Right dorsal colitis in horses: A multicenter retrospective study of 35 cases.
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Date
2023
Authors
Flood, J.
Byrne, D.
Bauquier, J.
Agne, G.F.
Wise, J.C.
Medina-Torres, C.E.
Wood, K.
Sullivan, O.
Stewart, A.J.
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Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (JVIM), 2023; 37(6):2535-2543
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Jordan Flood, David Byrne, Jennifer Bauquier, Gustavo Ferlini Agne, Jessica C. Wise, Carlos E. Medina-Torres, Kelly Wood, Olivia Sullivan, Allison J. Stewart
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Abstract
Background: Right dorsal colitis (RDC) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) induced, protein losing enteropathy in horses associated with a high case fatality rate. Objectives: To describe signalment, NSAID usage, clinical presentations, clinical pathology, ultrasonographic findings, treatments, outcomes, and factors associated with survival in horses diagnosed with RDC. Animals: Thirty-five horses from 7 Australian equine hospitals diagnosed with RDC. Methods: Retrospective case series. Clinical records of cases were accepted if definitively or presumptively diagnosed by an internist with RDC and had ≥3 of: hypoproteinemia or hypoalbuminemia; diarrhea with negative test results for infectious diseases; colic for which other diseases were excluded or right dorsal colon thickening on ultrasound. Descriptive data analysis was performed for categorical and continuous variables. Univariate binominal logistic regressions were used to assess factors associated with survival. Results: An overdose of NSAIDs occurred in 84% (21/25) cases where dose was known. Common clinical presentations included diarrhea (69%; 22/32), colic (61%; 20/33), and tachycardia (53%, 17/32). Common clinicopathological findings included hypoalbuminemia (83%; 26/31), hypocalcaemia (79%, 23/29), and hyperlactatemia (77%, 14/18). The right dorsal colon wall appeared subjectively thickened in 77% (24/31) cases using ultrasonography. Case fatality rate was 43% (15/35). Odds of survival significantly decreased with increasing heart rate (odds 0.84, 95% CI = 0.71-0.92, P = .01), packed cell volume (odds 0.91, 95% CI 0.82-0.98, P = .05) and abnormal appearance of mucous membranes (odds 0.05, 95% CI 0.005-0.28, P = .001) on hospital presentation. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: An overdose of NSAIDs is common in horses diagnosed with RDC. Serum albumin concentrations should be monitored in horses receiving a prolonged course of NSAIDs. Overall prognosis for RDC remains fair.
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© 2023 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.