Small intestinal ileus affects up to half of all horses undergoing small intestinal surgery, leading to prolonged gastrointestinal (GI) transit time which can be life-threatening. Various prokinetic medications have been associated with varying side effects, questionable efficacy, and increased cost. Gum chewing as a form of sham feeding is used as a safe, effective, well-tolerated, and inexpensive way to ameliorate ileus following GI surgery in humans. Bit chewing for horses, an analogous activity, has been shown to significantly decrease GI total transit time (TTT); however, a direct effect of bit chewing on gastric emptying time (GET), small intestinal transit time (SITT), and total orocecal transit time (OCTT) has not been investigated. Our objective was to determine whether bit chewing increased small intestinal motility and decreased GE, SITT, and OCTT in clinically normal horses. Gastrointestinal motility was compared in horses that were bit chewing compared to control conditions (no bit chewing) in a prospective crossover design study using acetaminophen as a marker for GET and video endoscopy (ALICAM) capsules to determine GET, SITT, and OCTT. Bit chewing was well tolerated by all horses with no side effects noted. Bit chewing led to a shorter GET, SITT, and significantly shorter OCTT when compared to the control group (P = 0.015). Median times for bit chewing conditions were as follows: GE 2.86 hr, SITT 3.65 hr, and OCTT 6.15 hr whereas the median times for control conditions were as follows: GE: 5 hr, SITT 4.4 hr, and OCTT 9.92 hr. In summary, bit chewing proves to be a potential tool to hasten the motility of the oral GIT. It is safe, inexpensive, and potentially effective prokinetic treatment to horses suffering from postoperative ileus and further investigation is warranted. / Master of Science / Ileus, or a temporary lack of intestinal motility, is a common life-threatening problem in horses, especially following abdominal surgery. Current treatments have questionable efficacy and high cost. In human patients suffering from ileus, sham feeding with gum chewing that mimics normal food consumption with no food ingested has shown promising results in improving clinical signs and restarting gastrointestinal motility. Bit chewing, an analogous activity in horses, also decreases gastrointestinal (GI) total transit time (TTT). However, ileus in horses typically affects the small intestine, which is a part of the GI tract that has not been investigated in regards to bit chewing. Our objective was to determine whether bit chewing shortens gastric emptying time (GET), small intestinal transit time (SITT), and total orocecal transit time (OCTT) in clinically normal horses. Gastrointestinal motility was compared in horses that were bit chewing compared to control (no bit chewing) conditions in a prospective crossover design study using acetaminophen serum samples as a marker for GET and video endoscopy (ALICAM) capsules to determine GET, SITT, and OCTT. There were no adverse effects to bit chewing and OCTT was significantly shortened in horses when bit chewing compared to the control group. In summary, bit chewing is a tool to hasten gastrointestinal motility, specifically small intestinal motility, and it may be a safe, inexpensive, and effective treatment to improve small intestinal motility in horses suffering from ileus and further investigation is warranted.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/113828 |
| Date | 14 February 2023 |
| Creators | Patton, Molly Elizabeth |
| Contributors | Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences, Byron, Christopher R., Bogers, Sophie Helen, McKenzie, Harold C., Andrews, Frank |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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