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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Effects of transportation on gastric pH and gastric ulceration in mares
Journal of veterinary internal medicine, Vol.34(2), pp.922-932
03/2020
PMCID: PMC7096603
PMID: 32009244
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Abstract
Background: Transportation has been suggested as a risk factor for gastric ulceration in horses, but limited evidence supports this assumption.
Animals: Twenty-six Standardbred, Thoroughbred, and Warmblood mares from a university teaching herd.
Methods: Twelve mares were confined for 12 hours, overnight, in reproductive stocks with indwelling nasogastric tubes (NGTs) to assess pH of gastric fluid (GF). Gastric ulceration was assessed endoscopically before and after confinement. Subsequently, 26 horses were transported for 12 hours, overnight, in 2 consignments. During transportation, GF was aspirated from indwelling NGT placed in the same 12 mares used in the confinement study, and gastric ulceration was assessed endoscopically before and after transportation in all horses.
Results: The median pH of GF in confined horses was 1.70-2.49 at each sampling point, and there was no apparent effect on gastric squamous ulcer scores. The median pH of GF from the same 12 horses at corresponding sampling times during transportation was 6.82-7.22. Transportation was associated with increased gastric squamous ulcer scores, particularly in horses fasted for gastroscopy and NGT placement immediately before departure. Gastric emptying appeared delayed after transportation in horses fed before departure.
Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Transportation is associated with increased gastric squamous ulceration and with increased pH of GF. These findings may be a consequence of impaired gastric emptying and reflux of alkaline small intestinal content, with factors such as duodenal bile salts and short-chain fatty acids mediating mucosal injury.
Details
- Title
- Effects of transportation on gastric pH and gastric ulceration in mares
- Creators
- Barbara Padalino - University of BolognaGeorgina L. Davis - Charles Sturt UniversitySharanne L. Raidal - Charles Sturt University
- Publication Details
- Journal of veterinary internal medicine, Vol.34(2), pp.922-932
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc.
- Number of pages
- 11
- Identifiers
- 991013293553402368
- Copyright
- © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; Veterinary Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article