EQUINE GASTRIC ULCERATION SYNDROME (EGUS) IN DONKEYS: GASTROSCOPIC FINDINGS AND PREVALENCE

The aim was to present the findings of gastroscopy in a population of adult donkeys. Thirty-nine donkeys (16 jennies, 23 jacks), aged 1-18 years (5.7±5.0, median 3 years) underwent gastroscopy to evaluate the presence of lesions. Inclusion criteria: not athletes and non-working donkeys, breeding animals, no administration of NSAIDs or corticosteroids for at least 20 days immediately prior gastroscopy. Gastroscopy was performed after 15h of fasting, under sedation using a portable processor Gastropack and a 300cm long scope. ESGD lesions were scored 0/4, EGGS was described as presence or absence, anatomical location, distribution, and appearance of lesions. Chi square test and Fisher’s exact test were applied to verify differences in the prevalence of ESGD in relation to sex and age (≤4 years and >4 years). Gastric lesions were not present in 19/39 (49%) donkeys, while 20/39 (51%) donkeys showed EGUS; 19/20 (95%) donkeys were affected by ESGD, while 1/20 (5%) donkey showed both ESGD and EGGD. ESGD was 0 in 19/39 (48.7%), 1 in 5/39 (12.8%), 2 in 10/39 (25.6%), 3 in 4/39 (10.2%) and 4 in 1/39 (2.7%) donkeys, respectively. EGGD lesion was a mild depression in the ventral glandular fundus. Statistical analysis showed no differences in relation to sex or age. To the authors’ knowledge this is the first report on alive donkeys. Our prevalence was higher then in dead/euthanized donkeys, but similar to sports and pleasure horses. No statistical differences in the prevalence of ESGD in relation with sex or age were detected, in line to literature.