Acute Abdomen and Liver Abscess Caused by Penetrating Metallic Foreign Body in a Mare

The ingestion of sharp foreign bodies that cause penetrating wounds to the gut and surrounding structures and its consequences are not often seen in equine medicine. When animals ingest these objects, they tend to have colic episodes and peritonitis, as well as to be prone to abscess formation. The aim of the current case report is to describe liver abscesses and peritonitis, with abdominal adhesions, caused by a penetrating metallic foreign body that was swallowed by a Crioulo mare, which had been showing a history of recurrent colic episodes for 4 months. The animal was subjected to median celiotomy due to suspect enterolithiasis. During the procedure, abdominal adhesions, blood clots in the intestinal loops and enteroliths were observed. These severe changes led to the mare death while she was still recovering from anaesthesia. Necropsy findings revealed abscess formation in the liver, abdominal adhesions, diffuse peritonitis and a penetrating foreign body in the liver. The relevance of the present case study lies on the fact that the assessed mare presented a stable chronic condition, although she had peritonitis and abdominal abscesses. This observation reinforces the importance of assessing all abdominal organs in horses with recurrent colic episodes. The evaluation of abdominal organs through complementary exams and necropsy can help identifying foreign objects inside these animals and it contributes to the challenging diagnosis of colic syndrome.