Sadly we have seen a number of colics in the last few weeks. Nasogastric tubing is an important diagnostic tool when treating a colic. A tube is passed along the nasal cavity, into the oesophagus and down to the stomach. It is testing to see if there is gas or fluid accumulation in the stomach or upper small intestine.
A normal horse will have less than 2L of reflux
A positive reflux finding is highly suggestive of a surgical lesion, and is often caused by gas buildup, intestinal blockage, large bowel displacement, or twisting of the intestines.
The removal of the reflux is vital, as the horses stomach is not able to stretch like our stomachs can, and as a result, they can rupture which would be fatal.
The photo attached shows our lovely patient who was very poorly, and he had 20L of spontaneous reflux.