Prevalence of ulcers of the squamous gastric mucosa in standardbred horses.
Abstract: This study was performed to determine the prevalence of ulcers in the gastric squamous mucosa in Standardbred racehorses. Observations were performed at monthly intervals between the beginning of their training season and their 1st qualifying race. This study also identified risk factors at different levels of race training. Forty-eight Standardbred racehorses from 3 training stables in Quebec, Canada, were studied. Baseline historical information and gastroscopic findings were recorded at the beginning of the trial, and once a month thereafter, between December 2001 and June 2002, until the horse's 1st qualifying race or the end of the training. Intensity of training ranged from jogging to intensive training just before the 1st race and was assigned an ordinal score. Location of squamous ulcers and their appearance were observed on gastroscopy, and an ordinal score was assigned. Prevalence of squamous ulcers from the 2nd through the 4th month (72-88%) of training remained at a significantly higher level (P = .002 to .04) than at the onset of the study (38%) and was also higher in intensely trained horses than in joggers (93% versus 56%). Moderate or more intensive training increased the odds (odds ratio [OR], 3.39; confidence interval [CI], 1.34-8.56; and OR, 11.4; CI, 3.21-40.5, respectively) of detecting ulcers with higher scores. These odds were also higher in trotters (OR, 2.17; CI, 1.07-4.43) than in pacers and generally increased with the duration of training. Duration of training, training level, and gait type also influenced the number of sites with ulcers in the same way. Ulcers had higher scores along the lesser curvature (LC) and the margo plicatus (MP) areas of the stomach. It was concluded that squamous ulcers appeared early in the training of Standardbred racehorses, that the number of sites affected and the ulcer score are related to the intensity of training, and that trotters are more prone to squamous ulcers than pacers.
Publication Date: 2005-10-20 PubMed ID: 16231721DOI: 10.1892/0891-6640(2005)19[744:pouots]2.0.co;2Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research article explores the frequency of ulcers developing within the gastric squamous mucosa of Standardbred racehorses at various stages of training. It found that such ulcers appear early in training, and increase with training intensity, with trotters having a higher predisposition towards them.
Objective and Methodology
- The study primarily aimed to determine the prevalence of squamous ulcers in Standardbred racehorses’ gastric lining and identify risk factors at different training levels.
- The researchers observed 48 Standardbred racehorses from three different training stables located in Quebec, Canada.
- Baseline historical information and gastroscopic findings were recorded at the beginning of the study and continued monthly from December 2001 until June 2002, until the horse’s first qualifying race or the end of the training.
- The intensity of training varied from jogging to intensive training, and each level was assigned a score. Similarly, the ulcers’ location and appearance observed during gastroscopy were also given a score.
Findings
- The research found that between the second and fourth month of training, the prevalence of squamous ulcers remained significantly higher than it was at the beginning of the study.
- It was also observed that intensely trained horses had a higher prevalence of ulcers than those that just jogged.
- The study found that moderate to intensive training increased the possibility of detecting ulcers with higher scores.
- The odds of developing ulcers were higher in trotters compared to pacers, and also generally increased with the duration of training.
- Similarly, the training duration, level, and the gait type also influenced the number of sites with ulcers.
- Ulcers were found to have higher scores around the lesser curvature (LC) and margo plicatus (MP) areas of the stomach.
Conclusion
- The study concluded that squamous ulcers form early during the training of Standardbred racehorses. The number of sites affected and the ulcer score are proportional to the training’s intensity.
- The odds of developing ulcers were found to be higher in trotters compared to pacers, effectively indicating a breed-specific biological disposition towards ulcer development.
Cite This Article
APA
Roy MA, Vrins A, Beauchamp G, Doucet MY.
(2005).
Prevalence of ulcers of the squamous gastric mucosa in standardbred horses.
J Vet Intern Med, 19(5), 744-750.
https://doi.org/10.1892/0891-6640(2005)19[744:pouots]2.0.co;2 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Département de biomédecine vétérinaire, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montreal, St-Hyacinthe, Q, Canada.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Confidence Intervals
- Female
- Gastric Mucosa / pathology
- Gastroscopy / methods
- Gastroscopy / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Male
- Odds Ratio
- Physical Conditioning, Animal / adverse effects
- Prevalence
- Quebec / epidemiology
- Sports
- Stomach Ulcer / epidemiology
- Stomach Ulcer / pathology
- Stomach Ulcer / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Stancari G, Conturba B, Bozzola C, Zucca E, Ferrucci F. Associations between Medical Disorders and Racing Outcomes in Poorly Performing Standardbred Trotter Racehorses: A Retrospective Study.. Animals (Basel) 2023 Aug 9;13(16).
- Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Conturba B, Stancari G, Zucca E, Ferrucci F. Medical causes of poor performance and their associations with fitness in Standardbred racehorses.. J Vet Intern Med 2023 Jul-Aug;37(4):1514-1527.
- Vokes J, Lovett A, Sykes B. Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome: An Update on Current Knowledge.. Animals (Basel) 2023 Apr 5;13(7).
- Lo Feudo CM, Stucchi L, Conturba B, Stancari G, Zucca E, Ferrucci F. Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome affects fitness parameters in poorly performing Standardbred racehorses.. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:1014619.
- Hewetson M, Tallon R. Equine Squamous Gastric Disease: Prevalence, Impact and Management.. Vet Med (Auckl) 2021;12:381-399.
- Poltep K, Tesena P, Yingchutrakul Y, Taylor J, Wongtawan T. Optimisation of a serum albumin removal protocol for use in a proteomic study to identify the protein biomarkers for silent gastric ulceration in horses.. J Equine Sci 2018 Sep;29(3):53-60.
- Shephard RJ. Peptic Ulcer and Exercise.. Sports Med 2017 Jan;47(1):33-40.
- Sykes BW, Hewetson M, Hepburn RJ, Luthersson N, Tamzali Y. European College of Equine Internal Medicine Consensus Statement--Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in Adult Horses.. J Vet Intern Med 2015 Sep-Oct;29(5):1288-99.
- Woodward MC, Huff NK, Garza F Jr, Keowen ML, Kearney MT, Andrews FM. Effect of pectin, lecithin, and antacid feed supplements (Egusin®) on gastric ulcer scores, gastric fluid pH and blood gas values in horses.. BMC Vet Res 2014;10 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S4.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
