Gastric rupture in horses: 50 cases (1979-1987).
Abstract: A computer-based search was conducted of medical and necropsy records of horses admitted to the teaching hospital from Jan 1, 1979, to Dec 31, 1987, to obtain the records of all horses admitted to the hospital for colic and subsequently found to have gastric rupture. Fifty cases of gastric rupture were found. The records were reviewed to obtain data regarding peritoneal fluid analysis. Cell counts of these samples were often erroneous because debris and clumps of bacteria were counted when most WBC were lysed. A cross-sectional study of gastric rupture cases versus all other colic cases regarding season of admission revealed that there was no association between season and the occurrence of gastric rupture. There was also no increased risk associated with age, gender, breed, and the occurrence of gastric rupture. One hundred colic cases, matched with the gastric rupture cases by year of admission, were randomly selected via a table of random numbers. A questionnaire regarding age, breed, gender, use of the horse, housing, diet, water source, deworming schedule, and medical history was completed from the medical records and phone conversations with the horse owners. The results indicated that horses on a diet of grass hay or grass/alfalfa hay only or those that drank water from a bucket, stream, or pond were at increased risk for having gastric rupture. In contrast, horses fed grain had a reduced risk.
Publication Date: 1990-01-15 PubMed ID: 2298661
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research study delves into the archives of horse admissions between 1979 and 1987 to analyze cases of gastric rupture. It compares various factors like the horse’s diet, age, breed, and water source to understand their relation to the risk of gastric rupture. The results indicate that diet and water source may have a correlation with increased risk of gastric rupture.
Research Methodology
- Medical and necropsy records of horses treated for colic and found to have gastric rupture from 1979 to 1987 were collected using a computer-based search. A total of fifty such cases were identified.
- For these identified cases, the researchers conducted a thorough examination of data from the peritoneal fluid analysis. They acknowledged potential inaccuracies in the cell counts due to the lysis of white blood cells and counting of debris and bacteria clumps.
- A cross-sectional study compared the gastric rupture cases with all other colic cases to look for any association with the season of admission.
- The researchers generated a random sample of one hundred colic cases, which were matched by the year of admission to the gastric rupture cases. The matching was achieved via a table of random numbers.
- A comprehensive questionnaire, based on the medical records and telephonic interviews with horse owners, collected data on the age, breed, gender, use of the horse, housing, diet, water source, deworming schedule and medical history of the horses.
Research Findings
- There was no observable association between the season of admission and the occurrence of gastric rupture, meaning that the season did not influence the likelihood of a horse suffering from gastric rupture.
- Further, no increased risk was associated with the horse’s age, gender or breed in relation to gastric rupture.
- The researchers found that horses fed on a diet of grass hay or a combination of grass and alfalfa hay, or those drinking water from a bucket, stream, or pond, had a heightened risk of gastric rupture.
- Conversely, horses that consumed a grain diet had a reduced risk of having gastric rupture. This suggests that diet has potential bearings on the risk of gastric rupture in horses.
Conclusion
The study concludes that the diet of the horse, specifically the intake of different types of hay and grain, and their water source, could be contributing factors to the risk of gastric rupture. However, variables like seasons, and the horse’s age, gender, and breed showed no significant relation to the risk of this condition. This study offers valuable insights into equine gastric health and potential risk factors.
Cite This Article
APA
Kiper ML, Traub-Dargatz J, Curtis CR.
(1990).
Gastric rupture in horses: 50 cases (1979-1987).
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 196(2), 333-336.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Case-Control Studies
- Colic / complications
- Colic / etiology
- Colic / veterinary
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horses
- Prevalence
- Retrospective Studies
- Risk Factors
- Seasons
- Stomach Rupture / complications
- Stomach Rupture / epidemiology
- Stomach Rupture / etiology
- Stomach Rupture / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Asin J, Nyaoke AC, Samol MA, Arthur RM, Uzal FA. Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile-associated disease, epiploic foramen entrapment, and gastric rupture in a Thoroughbred racehorse: case report and literature review. J Vet Diagn Invest 2022 Sep;34(5):913-917.
- Winfield LS, Dechant JE. Primary gastric rupture in 47 horses (1995-2011). Can Vet J 2015 Sep;56(9):953-8.
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