Peritonitis

So today, Pondie was diagnosed with Peritonitis, he is an old horse (but doesn't look like it) so it was rather worrying but so far he is fine. The symptoms can be similar to colic and it can be confused with it too. Some symptoms of Peritonitis are-
- Looking and kicking at abdomen.
- Loss of appetite.
- Depression.
- Diarrhea or constipation.
- Rolling

Pondie was rolling, lost his appetite and was looking at his belly, which are all common signs of colic but of course, the best thing to do is call your vet out and have them see what is wrong. Peritonitis can be fatal (to humans and animals) if it is not treated immediately or properly. There can be different causes for horses getting Peritonitis, some more severe then others.
Causes-
- Bacterial infection (eg- worms in the soil)
- Injuries (eg- piercing through abdomen)

Injuries can be more fatal because if a- for example- stick penetrates the skin and goes through the abdominal wall, the dirty stick will introduce more bacteria then would if a horse consumes worms.
Bacterial infection can make the horse sick if a horse consumes something like worms, they can make small holes in the stomach, breeding more bacteria, creating inflammation of the horses peritoneum and causing pain and discomfort for the horse and eventually can be fatal if the horse is left untreated for too long.

Stay horsey,
~Livinia :)