IN THE FIELD. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING HE NORMALLY DOES.
VET INVESTIGATED AND HE WAS SHOWN TO HAVE A DEEP DIGITAL FLEXOR TENDON PROBLEM. BUT THIS WAS NOT SEVERE ENOUGH TO WARRANT THE LYING DOWN.

WE CONTINUED TO INVESTIGATE GOING DOWN THE ROAD OF IT BEING A STOMACH PROBLEM. i.e AN ULCER. THIS PROVED TO BE SOME RELIEF TO HIM AFTER A COURSE OF GASTROGUARD.
UNFORTUNATELY OVER A PERIOD OF 6 WEEKS HE STARTED TO DISPLAY THE UNUSUAL LYING DOWN AGAIN.
WE THEN HAD TO ENDESCOPE TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON - THEN WE FOUND THE PROBLEM.

IF YOU SEARCH GASTRIC PATHOLOGY ON THE WEB AND THEN GO TO A PDF FILE FROM www.IVIS.ORG

SCROLL THROUGH UNTIL YOU GET TO CHRONIC GASTRIC IMPACTION AND ITS ALL THERE.
 
Sorry to hear that your boy is suffering at the moment.
frown.gif


I recently read a very interesting article by a vet, about acute gastric impaction. They were treating the impaction by giving the horse Coca Cola!! It dissolves the impaction, without the need for surgery.

Good luck with his treatment and recovery, keep us posted.
 
So very sorry to hear this, you must be besides yourself with worry.

If it was me and I was clutching at straws, I would e-mail Prof. Derek Knottenbelt at Liverpool Uni who is pretty much expert in most things, he is also approachable and will reply personally with whatever advice he has. PM me if you need his e-mail address.

Please do let us all know how you get on. Very best of luck to your boy and healing vibes on their way to you both.
 
THANKS TO YOU ALL.

YES MY BOY HAS HAD THE COCA COLA AS WELL.!!! VERY STRANGE WHEN THE VET SAID THEY WERE GOING TO TRY THIS. SURGERY WOULD BE OUT OF THE QUESTION WITH THIS ONE - TOO MUCH RISK TO INFECTION ONCE THE STOMACH HAS BEEN OPENED AND EXPOSED.

THE VET DID SAY IT WOULDN'T HELP HIM IN ANY WAY TO DO THIS. IT WOULD JUST SHOW A FULL STOMACH AND THE RISKS WERE TOO GREAT.

WILL KEEP YOU POSTED ON HIS PROGRESS.
 
Yes my 6yo had this and I can give some advice as what we tried. You are right it is extremely rare, and unfortunately very few survive. Mine sadly didn't.

PM if you would like some more information.

Good Luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top