A Proton-Pump Inhibitor Modifies the Concentration of Digestion Biomarkers in Healthy Horses

Effects of the Ingestion of Ripe Mangoes on the Squamous Gastric Region in the Horse

Erosions and gastric ulcers may be present in horses at any age and under different conditions of rearing and handling. In tropical regions, horses can feed on fruits rich in soluble carbohydrates, such as mangoes, but little is known about how these foods interact with their digestive systems. To test the hypothesis that the ingestion of ripe mangoes with peels could cause disturbances in the digestive processes of horses, an experiment was developed to monitor animals that had free access to ripe mangoes in their pasture areas. Horses (purebred Arabians, n = 5; ~340 kg, ~13 years) were evaluated by video gastroscopy and blood analysis. A controlled postprandial glucose curve for mango intake was also performed. Gastroscopies were performed at intervals of 15 days, starting in December, just before the beginning of the harvest, until the beginning of February, and days after the end of the harvest. Blood collection was performed on the same day between November and February for blood analysis. The results were submitted to ANOVA and Tukey’s test, with a significance level of p < 0.05. Gastroscopies indicated that four out of five horses had erosions and ulcers in the squamous region between 15 and 30 days after the start of the season. Biochemical tests indicated a reduction in plasma proteins during the harvest period, and the postprandial glucose curve showed concentrations above 200 mg/dL between 30 and 180 min after ingestion of 5.37 kg mangoes. The animals were not treated and recovered after 15 days of harvest and without ripe mangoes on the ground. It is concluded that the indiscriminate ingestion of mangoes favors the appearance of lesions in the gastric squamous region, to varying degrees, and that animals recover naturally after an average of 15 days from the end of the season when the animals return to their regular feeding with hay and grass pasture.

Effects of supplementation with combination of polyunsaturated oils in diet of horses in maintenance and during marcha training

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the effects of supplementation with polyunsaturated oil on lipid and mineral blood biomarkers in two different groups of horses. Was used 6 healthy horses in maintenance (MT-g) and 10 healthy horses in marcha gait training (GT-g). The MT-g and the GT-g received 100mL and 300mL/day/animal of combination of polyunsaturated oils, respectively, during 8 weeks. Blood was collected in pre-test and after 4 and 8 weeks, after overnight fasting and it was measured: total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglyceride, NEFA, LPS, glycerol, Ca, P, Mg, and Cl. The supplementation produced significant increase in NEFA and reduction in lipase in both groups. In addition, the LPS content in both groups had a large decrease (~35%) from the pre-test to the 8th week of supplementation. In the MT-g, the LDL cholesterol and glycerol increased significantly after 4 weeks but returned to the pre-test levels after 8 weeks, and the triglyceride content decreased (~62%) after 4 weeks. The total cholesterol concentration in the GT-g increased after 4 weeks (~70%), but after 8 weeks it decreased to levels similar to those observed in the pre-test. The mineral biomarkers increased in the MT-g and GT-g, after 8 weeks. In the MT-g and in the GT-g, Ca decreased. In conclusion, supplementation with a combination of polyunsaturated oils increased NEFA concentration and reduced LPS activity in both groups, unlike the concentrations of the other biomarkers that showed different variations between groups, indicating that both NEFA and LPS the changes in their concentrations during supplementation may be more sensitive and more indicated for these types of evaluation. In addition, some blood mineral concentrations reduced significantly in both groups of horses, and thus, they need to be evaluated in horses under chronic oil supplementation