Gastric Impaction
Basic Information 
Epidemiology
Species, Age, Sex
Foals may be predisposed to indiscriminate hair ingestion, resulting in trichobezoar formation
Risk Factors
• Feeding poor-quality roughage or certain feed stuffs such as beet pulp and wheat bran, which may not be adequately hydrated by saliva and gastric fluid contents
• Poor dentition resulting in inadequate mastication
• Concurrent gastrointestinal (GI) disease, resulting in generalized decreased GI motility
• Pyloric outflow obstruction (see “Gastric Outflow Obstruction” in this section)
Clinical Presentation
Physical Exam Findings
• Variable; may be within normal limits.
• Mild to moderate tachycardia and tachypnea and evidence of mild to moderate dehydration (prolonged skin tent, tacky mucous membranes, and prolonged capillary refill time) are frequently observed.
• Gross abdominal distension is uncommon unless a concurrent distal intestinal obstruction is present.
Often within normal limits in primary gastric impaction, although caudal displacement of the spleen may be appreciated.
Etiology and Pathophysiology
Diagnosis 
Initial Database
• Passage of a nasogastric tube
It is typically difficult to impossible to pass the tube through the cardia, and the horse may show signs of pain when this is attempted.
Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel
Full access? Get Clinical Tree
