Gastric ulceration, appetite and feeding practices in standardbred racehorses in the Czech Republic

• Published in: Acta veterinaria Brno Vol. 77; no. 4; pp. 603 - 607
• Main Authors: Bezdekova, B.,Veterinarni a Farmaceuticka Univ., Brno (Czech Republic). Klinika Chorob Koni, Jahn, P.,Veterinarni a Farmaceuticka Univ., Brno (Czech Republic). Klinika Chorob Koni, Vyskocil, M.,Veterinarni a Farmaceuticka Univ., Brno (Czech Republic). Ustav Genetiky
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.12.2008
• Subjects: ALIMENTACION DE LOS ANIMALES; ALIMENTATION DES ANIMAUX; ANIMAL FEEDING; APETITO; APPETIT; APPETITE; CABALLO DE CARRERA; CABALLOS; CHEVAL; CHEVAL DE COURSE; CZECH REPUBLIC; DIGESTIVE SYSTEM DISEASES; ENFERMEDADES DEL SISTEMA DIGESTIVO; FEEDING FREQUENCY; FRECUENCIA DE LAS COMIDAS; FREQUENCE DES REPAS; HORSES; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_16106; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_16471; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_2276; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_33095; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_3668; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_429; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_4936; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_540; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_6419; MALADIE DE L'APPAREIL DIGESTIF; MORBIDITE; MORBIDITY; MORBOSIDAD; RACEHORSES; REPUBLICA CHECA; REPUBLIQUE TCHEQUE; STOMACH ULCER; ULCERA DE ESTOMAGO; ULCERE GASTRIQUE
• ISSN: 0001-7213; 1801-7576
• DOI: 10.2754/avb200877040603

The objective of our study was to determine the prevalence of poor appetite and its correlation with the prevalence of gastric ulceration, and to evaluate relations between feeding management (feeding frequency and feeding regularity) and gastric ulceration in a group of 54 Standardbred racehorses in training. The prevalence of gastric ulcers in the group of horses with poor appetite was 94.8%, whereas in the group of horses with good appetite it was only 48.6%. Ulcers were found in 75.0% of horses fed twice a day and in 57.9% of horses fed three times a day. No significant association between the regularity of feeding and the occurrence of gastric ulcers was found.