Treating inflammatory bowel disease in horses

Depending on the main type of inflammatory cells involved several dif-ferent types of IBD are histopathologically distinguished. Most horses with IBD do not survive but horses with EC are more likely than those with LPE MEED or GE to respond to treatment.

Horse owners can minimize causes of inflammation to some extent via diet.

Treating inflammatory bowel disease in horses. A variety of treatments have been tried for horses experiencing inflammatory bowel disease to include corticosteroids dietary alterations metronidazole and azathioprine. Nutritional care is important for horses with the condition. Horses should be provided with good-quality high energy feeds and meals should be small and frequent.

Horses with IFEE respond to surgical resection of the diseased segment of intestine. Medical treatment with corticosteroids and feeding small frequent meals has also led to resolution of clinical signs after small-intestinal decompression without resection. Enteral biopsies may be a useful diagnostic aid in the work-up of horses thought to suffer from IBD however further research is required to demonstrate their true diagnostic value.

Until more standardized scientific research is avai. Although not demonstrated in controlled clinical studies in horses omega-3 fatty acids have yielded some benefit in a number of human studies for patients suffering various forms of inflammatory bowel disease Kentucky Equine Research offers EO-3 a potent marine-derived oil that is rich in both EPA and DHA. This product is top-dressed onto feed and supplies almost 10000 mg of omega-3 fatty.

A probiotic or hindgut buffer like EquiShure to help maintain a healthy intestinal microbiome are both reasonable options for horses with IBD advised Kathleen Crandell PhD an equine nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research. One study suggested that horses with IBD benefit from a gluten-free diet. House AM and L.

Kaikkonen R Niinisto K Sykes B Anttila M Sankari S Raekallio M. Diagnostic evaluation and short-term outcome as indicators of long-term prognosis in horses with findings suggestive of inflammatory bowel disease treated with corticosteroids and anthelmintics. McCue M et al 2003 Dexamethasone for treatment of multisystemic eosinophilic epitheliotropic disease in a horse.

J Am Vet Med Assoc 223 9 1320-1323 PubMed. Schumacher J Edwards J F Cohen N D 2000 Chronic idiopathic inflammatory bowel diseases of the horse. J Vet Intern Med 14 258-265 PubMed.

Southwood L et al 2000 Idiopathic focal eosinophilic enteritis associated with small intestinal obstruction in 6 horses. Vet Surg 29 415-419 PubMed. Scott E et al 1999 Inflammatory bowel.

Equine inflammatory bowel disease IBD is a challenge to diagnose adequately treat and manage. Depending on the main type of inflammatory cells involved several dif-ferent types of IBD are histopathologically distinguished. Granulomatous enteritis GE multisystemic eosinophilic epitheliotropic disease MEED lymphocytic-plasmacytic.

Treatment for IBD in horses The mainstay of inflammatory bowel disease treatment is immunosuppression achieved with corticosteroids. Other vital components include removal of any stimulating factors that could arise from the diet from bacterial or viral infections or from parasites. Inflammatory bowel disease is a common cause of weight loss in horses and collection of intestinal biopsies is recommended in suspected cases to achieve a definitive diagnosis.

Your veterinarian will make the decision whether to prescribe antibacterial medication based on the suspected disease likelihood of benefits previous results and cost of treatment. Advances in understanding the life cycles of parasites coupled with the discovery of effective antiparasitic drugs have made successful treatment and control of digestive system parasites possible. Equine inflammatory bowel disease IBD is a term used to describe a chronic malabsorptive and maldigestive disorder affecting the horses gastrointestinal tract.

In adult horses equine IBD is defined as an infiltration of the mucosa and submucosa with abnormal cells. In foals IBD is most frequently associated with malabsorption caused by. With the inflammatory bowel diseases MEED and LPE respond poorly to treatment and the prognosis is poor.

With GE and EC the lesions can be focal and may be surgically removed however the long-term prognosis for GE is poor. EC lesions may respond well to corticosteroid treatment over time and surgery may not be necessary. A lean horse may handle the sudden burst while the obese horses inflammatory condition is exacerbated she says.

Horse owners can minimize causes of inflammation to some extent via diet. Kerbyson N Knottenbelt D 2015 Intestinal biopsies for investigating and managing inflammatory bowel disease in horses. In Pract 37347358 CrossRef Google Scholar Khan KJ Ullman TA Ford AC Abreu MT Abadir A Marshall JK Talley NJ Moayyedi P 2011 Antibiotic therapy in inflammatory bowel disease.

A systematic review and meta-analysis. Gins with a review of the diagnosis and treatment of specific disease entities known to cause enterocolitis including salmonellosis Potomac horse fever PHF clostridiosis parasitic enteritis. Suspected causes of IBD in the horse include abnormal immune response to bacterial viral parasitic or dietary antigens.

Most horses with IBD do not survive but horses with EC are more likely than those with LPE MEED or GE to respond to treatment. Metronidazole has antibiotic anti-inflammatory and antiprotozoal properties and is usually fairly well tolerated although some cats may lose their appetite when given this drug.