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Morris Animal Foundation Announces New Studies Focused On Equine Colic

Morris Animal Foundation, a leader in advancing animal health, recently announced the selection of five new equine health studies to receive funding in 2022. The studies focus on equine colic (abdominal pain), an important and potentially life-threatening disease of horses.

“Colic consistently ranks among the top health concerns of horse owners and veterinarians,” said Dr. Janet Patterson-Kane, Chief Scientific Officer. “We decided to focus on this topic in this year's equine call for proposals to advance our understanding of intestinal disease associated with colic and ultimately assist in improving outcomes for horses around the world.”

Estimates suggest that four to 10 percent of horses will experience colic at least once in their lifetimes, and the actual incidence may be even higher. Although the majority of horses can be successfully treated on the farm, approximately 10 percent require referral for advanced care, including surgery.

The Foundation's Large Animal Scientific Advisory Board reviewed all submitted grant applications and selected, based on scientific merit and impact, the studies with the greatest potential to save lives, preserve health and advance veterinary care for horses with colic. Equine colic studies funded for 2022 include:

Studying Intestinal Inflammation
Two research teams will take different approaches to investigate the interaction between inflammation and gut motility, to assist in developing methods of preventing ileus (reduced gut motility) after colic surgery. These approaches could dramatically assist recovery and shorten hospitalization times.

Understanding Risk Factors for Colic Secondary to Transportation
Researchers will look for colic risk factors associated with transportation to develop better management recommendations for horses requiring transport.

Helping Underserved Communities Recognize Early Signs of Colic
Researchers will develop an educational program for horse owners in underserved communities in Colombia to improve early recognition of colic, a key component of successful treatment.

New Prognostic Test for Postoperative Complications
Researchers will search for biomarkers to identify horses at higher risk for postoperative surgical complications as a first step toward a new prognostic test.

Goffs and Flexjet Join Forces For Orby Buyers

Goffs and Flexjet have joined forces to cater to leading clients ahead of the upcoming Goffs Orby Sale, the sales company announced on Monday.

Flexjet is part of Directional Aviation's OneSky family and has over 160 aircraft worldwide. It provides access to its fleet through tailored, shared aircraft ownership solutions, providing owners with a premium experience and service akin to outright jet ownership, but with more accessibility, cost predictability and flexibility. Each Flexjet flight is carbon offset to 300%.

“Flexjet and Goffs share a similar ethos in delivering our clients a world-class service from the moment their journey begins,” said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby. “It's fantastic to be working with a brand of this calibre and as our Orby Yearling Sale draws nearer, we are continuing all efforts to ensure our international visitors have a truly memorable and safe experience on their travels to purchase at Goffs.”

For more information about utilising Flexjet to travel to the Goffs Orby Sale on Sept. 28-29 and other opportunities, please email Goffs International Client Relations Executive Hayley O'Connor at hayleyoconnor@goffs.ie or visit www.flexjethouse@flexjet.com.

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Concrete Results Found Between Transportation And Equine Ulcers

It has long been known that there is a relationship between transportation and gastric stress in horses. Researchers in Italy and Australia now have some definitive answers—and some surprising results–between transportation, gastric pH and gastric ulcers in horses, reports The Horse.

Drs. Babara Padalino, Sharanne Raidal and Georgina Davis carried out a two-part study to find out if transportation would lead to an ulceration of the squamous cell mucosa in a horse's stomach and if it would be more severe in horses that were fasted beforehand.

In the first part of the study, the team fasted 12 confined horses overnight and placed nasogastric tubes to aspirate gastric fluid every two hours. They also collected blood before and after the horses were confined and completed a gastroscopy directly after confinement and again 60 hours after confinement.

The second part of the study evaluated the effects of transportation on 26 horses that were shipped 546 miles. The scientists collected blood and performed the same gastroscopy routine as with the horses that were confined.

The scientists found:

Average gastric fluid pH was much higher during transport than during confinement
Squamous ulcers were more prevalent in horses that were transported (and some of those horses had severe ulceration)
Severity of squamous cell ulceration was inversely related to the amount of feed retained in the stomach during transport; the less feed in the stomach, the more severe ulcers the horses had
The researchers were surprised that the pH of the stomach became higher during transport and that after 12 hours of fasting that some horses still had feed in their stomach