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Topic:Gastrointestinal Health
Gastrointestinal health in horses encompasses the study of the structure, function, and disorders of the equine digestive system. The equine gastrointestinal tract is complex, consisting of the stomach, small intestine, cecum, and large intestine, each playing a specific role in digestion and nutrient absorption. Research in this area often focuses on common disorders such as colic, gastric ulcers, and parasitic infections, which can impact a horse's overall health and performance. Investigations examine factors affecting gastrointestinal health, including diet, management practices, and the microbiome. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the physiology, pathology, and management of gastrointestinal health in horses.
Effects of a muscarinic type-2 antagonist on cardiorespiratory function and intestinal transit in horses anesthetized with halothane and xylazine. To evaluate the cardiorespiratory and intestinal effects of the muscarinic type-2 (M2) antagonist, methoctramine, in anesthetized horses. Methods: 6 horses. Methods: Horses were allocated to 2 treatments in a randomized complete block design. Anesthesia was maintained with halothane (1% end-tidal concentration) combined with a constant-rate infusion of xylazine hydrochloride (1 mg/kg/h, i.v.) and mechanical ventilation. Hemodynamic variables were monitored after induction of anesthesia and for 120 minutes after administration of methoctramine or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (control treatment)....
In vivo investigation of the efficacy of a customized solution to attenuate injury following low-flow ischemia and reperfusion injury in the jejunum of horses. To evaluate the efficacy of a customized solution to attenuate intestinal injury following 20% low-flow ischemia and reperfusion in the jejunum of horses. Methods: 10 healthy adult horses. Methods: Two 30.5-cm-long segments of jejunum were exteriorized through a ventral midline incision and the mesenteric artery and vein supplying that portion of the intestine were instrumented with flow probes. Blood flow was decreased to 20% of baseline for 90 minutes followed by 90 minutes of reperfusion. In 5 horses, 60 mL of the customized solution was placed in the lumen of each segment (treatment-group ...
Gastrointestinal endoscopic surgery. A working knowledge of normal endoscopic anatomy and the effects of positioning must be mastered to take advantage of endoscopic procedures involving the gastrointestinal system. Endoscopic procedures involving the gastrointestinal system offer advantages over conventional surgery in that they are less invasive and provide direct visualization. Laparoscopy can be used to evaluate horses with abdominal pain before and after surgery. It can be used to evaluate and biopsy abdominal masses and parenchymal organs such as the spleen, liver, and kidney. Endoscopic gastrointestinal surgical procedures...
Idiopathic muscular hypertrophy of the oesophagus in the horse: a retrospective study of 31 cases. To present the first report of a case series concerning equine idiopathic muscular hypertrophy of the oesophagus (IMHO). Objective: To investigate the clinical and pathological features of the disorder. Methods: The medical records of 31 horses suffering from the disorder were reviewed retrospectively. In all these animals the diagnosis was confirmed at post mortem examination. Results: The median age of the affected horses was 12.5 +/- 5.6 years (range 1-26) without sex or breed predilection. Only 2 out of 31 horses showed clinical signs associated with oesophageal dysfunction, indicating tha...
Treatment of gastrointestinal ischemic injury. Ischemic injury is one of the most important causes of mortality in equine veterinary medicine. Although treatment of reperfusion injury has been attempted in a number of experimental trials to reduce the level of injury subsequent to an ischemic episode, this research has not resulted in the development of useful clinical treatments. Nevertheless, recent studies assessing intraluminal application of solutions containing antioxidants, nutrients, and vasodilators are promising. Furthermore, focusing on improving mucosal recovery after an ischemic event may provide an alternative method of reduc...
Nutrition for critical gastrointestinal illness: feeding horses with diarrhea or colic. Horses with GI diseases such as colic and diarrhea are often intolerant of adequate enteral nutrition. Nutritional intervention should be an early part of therapeutic management in such cases. Protein and energy malnutrition in critically ill horses can have deleterious effects, including poor wound or incisional healing, reduced immunity, and weight loss. Early enteral or parenteral support should be provided to supply resting DE requirements in the equine ICU.
Antimicrobial therapy for gastrointestinal diseases. Antibiotics will always be needed in horses for many types of infections, but the adverse consequences also must be considered. For the conditions described in this article, there is justification for antibiotic therapy. The intestinal problems that antibiotics can induce are among the risks from their administration to horses. Disruption of the endogenous bacterial population, colitis, and diarrhea are the most common complications from antibiotic therapy.
Clinical application of prokinetics. Intestinal stasis or ileus is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in horses and has been attributed to a variety of causes, including loss of intrinsic or extrinsic electrical activity, incoordination of contractile activity from regional stimuli, and dissociation between electrical and mechanical activity. Proposed mechanisms include systemic shock, electrolyte disturbances, persistent luminal distention, ischemia, inflammation, peritonitis, endotoxemia, and anesthesia. Because the cause of ileus is likely multifactorial, a variety of pharmaceutics have been used to target specific...
Treatment and prevention of equine gastric ulcer syndrome. EGUS is a common problem in horses and foals. Acids are the important causative factors and current therapy targets the suppression of gastric HCl and creation of a permissive environment for ulcer healing. Diagnosis is based on history, clinical signs, gastroscopy, and response to treatment. Of the products available, only GastroGard (FDA approved) and ranitidine have been shown to be efficacious in the treatment of EGUS. Ranitidine is often associated with treatment failure as a result of incorrect dosing and lack of owner compliance, because of the three times daily dosing required. Also, E...
Treatment of acute and chronic gastrointestinal inflammation. Treating inflammation in the equine gastrointestinal tract remains a challenge. Our most potent anti-inflammatory drugs, COX inhibitors and glucocorticoids, have unwanted effects on the gastrointestinal tract and host defense that often limit their use. Newer strategies targeting specific cells and molecules that regulate a subset of the events occurring during inflammation are rapidly becoming available and should allow clinicians to reduce the detrimental effects of inflammation without inhibiting the beneficial aspects.
Fluid therapy in horses with gastrointestinal disease. Fluid therapy is essential to the successful management of horses with gastrointestinal disease. Affected horses can present in a wide spectrum of metabolic derangement depending on the extent and severity of the underlying disease process. Precise quantitation of fluid deficits and losses is usually not possible; thus, formulating a rational plan, applying diligent and ongoing monitoring, and making adjustments to meet individual demands provide the best approach to fluid therapy in these horses. Although restoration of fluid and electrolyte homeostasis can be complicated, it is probably best...
Gastrointestinal protectants and cathartics. The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with an overview of gastrointestinal cathartics and protectants and to point out possible applications for use in the horse with gastrointestinal disease. Most of the treatments described in this article have been used by the authors with apparent success; however, controlled studies with subsequent publication in the scientific literature with respect to these treatments in the horse are, for the most part, lacking. The authors view this emerging field of treatment as exciting and look forward to substantiating the efficacy of several of th...
Evaluation of urine sucrose concentration for detection of gastric ulcers in horses. To evaluate the use of sucrose permeability testing to detect ulcers in the gastric squamous mucosa of horses. Methods: 13 adult horses ranging from 5 to 19 years of age. Methods: Following induction of gastric ulcers by intermittent feed deprivation, horses underwent sucrose permeability testing (administration of sucrose by nasogastric intubation followed by collection of urine at 2 and 4 hours after intubation) and gastric endoscopy. Squamous ulcers were assigned a severity score (range, 0 to 3) by use of an established scoring system. Horses were subsequently administered omeprazole for 21...
Lower gastric ulcerogenic effect of suxibuzone compared to phenylbutazone when administered orally to horses. The objective was to compare the gastrointestinal and general toxicity of suxibuzone (SBZ) to that of phenylbutazone (PBZ) when administered orally in horses. Fifteen healthy horses were allocated to three treatment groups. One group received a high dose of PBZ for two weeks; the second group was given an equimolecular dosage of SBZ; and a third group received placebo. Horses were daily monitored, and blood samples were collected before and during the study. On day 18, complete post-mortem examinations were performed. One horse treated with PBZ showed clinical signs of NSAID toxicosis. Small o...
A retrospective analysis of hepatic injury in horses with proximal enteritis (1984-2002). The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that horses with proximal enteritis (PE) are predisposed to hepatic injury. We also determined whether the presence of liver injury in horses with PE was associated with other clinicopathologic abnormalities or affected outcome. The medical records of all horses admitted for evaluation of colic and gastric reflux between 1984 and 2002 were reviewed. Horses were considered to have PE if the diagnosis was made at surgery or postmortem examination or if they had clinical findings consistent with PE. Horses with a small intestinal strangulating ...
Effect of GastroGard and three compounded oral omeprazole preparations on 24 h intragastric pH in gastrically cannulated mature horses. Ulceration of the squamous gastric mucosa is commonly associated with intensive training programmes in horses, but only one compound ('Gastrogard') has been subjected to controlled scrutiny as to therapeutic efficacy. Objective: To compare the gastric acid inhibitory efficacy of one manufactured ('GastroGard') and 3 generic pharmacy-compounded preparations of the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole (OME) in the mature horse. Objective: All OME preparations tested would induce a clinically acceptable effect. Methods: Six healthy mature gastrically cannulated horses of various breeds, 3 mares and 3...
Evaluation of Carolina Rinse solution as a treatment for ischaemia reperfusion of the equine jejunum. Ileus and peritoneal adhesions are the most common complications following surgery for small intestinal obstruction. Carolina Rinse (CR) has been shown to decrease reperfusion injury in intestine and other organs. Objective: CR decreases intestinal inflammation and subsequent scarring associated with reperfusion injury. Methods: CR was infused intra-arterially and applied topically just prior to reperfusion in jejunum exposed to experimental ischemia. Vascular permeability, neutrophil accumulation and serosal scarring were compared in treated and untreated intestine. Results: CR maintained a n...
Prevalence of gastric ulcers in endurance horses–a preliminary report. Gastric endoscopy was performed at the end of a 50 or 80 km endurance ride. Gastric ulceration was evident in 67% of the horses with ulcers on the squamous region of the stomach found in 57% of the horses and active bleeding of the glandular mucosa in 27%. Three horses (10%) had lesions only on the glandular mucosa. Values of albumin, creatinine and glucose were higher in horses without gastric lesions. We conclude that horses from endurance competitions have a high prevalence of gastric ulceration that is similar to that observed in performance horses. However the severity of ulceration is le...
Effects of acetylcysteine and migration of resident eosinophils in an in vitro model of mucosal injury and restitution in equine right dorsal colon. To evaluate the in vitro protective effects of acetylcysteine and response of resident mucosal eosinophils in oxidant-induced injury to tissues of right dorsal colon of horses. Methods: 9 adult horses. Methods: Gastrointestinal mucosa was damaged in vitro with 3 mM hypochlorous acid (HOCl), with and without prior exposure to 6mM acetylcysteine. Control tissues were not exposed to HOCl or acetylcysteine. Control and damaged tissues were incubated in Krebs-Ringer-bicarbonate solution and tissue resistance measured during 240 minutes. Tissue permeability to radiolabeled mannitol was also used to ...
Purification and analyses of the specificity of two putative diagnostic antigens for larval cyathostomin infection in horses. Cyathostomins are important equine gastrointestinal parasites. Mass emergence of mucosal stage larvae causes a potentially fatal colitis. Mucosal stages are undetectable non-invasively. An assay that would estimate mucosal larval stage infection would greatly assist in treatment, control and prognosis. Previously, we identified two putative diagnostic antigens (20 and 25 kDa) in somatic larval preparations. Here, we describe their purification and antigen-specific IgG(T) responses to them. Western blots confirmed the purity of the antigens and showed that epitopes in the 20 kDa complex were sp...
Detection of apoptotic cells in intestines from horses with and without gastrointestinal tract disease. To identify apoptosis in equine intestines and determine whether apoptosis is associated with gastrointestinal tract disease or a specific tissue layer of intestine. Methods: 38 horses that underwent surgery or were euthanatized for small or large intestine obstruction, strangulation, or distension and 9 control horses euthanatized for reasons other than gastrointestinal tract disease or systemic disease. Methods: Specimens were collected at surgery from intestine involved in the primary lesion and distant to the primary lesion site or at necropsy from several sites including the primary lesio...
Odds of moderate or severe gastric ulceration in racehorses receiving antiulcer medications. To determine the odds of moderate or severe gastric ulceration in racehorses treated with various antiulcer medications. Methods: Unmatched case-control study. Methods: 798 horses in active race training (252 Thoroughbreds and 546 Standardbreds). Only horses that had been receiving a single antiulcer medication or no antiulcer medication for at least 2 weeks prior to examination were included. Methods: Gastroscopy was performed on each horse by a single individual who was not aware of the horses' antiulcer treatments, and severity of gastric ulceration was scored. Signalment and medication his...
Efficacy of a paste formulation of omeprazole for the treatment of naturally occurring gastric ulcers in training standardbred racehorses in Canada. The efficacy of a paste formulation of the H+, K+, -ATPase inhibitor omeprazole was evaluated in standardbred racehorses for the treatment and prevention of gastric ulcers. Twenty standardbred racehorses in training, aged 2 to 9 years, were enrolled from 2 training centres in this field trial. Endoscopic examinations confirmed the presence of gastric ulcers in all horses, prior to allocation and treatment and on day 0. Lesions were scored on a scale of 0 to 3 (intact epithelium to extensive ulceration). Replicates were formed, based on training level and location. Within replicates, 1 horse wa...
Effects of lipopolysaccharide and phenylbutazone on gastric contents in the horse. Endotoxaemia causes a disruption of gastrointestinal motility in the horse but there is no information on its effects on gastric secretion. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration is known to affect gastric secretion in other species. Objective: That LPS, a toxic component of Gram-negative bacteria, would reduce gastric acid secretion and that pretreatment with phenylbutazone (PBZ) would block the effects of LPS. Methods: The effects of LPS and PBZ on gastric contents were investigated in fasted, mature horses, with permanent gastric cannulae. Horses were pretreated with either saline or PBZ 1...
