Effects of intravenously administrated omeprazole on gastric juice pH and gastric ulcer scores in adult horses.

The research investigates the implementation and effectiveness of intravenously administered omeprazole in raising the gastric juice pH level and reducing gastric ulcers in adult horses. Significant improvements were noted in both pH levels and ulcer count, making it a promising treatment for equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) especially in horses which have conditions limiting the oral intake of omeprazole paste.

Study Overview and Methodology

• The research was conducted to determine the potential effects of intravenously administered omeprazole on gastric juice pH level and gastric ulcer scores in adult horses suffering from natural gastric ulcers.
• The study used a sample size of six adult horses, all of which naturally had gastric ulcers. The selected omeprazole dosage was 0.5 mg/kg, which was administered via intravenous injection daily, spanning five days.
• Data were collected through the aspiration of gastric juice using the biopsy channel of an endoscope. The pH level of the gastric juice was recorded before and one hour after omeprazole administration on the first and fifth day.
• Aside from pH level changes, gastric ulcer scores were recorded on the initial day, before the first dosage of omeprazole, and on the fifth day, 23 hours after the fourth dosage.

Results and Findings of the Study

• Preliminary results already showed significant increases in the gastric juice pH level one hour after administering the first dose of omeprazole compared to the pre-injection value.
• The pH level further increased before and one hour after omeprazole administration on the final day of the research experiment.
• In terms of gastric ulcer scores, a significant decrease was observed in the nonglandular gastric ulcer number score. However, the severity of these ulcers remained untouched.
• Only a few glandular ulcers were present in the horse subjects, and effectivity on these types of ulcers was not addressed as there was no change in their scores.

Justifications and Implications of the Findings

• The significant increase in gastric juice pH levels after the administration of intravenous omeprazole suggests its potential for treating EGUS, particularly in horses that have trouble with oral intake due to conditions like dysphagia or gastric reflux.
• The reduced count of nonglandular gastric ulcers also supports this treatment method, although the lack of change in ulcer severity could be an area for future research and improvement.
• The effective increase in gastric juice pH levels could be measured through aspiration, indicating the potential for this method to assess the success of omeprazole treatment by achieving a desired pH greater than 4.0.