Peritoneal lactate concentration in Shetland ponies with nonstrangulating intestinal lesions: A case series

Abstract

It has been our clinical impression that Shetland ponies present with higher peritoneal lactate concentrations in the absence of strangulating intestinal lesions. The objective of this retrospective case series was to determine peritoneal lactate concentrations in Shetland ponies with nonstrangulating gastrointestinal lesions. A further objective was to evaluate the association of peritoneal lactate concentration with other clinical parameters. Case records of Shetland ponies admitted to a single UK referral hospital between 2009 and 2022 for evaluation of colic signs were retrieved. Cases where nonstrangulating intestinal lesions were confirmed at surgery or presumed nonstrangulating due to the resolution of clinical signs without surgical intervention, where a peritoneal lactate concentration was recorded, were included in the study. Descriptive statistics were generated. Twenty-three Shetland ponies with 26 episodes of colic met the inclusion criteria. The median [IQR] peritoneal lactate was 7.35 mmol/L (5.25 mmol/L). Limitations of this case series are sample size, incomplete data sets, lack of definitive diagnosis in cases that did not undergo surgery and lack of a comparison group. Further research with a larger sample size and including additional parameters such as body condition score is warranted. We concluded that in a Shetland pony that has no other signs consistent with a strangulating intestinal lesion, it is worth considering that a nonstrangulating lesion may be present despite a high peritoneal lactate concentration.