Influence of weaning management on gastritis incidence in foals.
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
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Weaning Management and Equine Gastritis: Housing Matters Pre-weaning gastritis affected nearly 9 in 10 foals in this Brazilian study, prompting investigation into whether post-weaning housing strategy could mitigate gastric mucosal damage. Sixteen crossbred foals were allocated to either individual or group pen housing following weaning, with gastroscopy performed before and after the transition to assess lesion number and severity alongside plasma cortisol and gastrin measurements. Whilst both housing systems showed significant improvements in lesion intensity post-weaning (declining from 3.31 to 1.93 in group-housed and 1.37 to 1.00 in individually-housed foals, P < 0.05), individually-penned foals consistently exhibited fewer and less severe lesions at both timepoints. Cortisol concentrations differed significantly between weaning and post-weaning sampling, suggesting acute stress responses during transition, though gastrin levels remained unaffected. These findings indicate that individual housing post-weaning may offer protective advantages against gastric lesion progression, warranting consideration in weaning protocols alongside broader management strategies to reduce the baseline gastritis burden evident in pre-weaning foals.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Expect gastritis in the majority of pre-weaned foals as a normal finding; lesions improve naturally after weaning regardless of housing type
- •Individual pen housing after weaning may provide additional benefit in reducing gastric lesion intensity compared to group housing, though both systems show improvement
- •Monitor stress markers (cortisol) during the weaning transition, as they correlate with gastric lesion severity
Key Findings
- •Gastritis was present in 87.5% of foals before weaning, with group-housed foals showing higher lesion counts (2.10 vs 1.56) and lesion intensity (3.31 vs 1.37) compared to individually-housed foals
- •Intensity of gastric lesions significantly decreased after weaning in both housing systems (group: 3.31 to 1.93; individual: 1.37 to 1.00; P < .05)
- •Plasma cortisol concentrations differed between weaning date and post-weaning samples (P < .05), while plasma gastrin showed no significant differences
- •Individual pen housing post-weaning resulted in lower gastric lesion scores compared to group pen housing, though differences were not statistically significant