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Summary The antisecretory activity of omeprazole on gastric acid when administered i.v., intragastrically or per os, was evaluated in 2 female and 3 castrated male horses. Each horse had been prepared with a chronic indwelling gastric cannula. A single i.v. administration of omeprazole (1.5 mg/kg bwt) was effective in abolishing basal and pentagastrin (PG)-stimulated acid secretion. Once daily, nasogastric administration of omeprazole in acid-stable granules for 5 days inhibited acid secretion in a dose- dependent manner: 57% (1.5 mg/kg bwt) and 98% (5.0 mg/kg bwt) reduction of PG-stimulated acid secretion. The degree of inhibition was maintained over a 19 day treatment period with once daily dosing. A prototype oral paste formulation containing either acid-stable omeprazole granules or uncoated omeprazole powder was equipotent when compared to a similar dosage of acid-stable omeprazole granules administered by nasogastric tube. A dose-dependent inhibition was seen with the oral paste formulation containing omeprazole powder: 55% (1.5 mg/kg bwt) and 77% (3.0 mg/kg bwt) reduction of PG-stimulated acid secretion after 5 days. Therefore, a paste formulation of omeprazole powder may offer an effective, easily administered, once daily acid inhibitory treatment for gastric ulcer disease in horses.

Objective—To determine factors associated with development of postoperative ileus (POI) in horses undergoing surgery for colic. Design—Prospective case-control study. Animals—251 horses undergoing colic surgery, of which 47 developed POI. Procedure—Signalment, history, clinicopathologic data, pre- and postoperative treatments, lesions, complications, costs, and outcome were recorded for all horses during hospitalization. Results—Variables associated with increased odds of POI included small intestinal lesion, high PCV, and increased duration of anesthesia. There was modest evidence that pelvic flexure enterotomy and intraoperative administration of lidocaine may have reduced the odds of developing POI. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Findings during the preoperative and intraoperative periods can be used to identify horses at increased risk of POI. Reducing surgical and anesthetic duration should decrease the incidence of POI. ( J Am Vet Med Assoc 2004;225: 1070–1078)

Objective—To assess gastric tone in the proximal portion of the stomach in horses during and after ingestion of 4 diets (2 diets of grain and 2 diets of hay). Animals—6 adult horses. Procedure—A polyester bag with a volume of approximately 1,600 ml was inserted through a gastric cannula into the proximal portion of the stomach of each horse. Internal pressure of the bag was maintained at 2 mm Hg by use of an electronic barostat, and changes in bag volume were recorded before, during, and after horses consumed diets of grain or hay. Each horse was fed 0.5 and 1.0 g of grain/kg and 0.5 and 1.0 g of hay/kg. Changes in bag volume measured by use of the barostat were indirectly related to changes in tone of the gastric wall. Results—Food intake caused a distinctly significant biphasic increase in volume. The first phase was during active ingestion, which was followed shortly by a second, more prolonged postprandial phase. The ingestion-related phase of the response to intake of a diet of 1 g of hay/kg was significantly greater than that for the other diets. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance—Ingestion of a solid meal induces a biphasic relaxation response in the proximal portion of the stomach of horses. Magnitude of the ingestion-related phase may be determined by size of the meal. (Am J Vet Res 2002; 63:1275–1278)

Background: Intravenous (IV) and intragastric (IG) administration of fluid therapy are commonly used in equine practice, but there are limited data on the systemic, renal, and enteric effects. Hypothesis: IV fluid administration will increase intestinal and fecal hydration in a rate-dependent manner after hypertonic dehydration, but will be associated with significant urinary water and electrolyte loss. Equivalent volumes of IG plain water will result in comparatively greater intestinal hydration with less renal loss. Animals: Six Thoroughbred geldings. Methods: Experimental study. 6 by 6 Latin square design investigating constant rate IV administration at 50, 100, and 150 mL/kg/d over 24 hours in horses dehydrated by water deprivation. Equivalent volumes of IG plain water were administered by 4 bolus doses over 24 hours. Results: Water deprivation resulted in a significant decrease in the percentage of fecal water, and increases in serum and urine osmolality. IV fluids administered at 100 and 150 mL/kg/d restored fecal hydration, but increasing the rate from 100 to 150 mL/kg/d did not confer any additional intestinal benefit, but did result in significantly greater urine production and sodium loss. Equivalent 24-hour volumes of plain water resulted in greater intestinal water and less urine output. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: IV polyionic isotonic fluids can be used to hydrate intestinal contents in situations where enteral fluids are impractical. IV fluids administered at three times maintenance are no more efficacious and might be associated with adverse physiological findings after withdrawal. Bolus dosing of IG water can be used to restore intestinal water with minimal adverse effects.

Summary Reasons for performing study: Ulceration of the squamous gastric mucosa is commonly associated with intensive training programmes in horses, but only one compound (‘Gastrogard’) has been subjected to controlled scrutiny as to therapeutic efficacy. Objectives: To compare the gastric acid inhibitory efficacy of one manufactured (‘GastroGard’) and 3 generic pharmacy-compounded preparations of the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole (OME) in the mature horse. Hypothesis: All OME preparations tested would induce a clinically acceptable effect. Methods: Six healthy mature gastrically cannulated horses of various breeds, 3 mares and 3 geldings, were used. Each product was administered per os once daily (0730 h) at an equivalent dose of 4 mg OME/kg bwt, in a randomised complete repeated measures design for sequence of individual preparation treatment per horse. There was a minimum of 14 days between treatment regimens. A portable unit that recorded pH continuously was attached to a recording electrode fixed within the gastric lumen via the gastric cannula. Three 24 h recordings were made one day before and during Days 2 and 7 after commencement of a 7 day treatment with each of the 4 individual preparations. The horses were fed as usual throughout the study. Results: Only the GastroGard and one other preparation induced a significant increase over baseline in mean percentage of time that the pH was >4.0 and mean median intragastric pH, during the first 14 and 12 h post treatment respectively, forboth Days 2 and 7 post treatment. Both these products had a vehicle pH >8.0, in contrast to the 2 less effective products, where the vehicle pH was

Objective—To assess effects of exercise on a treadmill with changes in gastric volume and pH in the proximal portion of the stomach of horses. Animals—3 healthy adult horses. Procedure—A polyester bag of approximately 1,600 mL was placed into the proximal portion of the stomach of each horse via a nasogastric tube. Changes in bag volume, determined by an electronic barostat, were recorded before, during, and after a training session on a treadmill with and without prior withholding of food. In separate experiments, pH in the proximal portion of the stomach was continuously recorded during exercise for fed and food-withheld conditions. Finally, changes in intra-abdominal and intragastric pressure were simultaneously recorded during a training session. Results—Bag volume rapidly decreased to nearly zero during trotting and galloping. Conversely, a return to walking resulted in a sharp increase in volume and a return to pre-exercise values. Intragastric and intraabdominal pressures increased almost in parallel with walking, trotting, galloping, and galloping on a slope. Gastric pH decreased rapidly to < 4 at the beginning of walking, continued to decrease during trotting and galloping, and remained low until a return to walking. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Increased intra-abdominal pressure during intense exercise in horses causes gastric compression, pushing acidic contents into the proximal, squamous-lined region of the stomach. Increased duration of acid exposure directly related to daily duration of exercise may be the reason that squamous lesions tend to develop or worsen when horses are in intensive training programs. (Am J Vet Res 2002;63:1481–1487)

Objective—To evaluate the reliability of a method for inducing colic via small intestinal distention in horses and to examine the analgesic potential of bilateral electroacupuncture (EAP) at the Guan-yuan-shu (similar to BL-21) acupoint. Animals—5 healthy adult horses, each with a gastric cannula. Procedure—A polyester balloon connected to an electronic barostat was introduced into the duodenum via the gastric cannula. At 2 specified intervals (before and after commencement of EAP), the balloon was inflated to a barostat-controlled pressure that induced signs of moderate colic. Each inflation was maintained for 10 minutes. Heart and respiratory rates were continuously recorded. Frequency of various clinical signs of colic was recorded by 2 trained observers during various combinations of balloon inflation and EAP. Each horse received each of 5 treatment protocols (EAP at 20 Hz, sham EAP at 20 Hz, EAP at 80 : 120 Hz dense:disperse, sham EAP at 80 : 120 Hz dense:disperse, no treatment). Sham EAP was at a point located 2 cm lateral to the Guan-yuan-shu acupoint. Results—Duodenal distention consistently induced a significant increase in frequency of signs of colic. None of the EAP protocols caused a significant reduction in frequency of these clinical signs during distention. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—The method described is reproducible and highly controllable method for inducing colic that involved duodenal distention that should be useful in evaluating the efficacy of various analgesic strategies. Bilateral EAP at the Guan-yuan-shu acupoint was ineffective in reducing signs of discomfort induced by this method. (Am J Vet Res 2002;63:1006–1011)

Objective—To characterize intragastric pH profiles in critically ill foals and determine whether administration of ranitidine altered pH profiles. Design—Prospective observational study. Animals—23 hospitalized neonatal foals ≤ 4 days of age. Procedure—Intragastric pH was measured continuously for up to 24 hours by use of an indwelling electrode and continuous data recording system. In 21 foals, ranitidine was administered IV. Results—10 foals had predominantly or exclusively alkaline profiles, 10 had profiles typical of those reported for healthy foals, with periods of acidity (hourly mean pH < 5.0 at least once), and 3 had atypical profiles with periods of acidity. All 10 foals that had intragastric pH profiles typical of healthy foals survived, whereas only 2 foals with alkaline profiles survived, and none of the foals with atypical profiles survived. The effects of ranitidine administration could not be assessed in 13 foals because of a high baseline intragastric pH. In 7 of the remaining 9, ranitidine administration resulted in an alkalinizing response, but this response was often of blunted duration. Ranitidine administration did not appear to alter the intragastric pH profile in the remaining 2 foals. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggested that hospitalized critically ill foals often have intragastric pH profiles different from those reported for healthy foals and may respond differently to ranitidine administration than do healthy foals. Many critically ill foals have continuously alkaline intragastric pH profiles, questioning the need for prophylactic administration of ranitidine in all critically ill foals. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2001;218:907–911)

The pelvic flexure is the midpoint of the equine large colon that marks the junction of dorsal and ventral components. Previous studies of intraluminal pressure in this region indicate that it could be an important motility control center. The present study was undertaken to expand our knowledge of normal myoelectric activity around the pelvic flexure region. Eight bipolar silver wire electrodes were surgically fixed at 5-cm intervals to the colonic serosa of five adult horses, starting 30 cm oral to the pelvic flexure on the left ventral colon and ending 15 cm aboral to the pelvic flexure on the left dorsal colon (LDC). Recordings of myoelectric activity were done after feed had been withheld for 20 h or when the horses had been allowed to eat hay up to the time of the recording session. The activity was recorded on a polygraph, digitized, processed through a commercial graphics software package, and stored on magnetic tape for later analysis. Action potential activity was basically separated into long spike bursts (LSB) that were > or = 4 s duration and short spike bursts (SSB) that were < 4 s duration and quantified by a software program developed exclusively for the equine large intestine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The effect of corn oil (approximately 60% [wt/vol] linoleic acid) dietary supplementation on various components of equine gastric secretion was studied by use of a repeated-measures experimental design. Four healthy adult ponies were surgically fitted with gastric cannulas. The ponies were then fed a free-choice hay diet for 5 weeks, which was followed by 5 weeks of the same diet supplemented with 45 mL of corn oil daily. Gastric contents were analyzed under basal and pentagastrin-stimulated conditions once weekly during the latter 2 weeks on each diet. Gastric contents were collected at 30-minute intervals, and volume, hydrogen ion concentration, sodium content, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) content were measured. Data were analyzed by a linear fixed-effect modeling procedure. During the diet supplemented with corn oil, the ponies had, under basal and pentagastrin-stimulated conditions, significantly decreased acid output and significantly increased PGE2 and sodium outputs compared to those measured before corn oil supplementation. We conclude that corn oil supplementation may be an effective and inexpensive way to increase the protective properties of equine glandular gastric mucosa. This could be particularly helpful in reducing the chances of ulceration associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) administration.