Prevalence of equine gastric ulceration in standardbred racehorses in Czech Republic

Abstract

The objective of our study was to determine an association between age, sex and prevalence and severity of gastric ulceration in Standardbred racehorses in training in Czech Republic. Altogether 54 Standardbred racehorses were used in our study. History was taken and subsequently gastroscopy was performed in each horse. Mucosal ulceration was evaluated using grading system ranging from 0 (normal mucosa, no lesions) to 4 (diffuse ulceration of mucosa, loss of margo plicatus continuity, with or without haemorrhage). Correlation between age, sex and prevalence and severity of ulcers was statistically assessed. Prevalence of gastric ulceration in the group of horses examined was 62.96%. Twenty horses (37.04%) had physiological findings on gastric mucosa (ulcer score 0), 16 horses (29.6%) had mild changes of gastric mucosa (ulcer score 1), 14 horses (25.9%) had gastric ulcer score of grade 2 and 4 horses (7.4%) had gastric ulcer score of grade 3. None of the horses (0%) had signs of the most severe gastric ulceration (ulcer score 4). There was found neither association between age or sex and prevalence of ulcers nor association between age or sex and severity of gastric ulcers. From the results we conclude that gastric ulcers are common in Standardbred racehorses in Czech Republic. Prevalence and severity of gastric ulcer does not depend on age and sex of horses.