Frequency of Gastric Pathologies in Donkeys (Equus africanus asinus) in Córdoba, Colombia

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the frequency of gastric pathologies in donkeys (<em>Equus africanus asinus</em>) in the department of Córdoba, Colombia. Stomachs of 137 donkeys (73 intact males, 16 castrated males, and 48 females), aged between 1 to 25 years, were examined, characterized and photographed <em>post mortem</em>. Data on sex, age and pathology were reported on the respective forms and then digitized. Of the total population (137 donkeys), stomach ulcers and associated gastritis were found in 100% of the samples, antral edema in 56.9%, parasites (<em>Trichostrongylus axei</em>) in 10.2%, and impaction in 5.8%. Furthermore, <em>Hemomelasma gastric</em> was found in one stomach (0.7%). As a conclusion, 100% of the evaluated animals presented at least some kind of gastric pathology. Acute gastritis was the most frequent type (71.5%), followed in a smaller proportion by chronic gastritis (28.4%). The study showed a significant statistical dependence between age and the degree of injury to the glandular mucosa (p < 0.05). Thus, it evidenced a high incidence of gastric pathologies in donkeys in different livestock holdings in Córdoba, among which squamous ulcers are the most frequent ones, followed by acute gastritis and antral edema. For this reason, it is necessary to do more research and to raise awareness about the treatment of these pathologies in these animals.