Prevalence of squamous gastric disease in Colombian equids at slaughter: A postmortem comparative study among horses, donkeys and mules

Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) occurs with variable prevalence in horses, donkeys, and mules. Due to the particularities of the mucous membranes, the syndrome is made up of Squamous Gastric Disease (ESGD) and Glandular Gastric Disease (EGGD). Given the multifactorial nature and multiple classification systems of the syndrome, significant differences have been reported between prevalence studies performed ante mortem, which are even more remarkable when compared with postmortem evaluations. This study aimed to determine the presence and grade of squamous gastric disease in horses, donkeys and mules immediately after slaughter. The postmortem examination considered the inspection of the squamous region (cardia, dorsal fundus, and margo plicatus) and the classification of the observed lesions. The general prevalence of ESGD in the entire population of study was 83.3 % (78 %, 89 %, and 83 % for horses, donkeys, and mules, respectively), compromising the margo plicatus in all cases. 75 % had more than 5 lesions and 50 % had deep lesions, lesions of varying severity and/or evidence of recent/active bleeding. The prevalence of ESGD was similar in horses, donkeys, and mules subjected to similar handling conditions prior to slaughter, including long-distance traveling, fasting, and stress factors.