b'SPONSORED BYISABELLE ARNONWhen researchers scoped horses after 10 days of NSAID treatment, they found that phenylbutazone caused more severe glandular ulcers than did firocoxib.had significantly more severe glandularhorses overall health and disease severity .ulcers than the horses given firocoxib.Whitfield-Cargiles team randomly as-She also noted that fecal MPO in- signed 10 adult horses to one of two treat-creased with both treatments but wasment groups (firocoxib administered at only statistically significant in the horses0.1 mg/kg once a day or phenylbutazone given phenylbutazone. Because MPOat 4.4 mg/kg once a day) and five horses is derived from neutrophils, the typeto a control group that received a placebo. of white blood cell involved in NSAID- They treated horses for 10 days and col-induced intestinal injury in other species,lected fecal samples on Days 0, 5, 10, 15, these results suggest that GI disease20, and 25. Then they extracted DNA from caused by NSAID administration is neu- the feces and sequenced it to determine trophil-driven in horses, said Richardson.microbiota composition and diversity.So while both phenylbutazone andResults showed that the control groups firocoxib induced GI inflammation andfecal microbiota remained stable. How-injury, glandular ulcers were more severeever, both treatment groups microbial and fecal MPO levels greater in the horsesdiversity decreased, most significantly receiving phenylbutazone. These resultson Day 10. The changes were similar for suggest that firocoxibs effects were lessboth drugs. Specifically, the microorgan-severe, said Richardson. isms they lost were Clostridiaceae and Lachnospiraceae, which are involved in Gut Check: How Phenylbutazone andmucosal homeostasis (stability/balance). Firocoxib Affect Horses Microbiota Past studies have shown their numbers In humans and other species there isto be higher in healthy horses than in evidence that NSAIDs might induce GIhorses suffering from colitis. Therefore, microbial imbalance, but we dont yeta reduction in these microorganisms can know if they alter horses microbiota.potentially impact horse health. So Canaan Whitfield-Cargile, DVM,They also noticed a decrease in the PhD, Dipl. ACVS, ACVSMR, and a teamfatty acid butyrate, which is an important from Texas A&M University conducted aenergy source for horses.study to compare the effects of firocoxibOwners and veterinarians should and phenylbutazone on adult horses fecalconsider the potential impacts of these microbiota composition and diversity.(microbiota) changes when administering Trillions of organisms make up theNSAIDs to their horses and limit dura-microbiota of the equine hindgutthe GItion of NSAID use to prevent or limit the tract from the large intestine backward.impact of these changes, said Whitfield-Altering the GI microbiota might affect aCargile. hMarch 2018THE HORSE AAEP Wrap-Up TheHorse.com/AAEP2017 A49'