Effects of various diets on gastric tone in the proximal portion of the stomach of horses

OBJECTIVE: To assess gastric tone in the proximal portion of the stomach in horses during and after ingestion of 4 diets (2 diets of grain and 2 diets of hay). ANIMALS: 6 adult horses. PROCEDURE: A polyester bag with a volume of approximately 1,600 ml was inserted through a gastric cannula into the proximal portion of the stomach of each horse. Internal pressure of the bag was maintained at 2 mm Hg by use of an electronic barostat, and changes in bag volume were recorded before, during, and after horses consumed diets of grain or hay. Each horse was fed 0.5 and 1.0 g of grain/kg and 0.5 and 1.0 g of hay/kg. Changes in bag volume measured by use of the barostat were indirectly related to changes in tone of the gastric wall. RESULTS: Food intake caused a distinctly significant biphasic increase in volume. The first phase was during active ingestion, which was followed shortly by a second, more prolonged postprandial phase. The ingestion-related phase of the response to intake of a diet of 1 g of hay/kg was significantly greater than that for the other diets. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: ingestion of a solid meal induces a biphasic relaxation response in the proximal portion of the stomach of horses. Magnitude of the ingestion-related phase may be determined by size of the meal.