Page 782 - Equine Clinical Medicine, Surgery and Reproduction, 2nd Edition

Gastrointestinal system: 4.1 The upper gastrointestinal tr act 757

VetBooks.ir 4.73 4.74

Fig. 4.73 This post-mortem picture shows a cleft Fig. 4.74 A severe laceration of the oral mucosa
soft palate in a 2-week-old Thoroughbred foal associated with a mandibular fracture and avulsion of
that presented with bilateral nasal discharge of lower incisors.
milk soon after starting to suck from the mother.
(Photo courtesy Graham Munroe)
4.75
defect in the palate is pathognomonic for this defect
and any foals with a bilateral nasal discharge when
feeding should be carefully examined for this con-
dition. A full investigation should include trache-
oscopy and standing thoracic radiography for the
presence of food aspiration and pneumonia.

Management
Techniques for the surgical repair of palatal defects
have been described, but reports of success are con-
fined to individual cases and the prognosis for attain-
ment of athletic ability would appear to be guarded.
The techniques recommend repair at the earliest
opportunity, and repair of lesions confined to the Fig. 4.75 Lacerations of the tongue on sharp
soft palate offer a slightly better prognosis than objects are extremely painful initially but heal well
those involving the hard palate. The repair involves spontaneously in most cases.
a ventral approach with mandibular symphectomy to
facilitate access and a multilayer repair to reduce pal-
atal tension on the anastomosis. Complications are Aetiology/pathogenesis
common and include osteomyelitis of the mandible Ingestion of sharp foreign bodies, entrapment of
while dehiscence of the repair with fistula formation loose soft-tissue structures or rostral mandible
is frequent. Foals of low value are euthanased with- and incisive bone (Fig. 4.74) or laceration of the
out treatment in most cases. mouth and tongue (Fig. 4.75) occur sporadically in
horses, resulting in painful lesions, which may be
MOUTH: LACERATIONS/WOUNDS complicated by loss of vascularity or the presence of
AND FOREIGN BODIES embedded foreign material. Lacerations involving
the lips are common in young horses as a result of
Definition becoming hooked on sharp objects and rearing to
Acquired traumatic lesions of the oral cavity. escape (Figs. 4.76, 4.77).