b'YOUR GUIDE TO THE 2017 AAEP CONVENTIONthe horses and scoped them for gastricConsistent with other research, squa- Phenylbutazone vs. Firocoxib: Which ulcers on Days 0, 24, and 55.mous ulcer incidence was higher thanCauses More Severe Gastric Ulcers?The study horses were part of CSUsglandular ulcer incidence. The fact thatResearchers from Texas A&M Uni-Legends of Ranching Program, whichdifferences in the groups scores were noversity recently compared two types of comprises young Quarter Horses beinglonger significant at Day 55 was interest- NSAIDs effects on gastric ulceration in prepped for auction by CSU students.ing, said Bass. He noted that this mighthorses. Lauren M. Richardson, DVM, Prior to the study horses had been kept onhave been due to these young horsesa resident in large animal surgery at drylots and had been handled but not rid- the College of Veterinary Medicine and den. Horses were acclimated to the studyBiomedical Sciences, in College Station, diet starting 10 days prior to the research,shared their findings. and on Day 0 the researchers movedThese drugs work by reducing the horses to individual stalls. Duringprostaglandinschemicals in the body Using an automated the study the horses were started underthat promote inflammation, pain, and saddle and exercised at a moderate level. feeder to provide grain infever. Prostaglandins are produced by The team found no significant differ- fractionated meals mightenzymes called cyclooxygenases (COX), ence in the two groups body conditionhelp reduce the prevalenceof which there are two main types: COX-1 and weight at any point in the study.and COX-2. COX-1 performs functions However, by Day 24 the horses fed theirof gastric ulcers in such as protecting the stomach lining and grain twice a day had significantly higherhorses in training. promoting blood clotting. COX-2, on the ulcer scores than those fed grain usingother hand, is produced under certain the automated feeder. By Day 55 thereacclimating to the stress of new housing,circumstances in response to cytokines was no significant difference in ulcermanagement, and lifestyle. Unfortunately,(inflammatory mediators), resulting in scores between treatment groups; how- he said, it was not possible to conductinflammation, pain, and fever. ever, the twice-daily grain-fed horses stillthe study for a longer period because theWhen veterinarians administer NSAIDs had higher average ulcer scores. horses were due to be sold. that block prostaglandin formation, stomach acid can damage the tissue, potentially causing ulcers. Fortunately, Ask about our Price Match Guarantee COX-2-selective NSAIDs exist that only 1-866-820-1694 block COX-2 prostaglandin production. However, we dont know whether these The industrys first 5-year DR Flat Panel WarrantyCOX-2-selective NSAIDs cause less GI NOW! The new exclusive Portable X-ray Unit injury than nonselective NSAIDs.The team compared the effects of Ultra 12040Hf VIP LIFETIME WARRANTY Ultra 9030Hf firocoxib (a COX-2-selective NSAID) and 120KvP/40mALifetime RepairHot Swap Replacement 90KvP/30mA25 pounds vetxray.com/service/warranty 15 pounds phenylbutazone (a nonselective NSAID) on gastric ulceration in adult horses. They used fecal myeloperoxidase (MPO, a protein released during acute inflamma-tion) as a marker of lower GI tract injury.They randomly assigned 10 adult hors-es to one of each of the treatment groups (firocoxib administered at 0.1 mg/kg once a day or phenylbutazone administered at 4.4 mg/kg once a day) and five horses to a control group that received a placebo. The team administered treatments for 10 days and collected fecal samples on Days 0, 10, and 20. They also scoped the horses for gastric ulcers on Days 0 and 10. Horses in both treatment groups hadFast and Durable significantly higher squamous gastricSuperior Software ulceration scores than the horses in theCsI Pixel Pitch76 m control group at Day 10. Similarly, bothLightweight Wireless 10 x 12 5 yr hardware & software warranty treatments resulted in significantly more ulcers in the glandular portion than in controls. However, said Richardson, on QUALITY | INTEGRITY | VALUEsince 1983 Day 10 horses receiving phenylbutazone A48 TheHorse.com/AAEP2017 AAEP Wrap-Up THE HORSEMarch 2018'