TECHNIQUE FOR LONG-TERM ILEAL CANNULATION IN PONIES

A T-cannula was fitted permanently into the ileum of ten mature ponies to quantify the role of the prececal and postileal segments of the di gestive tract in equine nutrition studies. The ponies were anesthetize d, positioned in left lateral recumbency, and the distal small intesti ne was exteriorized through a right paralumbar incision. A silastic T- cannula was inserted through a 2-cm longitudinal incision into the lum en of the ileum, on the antimesenteric surface, and sutured to the ile um. The stem of the cannula was exteriorized through a 2-cm circular s kin incision, 6 cm caudal to the 16(th) rib. Nine ponies were alive wi th functional cannulas after six months. Primary complications associa ted with cannulation of the ileum were clinical signs of depression an d dehydration produced by leakage of intestinal contents around the st em of the cannula. These complications were resolved with fluid and el ectrolyte therapy.