An evaluation of the use of cisapride in horses with chronic grass sickness (equine dysautonomia).

The research examines the impact of cisapride, a drug, on horses suffering from chronic grass sickness, by analysing the rate of digestion and other clinical parameters. It provides useful findings in the management of this horse disease, showing that cisapride can potentially improve gut motility and hence, overall condition of the horse.

Introduction and Methodology

• The study conducted a clinical trial involving 16 horses treated with intramuscular cisapride (group I) and 15 treated with oral cisapride (group O). The drug dosage was 0.1 mg kg-1 three times daily for Group I and 0.8mg kg-1 three times daily for Group O.
• It used a liquid-phase marker, cobalt-EDTA, and a solid-phase marker, which are substances used to trace the movement of digestive matter. These markers were administered by a stomach tube at the beginning of three consecutive 7-day periods: before, during, and after cisapride therapy.
• Out of the horses in each group, only seven completed the rate of passage trial, while the rest contributed to the collection of clinical data.

Result Analysis

• The study found a significantly faster rate of passage, a measure of how quickly food moves through a horse’s digestive system, after the cisapride therapy than before. Moreover, the post-therapy rate of passage was comparable to normal rates observed in healthy horses, suggesting a movement towards normalcy thanks to the drug.
• In horses that didn’t survive the trial, the caecum and large colon were found to be the main sites where the tracking pellets were retained, indicating potential areas of the gut affected by chronic grass sickness.
• Interestingly, the horses’ dry matter intake, the portion of a horse’s diet that consists of everything other than water, was significantly augmented in group O, who received oral cisapride.
• Both groups also showed an increased dry matter output.
• Gut auscultation score, a reading obtained by listening to sounds within the horses’ abdomen to evaluate gut motility and digestive activity, also increased across the three periods. However, the heart rate remained unaffected.

Conclusions

• Adverse effects like diarrhoea and colic were reported in both groups of horses. The study, however, stated that these conditions weren’t directly tied to cisapride therapy.
• In conclusion, this research proposed that cisapride, by enhancing gut motility, could benefit the management of chronic grass sickness in horses.