Effects of pre-anesthetic fasting versus non-fasting in horses
This study investigated the effects of pre-anesthetic fasting versus non-fasting on the equine gut microbiota using four Thoroughbred horses. Fecal samples were collected at multiple time points: one week before anesthesia, the day before anesthesia prior to fasting, immediately before anesthesia, and at 1, 2, 3, and 7 days post-anesthesia. Illumina-based 16S rRNA gene sequencing targeting the V3-V4 region was performed to characterize the gut microbial communities.