10/12/2023
On the 10th of Christmas Fyrnwy brings to you…
Another happy success tale or two 🎄🦄🐎🐴🎄
Colic is a symptom – abdominal pain – not a diagnosis or disease. It can be caused by multiple causes. Colic signs can include depression, loss of appetite, lying down, pawing, rolling, sweating, flank watching, stretching, teeth grinding and more.
Many times, colic is simple, and occurs due to a spasm or gas pocket. This may require minimal medicinal treatment or resolve on its own. However, sometimes colic surgery is required to determine and rectify the cause. Here are some of the types of surgical colic (to name just a few):
Volvulus – a torsion or twist of the gut
Small intestinal strangulation caused by a lipoma or other structure
Colonic impaction – a build up of feed material, sand or dirt in the colon
Foreign body blocking the colon, an enterolith or object
Colonic displacement
Caecal impaction
Infarction of the mesentery
At the hospital a colic assessment is used to determine when surgery is required. The assessment often includes clinical history, physical examination, re**al, nasogastric intubation, blood sampling and peritoneal tap including analysis.
Here are some of our recent wonderful successful post-surgical intervention outcomes
Mo was diagnosed with Peritonitis on abdominocentesis following low grade recurrent colic and pyrexia overnight. Mo was anaesthetised the same day and an exploratory laparotomy (no source of abdominal contamination found) and a high-volume abdominal lavage was performed. An abdominal drain was placed at the end of surgery and daily lavage was performed on three consecutive days post operatively. Mo received intravenous antibiotics and pain relief for 5 days post operatively. He remained bright, with a good appetite and clinical parameters throughout this time. The abdominal drain was removed on day 3 post operatively. And follow up peritoneal fluid analyses were repeated on two occasions.
Mo was a super patient who handled his hospitalisation extremely well. He soon became a staff favourite with his cheeky antic and cuddly character! His owner was lovely enough to keep us updated on his progress with lots of pictures.
Lola underwent G/A exploratory laparotomy following non resolving colic signs. It was determined she had an Impaction of left ventral colon, with an 1800 twist mid caecal body and associated torsion and distension of small intestine involving ileum and majority of jejunum. A large colon (pelvic flexure) enterotomy surgery was performed and the caecum and small intestine placement corrected. She received antibiotic and pain relief post-surgery
Lola did amazingly post-surgery with normal parameters, appetite and good faecal output. Lola thoroughly enjoyed it when our clinic team would stop by to give her cuddles. Daily visits from her owners really improved her demeanour and certainly contributed to her rapid recovery and discharge.
Bonnie also underwent a G/A exploratory laparotomy following non resolving colic signs. It was discovered that she had an Entrapment of small intestine within a mesenteric rent and no resection was required. Antibiotics and pain relied were administered post-surgery.
Bonnie also did brilliantly well post-surgery, with normal parameters, appetite and good faecal output.
Bonnie and her owners were extremely happy when she started eating normally again. In particular she looked forward to when the clinic team would take her for her multiple daily hand walks to grass. Her eyes would light up like a Christmas tree.
🎄🐴🦄🐎🎄
