Torcivia Catherine, McDonnell Sue M
Department of Clinical Studies, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center, Kennett Square, PA 19348, USA.
Havemeyer Equine Behavior Laboratory, Section of Reproduction and Behavior, Department of Clinical Studies, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center, Kennett Square, PA 19348, USA.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Jan 3;15(1):88. doi: 10.3390/ani15010088.
Gastric ulcer disease and other potentially painful gastric conditions are among the most common afflictions adversely affecting the welfare of domestic equids. A large percentage of affected animals may not display the classic signs of gastric disease, such as unexplained weight loss, poor hair coat, and inappetence until the disease becomes severe. As a clinical service within our equine referral hospital, we routinely evaluate 24-h video recorded samples of horses to assist clinicians in identifying subtle discomfort and potential sources or to scan for infrequent neurologic or cardiac-related behavioral events. Empirically, we have recognized discomfort behaviors that appear to be uniquely associated with gastric disease. These include frequent attention to the cranial abdomen (nuzzling, swatting, nipping, and/or caudal gaze focused on the abdomen caudal to the elbow) and/or deep abdominal stretching, often within the context of eating, drinking, and/or anticipating feeding. To systematically evaluate the reliability of these purported gastric discomfort behaviors, we reviewed 30 recent 24-h video behavior evaluation cases for which (1) the clinical video behavior evaluation had been carried out without knowledge of the history and presenting complaint and (2) direct gastric examination had confirmed gastric disease status at the time. Twenty-four of the thirty cases showed gastric discomfort behavior, and all twenty-four had either gastric ulcers (n = 21) and/or gastric impaction (n = 3). Of the six cases not showing gastric discomfort behaviors, four were free of gastric disease, while two had mild lesions. Comparing horses with and without gastric disease, gastric discomfort behaviors were reported in 24 of the 26 (92%) with gastric ulcers or gastric impaction, compared to none of the four gastric disease-free horses. Although a larger prospectively designed study is needed to confidently estimate the sensitivity and specificity or the associations of behavior with the type or severity of gastric disease, these results confirm our long-held clinical impression of a behavioral signature for gastric discomfort in the horse.
胃溃疡疾病和其他可能引起疼痛的胃部疾病是对家养马属动物健康产生不利影响的最常见疾病之一。很大比例的患病动物在疾病变得严重之前可能不会表现出胃部疾病的典型症状，如不明原因的体重减轻、被毛状态不佳和食欲不振。作为我们马科转诊医院的一项临床服务，我们经常评估马的24小时视频记录样本，以帮助临床医生识别细微的不适和潜在病因，或扫描罕见的神经或心脏相关行为事件。根据经验，我们已经识别出一些似乎与胃部疾病有独特关联的不适行为。这些行为包括频繁关注颅腹部（用鼻子蹭、拍打、啃咬和/或将目光聚焦在肘部后方腹部的尾向凝视）和/或深度腹部伸展，通常发生在进食、饮水和/或预期进食的情况下。为了系统地评估这些所谓的胃部不适行为的可靠性，我们回顾了30例近期的24小时视频行为评估病例，这些病例满足以下条件：（1）临床视频行为评估是在不了解病史和就诊主诉的情况下进行的；（2）直接的胃部检查在当时已确认胃部疾病状态。30例病例中有24例表现出胃部不适行为，且所有24例均患有胃溃疡（n = 21）和/或胃积食（n = 3）。在6例未表现出胃部不适行为的病例中，4例没有胃部疾病，而2例有轻度病变。比较有和没有胃部疾病的马，26例患有胃溃疡或胃积食的马中有24例（92%）报告有胃部不适行为，而4例无胃部疾病的马均未报告。尽管需要进行一项更大规模的前瞻性设计研究，才能可靠地估计敏感性和特异性，或行为与胃部疾病类型或严重程度之间的关联，但这些结果证实了我们长期以来对马胃部不适行为特征的临床印象。
