Diagnosis and Management of Small Intestinal Ileuss

Presentation Description / Summary: In human medicine, several pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments have been evaluated to decrease post-operative ileus (POI) and other causes of ileus, including motility stimulants, early feeding and sham feeding (gum chewing). Multiple studies in people have evaluated motility agents and chewing gum as a form of sham feeding, which can be initiated before the gastrointestinal tract is able to tolerate bulk food. Previous reports have described various phamacologic agents and also have speculated that gum chewing is a safe and well tolerated method to reduce the time from surgery to first fecal passage successfully following open and laparoscopic GI surgery in humans and possibility in other conditions producing ileus. Early feeding in equine patients that are actively refluxing is discouraged but addition of motitilty stimulants and the idea of sham feeding warrants evaluation in horses with ileus. This presentation will highlight recent research on pharmacolgic agents and sham-feeding separately and in combination for treatment of small intestinal ileus in horses.