Body Condition Score Is Not Correlated to Gastric Ulcers in Non-Athlete Horses

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is a worldwide disease, quite common in various categories of horses. Numerous clinical signs have been reported, including inappetence, poor performance, girthiness, and recurrent colic. In addition, weight loss and a low body condition score (BCS) are considered to be associated with EGUS. However, few studies have examined the relationship between BCS and gastric ulcers, and the results were contradictory. Gastroscopies were performed on 203 horses to detect the presence of gastric ulcers. At the same time, a board-certified veterinarian, blinded to the results of the gastroscopies, assessed the BCS of the horse. In our population, BCS was not correlated with the presence or severity of gastric ulcers. Gastric ulceration, therefore, cannot be excluded based only on the presence of a normal or high BCS. ABSTRACT: Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) is a worldwide disease of the stomach that can be found in different categories of horses. Different clinical signs may be present, but a large number of horses are asymptomatic. The aim of this study was to identify a possible correlation between body condition score (BCS) and EGUS in a population of horses. A total of 203 non-athlete horses were submitted for gastroscopies, and the presence and severity of lesions of the glandular and squamous mucosa were recorded. A board-certified veterinarian blinded to the gastroscopy results assessed the BCS of the horse. In the study population, no correlation was found between BCS and the presence of gastric lesions in either the glandular or the squamous mucosa. The disease of the squamous or glandular mucosa cannot be excluded based only on the presence of normal or increased BCS in non-athlete horses.