Outcome following emergency laparotomy in 33 UK donkeys: A retrospective multicentre study.
Authors: Merridale-Punter Mathilde S, Prutton Jamie S W, Stefanovski Darko, Worsman Francesca C F, Payne Richard J, Wylie Claire E, Archer Debra C, Menzies-Gow Nicola J, Coles Lydia, McGovern Kate F, Parker Russell A
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Emergency Laparotomy in Donkeys: What the Evidence Tells Us Abdominal surgery in donkeys remains poorly documented despite their increasing popularity as companion animals, leaving practitioners with minimal guidance on case selection and prognostic indicators. This retrospective analysis of 33 donkeys undergoing emergency exploratory laparotomy across seven UK referral hospitals (2005–2017) reveals that whilst just over half (54.5%) survived to discharge, outcomes were notably poorer than reported in horses, with only age independently predicting mortality prior to discharge. Lesions were distributed across the small intestine (42.4%), large colon (39.3%), caecum and stomach (6.1% each), though critically, nearly half the donkeys presented without overt colic signs—a departure from equine presentations that may delay diagnosis and referral. Post-operative complications were substantial, affecting 82% of cases, with hyperlipaemia (43%), incisional problems (21%), ileus and persistent colic (both 21%) requiring close monitoring and management. For equine practitioners, these findings underscore the importance of maintaining a broad differential diagnosis for abdominal disease in donkeys, whilst highlighting that advanced age warrants particularly cautious prognostication post-operatively; referral centres should prepare for high complication rates and be prepared to discuss realistic survival expectations with owners.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Emergency laparotomy in donkeys carries substantial risk with only 54.5% surviving to discharge; clinicians should have realistic prognostic conversations with owners and consider this lower survival compared to equine colic surgery.
- •Donkeys presenting with abdominal disease may not exhibit typical colic signs—46.9% presented with non-specific complaints—so maintain high clinical suspicion in donkeys with vague presenting signs.
- •Post-operative hyperlipaemia is a major complication occurring in nearly 43% of surgical cases; aggressive metabolic support and nutritional management in the perioperative period is critical for donkey survival.
Key Findings
- •Overall survival to discharge was 54.5% (18/33) in donkeys undergoing emergency laparotomy for colic, which appears lower than reported in horses.
- •Post-operative complications occurred in 82.1% (23/28) of cases, with hyperlipaemia being the most common at 42.9% (12/28).
- •Small intestine (42.4%) and large colon (39.3%) were the most frequent primary lesion locations.
- •Age was the only factor positively associated with death prior to discharge (OR: 1.18, p = 0.02), with older donkeys at higher risk.