Abstract

A 4-year-old, 600.4 kg stallion horse of German thoroughbred breed was presented at the Tehran University Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital, Iran, with a history of weakness of 2-3 days duration. The stallion died of unknown cause on the previous day. Abnormal findings during physical examination included an estimated dehydration of 3% to 5%, dark red oral mucous membranes, elevated heart and respiratory rates, stiffened feces, and absence of intestinal motility on auscultation. Postmortem examination indicated the presence of a jejunojejunal and ileocecal intussusceptions, 46 cm in length; a torsion of jejunum proximal to the intussusceptions was also noted. An ulcerative lesion, 6 cm in diameter, was found on the mucosa of duodenum. Large amounts of sand, coat hair, and hay mantling in bloody discharge were observed in a colonic impaction. It was an acute case that was evident by the involvement of intussusception and ulceration, indicating desquamation of the necrotic epithelial cells with edema and distinct infiltration of neutrophils. Histopathological examination confirmed that the ileum was the intussiscipiens to the jejunum that subsequently passed through into the caecum, and the mesentery probably tore as a result of the intussusception.

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