Is the rapid fecal blood test safe to asses gastrointestinal health in non-athlete and athlete horses?

Gastrointestinal tract diseases in horses have been reported as frequent health problems. However, there are few rapid tests to screen gastrointestinal health. This research aimed to evaluate biomarkers of equine health in association with the equine fecal blood test (eFBT) in horses. Blood and fecal samples from 160 adult horses, non-athletes and athletes, in different breeding systems for analysis of blood biomarkers and detection of occult blood through eFBT and fecal pH. The non-athlete horses were distributed according to management practices in the G-Mt1, G-Mt2 and G-Mt3, while the athletes were divided according to the type of exercise in the G-Gait, G-Race and G-Vaq groups. The results were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test with p set at 5%. G-Mt1 had the highest frequency of positives (83.3%), while G-Race had the lowest (29.5%). The positive results in non-athletes were associated with a diet rich in soluble carbohydrates in G-Mt1 (83.3%) and crowded housing in G-Mt3 (38.9%). In athletes, it was detected that the age of the animals had an impact on positive results in G-Gait (45.8%), where horses over 6 years old in this group showed more positivity. It was concluded that in horses evaluated, positivity can vary depending on different aspects that stress (housing, diet and, level of competition) the GIT and thus the eFBT can be used as a complementary test and can contribute to the assessment of the health and well-being of horses.