Why do vets pass a tube through the horse’s nose and into the stomach?
Horses cannot vomit. In some situations, particularly when the bowel is blocked, the stomach can fill-up with backed-up fluid and gas. If this pressure is not relieved by passage of a nasogastric tube, the stomach can rupture and this will lead rapidly to death. In some situations, laxatives will be introduced into the stomach via the tube and this will help in resolving food blockages of the bowel known as impactions. Mark Ethell BVSc MVetClinStud MACVSc Diplomate ACVS Specialist in Equine Surgery, Canberra Equine Hospital www.canberravet.com.
Horses cannot vomit. In some situations, particularly when the bowel is blocked, the stomach can fill-up with backed-up fluid and gas. If this pressure is not relieved by passage of a nasogastric tube, the stomach can rupture and this will lead rapidly to death. In some situations, laxatives will be introduced into the stomach via the tube and this will help in resolving food blockages of the bowel known as impactions.
