Colic and gastric rupture in a captive zebra (Equus quagga)

doelardoelardoelardoG. González, FranciscoV. León, DianaPulgar, ErnestoVelásquez, SilviaCélix, JuanGonzález, GerardoBlanco, Pilar

Dear Editor,Colic is one of the most common problems in equine practice but also affects other equids. On the other hand, causes of colic in zebra is not well known. A six years old zebra (Equus quagga), kept in captive conditions, was brought to the postmortem room of the Las Delicias Zoological, Maracay, Aragua State, Venezuela. Anamnesis revealed a history of colic and sudden death. The necropsy was performed and samples of tissues were collected. Cyanotic mucosa (Fig. 1) and severe abdominal distension was noted. During the abdominal inspection we observed dilation of the stomach and rupture of the wall along the great curvature. [...]