Tube cystostomy was used to treat 13 goats and two sheep with obstructive urolithiasis. The cystostomy tube was intermittently occluded 3 to 4 days after placement to determine if urine could be voided through the urethra. If the animal showed no discomfort during urination after the cystostomy tube had been occluded for several days, the tube was removed. This procedure was successful in relieving urethral obstruction in 12 animals. The mean time until the animal could urinate freely and until the cystostomy tube was removed was 11.5 and 14.4 days respectively. Follow-up was available for 10 animals; seven were alive with no recurrence of urinary obstruction. One goat died from unrelated to urinary obstruction 1 year postoperatively. One goat died from unknown causes, and one goat died after urinary obstruction recurred.

Summary The case records of 119 young horses (all less than age one year) that underwent an exploratory celiotomy during a 17 year period were examined to determine the surgical findings, short‐ and long‐term outcome, and prevalence of small intestinal disease compared to previous reports in the mature horse. Physical and laboratory values were compared for long‐term survivors vs. nonsurvivors and the frequency of post operative intra‐abdominal adhesions was determined. The most common cause for exploratory celiotomy was small intestinal strangulation, followed by enteritis and uroperitoneum. Six horses died during surgery, 23 were subjected to euthanasia at the time of surgery due to a grave prognosis, and 17 horses died or were destroyed after surgery, prior to discharge from the hospital; the short‐term survival was 61%. Nine horses were lost to follow‐up. Forty‐one horses survived long‐term (at least 6 months after surgery), 15 died or were subjected to euthanasia after discharge for reasons related to the prior abdominal surgery, and 8 died or were destroyed after discharge due to unrelated reasons, making the long‐term survival 45%. Fifty‐three (45%) of the horses presented as neonates, and 66 (55%) presented age 3–12 months. Uroperitoneum and meconium impaction were the most common disease in the neonate. Intussusception and enteritis were the most common diseases in older foals. The overall prevalence of small intestinal disease was 44%. Significant elevations in packed cell volume, heart rate, nucleated cell counts and total protein in abdominal fluid and rectal temperature were observed in nonsurvivors compared to survivors. Nonsurvivors had significantly decreased serum bicarbonate, chloride, sodium, and venous pH values. There was no evidence that location of the lesion affected long‐term survival. Horses with a simple obstruction had a higher survival percentage than those with a strangulating obstruction, and horses that underwent an intestinal resection had a lower long‐term survival than those horses undergoing only intestinal manipulation. Nineteen (33%) of the foals examined after the original surgery had evidence of intra‐abdominal adhesions. Nine of these (16%) had adhesions that caused a clinical problem.

Fifty-three of 648 horses (8.2%) treated surgically for acute gastrointestinal obstruction were subjected to repeat celiotomy. Forty horses (75%) recovered from anesthesia after repeat celiotomy, and 26 horses (49%) were discharged from the clinic. Excluding two horses lost to follow-up, 10 of 51 horses (20%) survived long term. Horses subjected to repeat celiotomy had a significantly lower long-term survival rate than horses subjected to a single celiotomy. Twenty-eight horses had mechanical obstructions, and 22 had functional obstructions at the second surgery. Significantly more horses with mechanical obstructions recovered from anesthesia, but there was no difference in short-term or long-term survival. Seventy-seven percent of horses were subjected to two celiotomies without being discharged from the clinic between procedures. The intervals between primary and repeat celiotomies ranged from less than 24 hours to 4 years, with 89% of them being less than 2 months. Horses with functional obstructions at the second surgery had a significantly shorter interval between surgeries than horses with mechanical obstructions. Twenty-three horses had sequelae of the primary celiotomy, 19 had progression of their original disease, 8 had recurrence of the same condition, and 3 had unrelated problems. Intestinal ischemic necrosis was the most common diagnosis at repeat celiotomy, and small intestinal obstruction by adhesions was the second most frequent.