Study: Filly Survives Colic Caused by Porcupine Quill

If you’ve got porcupines in your area, your horse could end up in a prickly situation similar to the one an 11-month-old Andalusian filly found herself in: having two colic surgeries after swallowing a porcupine quill.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Why did your horse colic? Was the cause dehydration? Stress? Ulcers? Porcupines? That's right—if you’ve got porcupines in your area, your horse could end up in a prickly situation similar to the one an 11-month-old Andalusian filly found herself in: having two colic surgeries after swallowing a porcupine quill.

“We think 'Luta' got it in the hay,” said Stacy Anderson, DVM, PhD candidate at the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine, in Saskatoon, Canada. “Most horses would be able to sift through their hay well enough to avoid eating a quill. However, this filly was young and so potentially less discerning in her eating habits (as many young horses are).”

Anderson recently published a study describing her experience with the case.

Once in the digestive tract, the quill pierced through the intestines—twice—and then got stuck, Anderson said. After two operations, weeks of hospitalization, and three months of stall rest, the filly was finally freed of the quill and most of its consequences on her digestive system

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Passionate about horses and science from the time she was riding her first Shetland Pony in Texas, Christa Lesté-Lasserre writes about scientific research that contributes to a better understanding of all equids. After undergrad studies in science, journalism, and literature, she received a master’s degree in creative writing. Now based in France, she aims to present the most fascinating aspect of equine science: the story it creates. Follow Lesté-Lasserre on Twitter @christalestelas.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

How much time do you usually spend grooming your horse?
439 votes · 439 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!