Gastrointestinal

Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal conditions in horses.

Gastrointestinal illnesses managed by antimicrobials

These guidelines are taken from the "Antimicrobial prescribing guidelines for horses in Australia” published in the Australian Veterinary Journal. Click here (https://doi.org//10.1111/avj.70003) to view the guidelines in their entirety.

Acute colitis (adult horses)

Acute colitis is severe inflammation of the large intestine and can cause rapid dehydration and death if untreated.
Chronic diarrhoea

Chronic diarrhoea can be due to sand enteropathy, diet, dental disease, parasitism, chronic salmonellosis, alimentary lymphoma, or inflammatory bowel disease, but commonly has no identifiable cause.
Cholangiohepatitis

Cholangiohepatitis and cholelithiasis are among the most commonly encountered liver diseases in horses.
Duodenitis/proximal jejunitis (anterior enteritis)

Duodenitis/proximal jejunitis is an inflammatory disease that causes gastric and intestinal stasis, resulting in fluid accumulation and distension of the proximal part of the gastrointestinal tract.
Equine proliferative enteropathy

Equine proliferative enteropathy (EPE) is caused by Lawsonia intracellularis, an obligate intracellular anaerobic Gram-negative bacterium that mainly infects intestinal crypt cells.
Oesophagitis, ESGD and EGGD (gastric ulceration)

Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of Oesophagitis, Equine Squamous Gastric Disease (ESGD) and Equine Glandular Gastric Disease (EGGD) (gastric ulceration).
Septic peritonitis (excluding gastrointestinal rupture)

Peritonitis can be primary or secondary. Secondary peritonitis can occur following traumatic injuries, abdominal surgery, parturition (rupture of the uterus or bladder), or rupture of the gastrointestinal tract.
Salmonellosis

Salmonella enterica can cause severe diarrhoea in the adult horse, resulting in morbidity and mortality in patients, and zoonotic infections in personnel.
Tyzzer’s disease

The disease is characterised by acute or peracute, rapidly progressive, necrotic hepatitis that typically results in death within 2-48 h.

References

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Resources

Traffic light - Horses

A document that outlines via a traffic light system, the different importance level of antimicrobials for use in horses.

AVPG - Cattle and horses flipbook

The Australian Veterinary Prescribing Guidelines cattle and horse flipbook, detailing antimicrobials for use in cattle and horses.

AVPG - Horses pocket guide

The equine Australian Veterinary Prescribing Guidelines for antimicrobial use as a pocket guide booklet.

AVPG - Equine poster

The equine Australian Veterinary Prescribing Guidelines poster. This document that outlines different antimicrobials for use in horses according to different diseases.

Acknowledgments

Funding for these guidelines was provided by the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA), Animal Medicines Australia (AMA) and AgriFutures Australia.

These guidelines would not have been possible without the considerable expertise and efforts of the Expert Panel: Associate Professor Laura Hardefeldt, Dr. Leanne Begg, Dr. Stephen Page, Professor Glenn Browning, and Professor Jacqueline Norris. We are also extremely grateful to the additional contributing authors.

The dedicated and skilled work of Project Manager Dr. Kellie Thomas is gratefully acknowledged, as are the contributions of the Project Steering Committee: Dr. Phillip McDonagh, Dr. John Messer, Professor James Gilkerson, and Dr. Melanie Latter. Open access publishing facilitated by The University of Melbourne, as part of the Wiley - The University of Melbourne agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.