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Published on: November 4, 2015
Obstipation in pet pigs: 24 cases
Kallie J Hobbs1, SallyAnne L DeNotta1, Aitor Gallastegui1
1University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA (Hobbs, DeNotta, Gallastegui, Elane); University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia, Missouri, USA (Rivero, Adkins); Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada (Gomez).
Obstipation in pet pigs presents with anorexia, abdominal pain, and lethargy. Despite severe clinical signs, pet pigs with obstipation have a fair to favorable survival prognosis, with 70% recovering.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Animal Science
- Comparative Medicine
Background:
- Obstipation, or severe constipation, is poorly understood in pet pigs.
- Limited data exists on clinical signs and outcomes for pet pigs experiencing obstipation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the clinical features and patient outcomes of pet pigs with obstipation.
- To identify common clinical findings, hematologic/biochemical abnormalities, and diagnostic imaging results in obstipated pet pigs.
- To evaluate the prognosis for survival in pet pigs with obstipation.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 24 pet pigs with obstipation admitted to two veterinary teaching hospitals.
- Review of clinical records, including signalment, clinical signs, physical examination findings, laboratory results, diagnostic imaging, treatments, and outcomes.
- Analysis of clinical features, hematologic and biochemical abnormalities, and diagnostic imaging findings (radiography and/or CT).
Main Results:
- Common clinical signs included anorexia (100%), abdominal pain (90%), lethargy (88%), tachypnea (79%), vomiting (58%), and tachycardia (54%).
- Frequent abnormalities were lymphopenia (75%), toxic neutrophils (63%), hypokalemia (50%), and hypoglycemia (28%).
- Diagnostic imaging revealed gastric distention and gastrointestinal ingesta/gas accumulation; 7/29% underwent surgery.
- Survival to discharge was 70%.
Conclusions:
- Obstipation in pet pigs is characterized by significant gastrointestinal and systemic clinical signs.
- Despite the severity of presentation, pet pigs with obstipation have a fair to favorable prognosis for survival.
- Further research into the specific causes and optimal management of obstipation in pet pigs is warranted.
