Rectal Prolapse II

Another rectal prolapse in a small mule presented today

                Today was a busy day the American Fondouk, as most Mondays are. Early in the morning we were presented with another rectal prolapse. This one happened 5 days ago. Why the owners waited so long to bring him in, I do not know. The rectum had been prolapsed so long that necrotic tissue was present over the rectal mucosa. I assisted, rather than took over this case as I already had a rectal prolapse case to be emptying feces from 4 times a day. The tiny mule was sedated, an epidural was placed, the prolapse was replaced, and the rectum was sutured shut. This prolapse was much easier to replace than the mule I saw late last week, however the presence of necrotic tissue and gastrophillus larvae (see my awesome picture!) was not in this mule’s favor. Hopefully he will do well.

Gastrophillus larvae (bots) present in the rectum of the rectal prolapse mule

Washing and debriding some of the necrotic tissue from the rectal mucosa

Yesim places a purse string suture around the anus

A handsome barb stallion and his proud owner
wait for a consultation

                A variety of other cases were seen today. Influenza cases, rechecks, a mare and foal, a handsome barb stallion, and an extensive lameness case which I took on. This poor young cart horse was very painful. He had a stiff stilted gait and drug his toes as we went along. I think there may even be a neurologic component to his lameness but that has not been confirmed at this time. We crippled this poor horse with our distal front limb flexions but the horse did not block to an abaxial or low four point. Radiographs of the fetlock were clean but an ultrasound of the tendons and ligaments was not done today. Perhaps this horse has a bilateral suspensory ligament injury, or something completely different. The horse was put on phenylbutazone and will rest at the American Fondouk for 2 week before rechecking.

The mare and foal wait to be seen

A mule waits to get his teeth floated

A little donkey tries to hang his head over
 the door and bask in the warm sun

The lameness case takes the first oportunity he can
to take the weight off his sore legs.

The workers continue to break up the concrete by hand.

                Both the old and new exam rooms were used today. Mostly dentals were performed in the new stocks on horses presenting for difficulty chewing or weight loss. The workers continued to break up the concrete in front of the stalls. The doors now came all the way to the ground preventing the risk of a foot getting caught under them and helping keep the shavings inside the stalls.

                In the afternoon, treatments were performed on in hospital patients such as flushing abscesses, puncture wounds, and surface wounds. Feces were removed from the two rectal prolapses and I continued to monitor the colic mare for improvement. She seems brighter today and has been eating hay very well. She has lost a lot of weight since her arrival, 35 kg to be exact. Hopefully with continuous feeding of the very nice alfalfa hay available here at the American Fondouk, she will slowly put the weight back on and be able to go home in the near future, inshallah.

                My classmate, Michelle, departs from Minnesota today to join me here at the American Fondouk. She should arrive late Tuesday night. We will be here for a week and a half together before I fly home on the 21^st of January and she flies off to the second leg of her externship experience in Uganda. I can’t wait for her to come. I am excited to show her the Medina which I now have a pretty good map of in my head, as well as travel to a distant city, such as Marrakech this weekend. I think she will have a great time getting lots of hands on experience with working equines, just as I have. Hopefully she gets on ok as she is mostly a small animal veterinary student and I don't believe she speaks any French either.

Until next time,

Michelle