Septic peritonitis secondary to a perforating gastric foreign body in an Irish Sport Horse gelding

A 17-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding was referred to the University College Dublin Veterinary Hospital for low-grade colic that had been nonresponsive to medical treatment. Diagnostic investigation revealed a marked septic peritonitis. The inciting cause was detected by gastroscopy to be a perforating foreign body in the pylorus of the stomach from a briar of a blackthorn plant (Prunus spinosa spp.). Successful removal of the foreign body was achieved surgically via gastrotomy. The horse subsequently developed a multi-drug resistant abdominal incision site infection, which was successfully managed over a 2-month period. Abdominal incisional herniation occurred thereafter. Six months post-operatively, the horse was back in light work and no further adverse sequelae had been noted.