Gastrointestinal and endocrine function during ‘foal heat diarrhoea’ in healthy foals.

This research focuses on the investigation of gastrointestinal functions in healthy foals before, during, and after the occurrence of ‘foal heat diarrhoea’. Various methods including haematological, biochemical, microbiological and parasitological examinations, and a combined lactose tolerance-breath hydrogen excretion test were used. Results indicated that the occurrence of diarrhoea, which did not relate to rotavirus presence, did not lead to a decrease in lactose absorption or rise in breath hydrogen excretion.

Research Objectives and Methods

• The purpose of this research was to understand how ‘foal heat diarrhoea’ affects gastrointestinal functions in healthy foals.
• To achieve this, multiple methods were utilized: haematological (blood tests), biochemical (substance level tests), microbiological (microorganism detection), and parasitological (parasite detection) methods were performed, enhancing the accuracy of the research.
• A lactose tolerance-breath hydrogen excretion test was also conducted, which measures the level of hydrogen in a foal’s breath after the administration of lactose. This is used to assess how effectively the body absorbs lactose, which directly affects the foal’s digestive health.

Research Findings and Conclusions

• All foals, except one, developed diarrhoea between the 8th and 12th day after birth, which lasted for 1-4 days. However, the presence of rotavirus (an agent often associated with diarrhoea) in the foal’s faeces did not correlate with instances of diarrhoea.
• The study noticed a significant increase in the aldosterone concentration in five foals during the second day of diarrhoea. Aldosterone is a hormone that regulates the body’s salt and water balance. An increase in its levels may act as a protective mechanism of the body during diarrhoea.
• The research points out that there was no change in plasma glucose concentrations after lactose administration, indicating no adverse impact on the foals’ ability to metabolize lactose.
• The results showed an age-related increase in peak breath hydrogen excretion after lactose administration. However, the incidence of diarrhoea did not cause a decrease in lactose absorption or an increase in breath hydrogen excretion, implying that the digestive system function was not compromised despite the diarrhoea condition.