Sand-enteropathy in 35 equids in Switzerland

Abstract

This retrospective case series describes sand-enteropathy in 35 cases presented at the Institut suisse de medecine equine (ISME) of the University of Bern since 2004 and up to July 2016. Horses and ponies were referred due to colic or abdominal discomfort. Impaction due to sand has increasingly been observed since 2004 and, compared to the general hospital population, Shetland-Ponies were overre- presented with 48%. Besides clinical examination, abdominal radiographs were performed in 23 horses and quantity of sand was scored in a standardized fashion using three different scoring systems, which showed satisfactory to excellent agreement. Twentyfour horses (70%) were treated medically and in 11 (30%) a laparotomy was performed. Survival rate to discharge of the hospital was 91.4% (3/35) and was 85% (27/32) one year following discharge. Stronger disease awareness towards sand-enteropathy in equids is warranted. Abdominal radiography is a sensitive non-invasive method for diagnosing large colon sand impaction, especially in smaller breeds and for judging the amount of sand and should be used to control sand elimination over time. Although there is a risk of colitis and recurrent colic due to mucosal irritation generally, sand-enteropathy has a good prognosis at long-Term in our hospital population.