Necrotizing enterocolitis in horses: a retrospective study

The clinical and clinicopathologic characteristics of fatal necrotizing enterocolitis were examined in 16 horses (age 4 months to 12 years). At initial presentation, 8 of 16 horses were pyrexic (median temperature, 38.4 degrees C; range, 33.8 to 40.6 degrees C); all 16 were tachycardic (median heart rate, 93 bpm, range, 66 to 138 bpm); 13 of 16 were tachypneic (median heart rate, 36 bpm, range, 16 to 80 bpm), dehydrated, and had discolored mucous membranes. All horses that were pyrexic were also tachycardic and tachypneic. PCV was high (> 45%) in 14 horses. Six horses were leukopenic (< 5,000 cells/microL); 12 were neutropenic (< 2,300 cells/microL), and 14 had > 100 band neutrophils/microL. Twelve horses were acidemic (pH < 7.37; range, 6.88 to 7.33) and the venous bicarbonate concentration was low (< 23 mEq/L) in 14 horses. Median anion gap in 16 horses was 31.5 mEq/L (> 15 mEq/L in 15 horses). Eleven of 16 horses were hyponatremic (< 137 mEq/L), 1 horse was hypernatremic (> 143 mEq/L), 3 were hypokalemic (< 3.2 mEq/L), 6 were hyperkalemic (> 4.5 mEq/L), and 14 were hypochloremic (< 98 mEq/L). Serum creatinine concentrations were high (> 1.4 mg/dL) in 15 horses. Abdominal fluid was examined in 12 horses 4 had total protein concentrations > 2.5 g/dL and 6 had nucleated cell counts > 5,000/ microL and < 10,000/microL; none had > 10,000/microL. Eight of 12 samples revealed a nondegenerate neutrophilia (> 50%). Abdominal fluid collected from 4 horses immediately before death was normal in 2 horses and indicative of suppurative inflammation in 2. All 8 horses tested had low or nonexistent serum immunofluorescent antibody titers to Ehrlichia risticii. Four of 16 horses had Salmonella spp isolated from feces or tissues. All 16 horses either died (5 of 16; 31%) or were euthanized because of a grave prognosis. Median time to death was 45.5 hours (range, 7 to 113 hours) from the time of admission. Death was preceded by severe abdominal pain in 14 horses. Fatal necrotizing enterocolitis of horses is characterized by a brief course, profound dehydration, electrolyte derangements, acid-base abnormalities, and terminally, severe abdominal pain. Abdominal fluid analysis was frequently not indicative of the severity of disease.