Influence of weaning management on gastritis incidence in foals

• Published in: Journal of equine veterinary science Vol. 113; p. 103917
• Main Authors: Júnior, Ângelo Mateus Campos de Araújo, da Silva, Alisson Herculano, Bastos, Filipe Lima, Seidner, Júlia Troitino, Filho, Luis Antônio Jorge de Moraes, Faleiros, Rafael Resende, Gobesso, Alexandre Augusto de Oliveira
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-06-2022
• Subjects: Digestive health; Equine; Foal development; Gastric inflammation; Gastric inflammation; Equine; Foal development; Digestive health
• ISSN: 0737-0806; 1542-7412
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2022.103917

•Gastritis can be observed before foals wean and the weaning management affects the incidence of lesions;•The weaning management in a group pen is recommended as it decreases the gastritis incidence;•Weaning was characterized as an event that benefited from the reduction of gastric lesions.
This study evaluated the incidence of gastritis in foals subjected to different weaning management methods. Sixteen crossbreed foals [230 ± 35 kg], were enrolled in an experiment with a randomized block design. After weaning, foals were housed in either individual pens or a group pen. Gastritis in the foals was evaluated through gastroscopy. Data were submitted to analysis of variance by the non-parametric Friedman test at 0.05 significance level. Before weaning, gastritis was observed in 87.5% of the foals, and the scores for the number of gastric lesions were 2.10 and 1.56 for foals housed in group and individual pens, respectively. After weaning, the scores for the number of gastric lesions were 1.75 and 1.25 for foals housed in group and individual pens, respectively. For the intensity of gastric lesions, the average scores observed before weaning were 3.31 and 1.37 for foals housed in groups and individual pens, respectively. After weaning, the scores for the intensity of gastric lesions were 1.93 and 1.00 for foals housed in group and individual pens, respectively. The intensity of the gastric lesions decreased when comparing foals prior to weaning and after weaning, regardless of the management system (P < .05). The number of lesions was not significantly different but tended to decrease after weaning. Differences in plasma cortisol concentrations were observed between samples collected on the weaning date and after weaning (P < .05). No differences were detected in plasma gastrin concentration. In conclusion, gastritis in foals can be observed before weaning, which contributes to a decreased gastric lesion incidence.