Todayโs path rounds are on ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐ฌ!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐ฌ are mineralized rocks that can be found in the colon of horses. They are typically made up of ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ญ๐, and can weigh up to 10kg!! They typically have a smooth, spherical appearance.
๐๐ก๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
Any horse can get these, however they are more commonly observed in sandy areas like California and Florida. For some unknown reason, Arabians tend to get them the most commonly!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
In general, enteroliths are thought to form around a central ๐ง๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฌ, which is some sort of foreign material like a rock, piece of wire, piece of twine, or a large feed clump. From there, the mineral accumulates on the surface of the nidus repeatedly over time, forming rings that can be seen on cut section, similar to a tree.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ?
Small enteroliths arenโt a problem usually, as they just float around in the colon. However, large enteroliths may obstruct the colon, preventing flow of feed material, leading to severe colic signs. If not caught quickly, the intestinal wall around these obstructing enteroliths can rupture, leading to intestinal contents leaking into the abdomen. Very bad news for a horse!
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐๐?
Typically these enteroliths are found during ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฒ, or a colic surgery where the surgeon is looking for the cause of a colic. They sometimes can be visualized prior to surgery using ultrasound, depending on their location and size.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐?
The only treatment for these rocks is surgical removal. Unfortunately, colic surgery can be quite expensive, so horses may be euthanized instead.
๐๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ
1-5) Examples of enteroliths! Can you see the rings on cut section?
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
Maxie, G. Jubb, Kennedy and Palmerโs Pathology of Domestic Animals, Volume 2. Sixth Edition.
Photos 1-5 courtesy of Noahโs Arkive.
