Ultrasonographic evaluation of the effects of the administration of neostigmine and metoclopramide on duodenal, cecal, and colonic contractility in Arabian horses: A comparative study

Background and Aim: As means for enhancing gastrointestinal (GI) motility, prokinetics have previously been evaluated in different breeds of horses with varying success. No previous studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of prokinetics on the intestinal tract of Arabian horses breed. Using B-mode ultrasound in the quantification of intestinal contractility, this study aimed to compare the impact of neostigmine and metoclopramide on the intestinal motility of healthy Arabian horses. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one clinically healthy Arabian horses were equally distributed into three groups. The control group was administered with 5 mL normal saline intramuscularly (IM). The second group was administered with neostigmine (0.044 mg/kg body weight [BW], IM), and the third group was administered with metoclopramide (0.25 mg/kg BW, IM). Duodenal, cecal, and colonic contractions were counted through ultrasonography for 3 min (pre-administration and 15, 30, 60, 120, and 180 min post-administration). Results: In the neostigmine group, a significant (p