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| | ==Clinical signs== | | ==Clinical signs== |
| − | Abdominal discomfort
| + | The colic associated with gastric impaction varies from mild and chronic to acute and severe.(Bliks) Other signs reported include (Bliks): |
| − | If the signs are mild and resolve spontaneously or with analgesics, owners often inclined to feed the horse, worsening the impaction
| + | *Anorexia |
| | + | *Lethargy |
| | + | *Prolonged recumbency |
| | + | *Dysphagia |
| | + | *Dropping of feed |
| | + | *Bruxism |
| | + | *Salivation (Edwards) |
| | + | *Insidious weight loss (if chronic)(Edwards) |
| | + | *Spontaenous reflux with gastric contents visible at the nares (in severe cases)(Sanchez) |
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| − | Clinical signs of colic range from acute and severe to chronic and mild. For example, in one report on 4 horses with gastric impaction, colic was moderate or severe and of 8-12 hours’ duration,4 whereas in another report on a pony with gastric impaction, colic was chronic (7 days’ duration), associated with prolonged recumbency, anorexia, and lethargy.3 Additional signs may include dysphagia, dropping of feed, and bruxism.3,5
| + | In mild cases where signs resolve spontaneously or with analgesics, owners my continue to feed the horse, which only serves to worsen the impaction.(Mair) |
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| − | Inits acute form it is usually characterised by severe abdominal pain but somehorses may present with intermittent
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| − | Incontrast, chronic impaction of the stomach which appears to develop slowly overseveral weeks or even months has a poor prognosis
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| − | verypoor prognosis (Edwards 1997, Huskamp, Scheidemann and Schusser 2000).Diagnosis is difficult in the early stages.
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| − | Despitethe extreme gastric filling, affected horses show very little or no evidence ofovert abdominal pain. They continue toeat and defaecate but tendto show insidious weight loss. Salivation and bruxism may occur.(Edwards)
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| − | Gastric impaction can result in acute or chronic signs of colic. Signs vary from anorexia and weight loss to those consistetn with severe abdominal pain. In severe cases pspontaenous reflux may occur, with gastric ocntentsvisible at the nares (Sanchez).
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| | ==Diagnosis== | | ==Diagnosis== |