A 7-year-old gelding undergoes sedation for a standing surgery to clean and close a wound on the left forelimb. He is returned to his stall afterward, and several hours later he is observed to have nasal discharge containing feed material. He is also drooling, grinding his teeth, and intermittently coughing or retching. Which of the following conditions is most likely causing these clinical signs?

Pharyngeal paralysis
Dental disease
Esophageal obstruction
Congenital oronasal fistula

Small-intestinal Fibrosis in Horses

By

Allison J. Stewart

, BVSC (Hons), MS, DACVIM-LA, DACVECC, The University of Queensland

Last full review/revision Sep 2013 | Content last modified Sep 2013

Extensive fibrosis of the submucosa of the small intestine has been associated with weight loss and recurrent colic in adult horses on pasture in northern Colorado. All affected horses died or were euthanized because of their deteriorating condition. The cause is unknown.

NSAID Toxicosis in Horses

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