GASTRIC ULCERS
- Hayley Burton
- Mar 20, 2023
- 3 min read
Gastric Ulcers can affect any type of horse at any age or discipline, the most likely to be affected are high performance horse like racehorses, eventers or show horses, but all types of horses can get them. Gastric or stomach ulcers are sores or lesions on the stomach lining, caused by erosion of the lining, this is due to being exposed to the natural acid the stomach contains for long periods of time.
Why do horse’s get Ulcers?
Horses are designed to graze eating little and often, their stomachs make acid all the time, this acid is used to break down any forage, the top part of the stomach mixes and has no protection bar the food from the acid, the bottom section continuously makes acid, and has a natural barrier against it. If your horse is not doing this and standing for long periods without forage, this allows the constantly occurring acid access to the stomach lining, causing damage, when you ride, this acid can splash the gut lining also.
Horses get ulcers from high grain style feeding methods with little forage or turnout, e.g., horses fed high energy diets with little turnout.
Stress, Physical or environmental stress can horse who stress, pace and generally don’t settle to graze or eat forage or horses who have moved yards recently, will increase the chances of ulcers. Physical stress like trailering can lead to a horse not eating for a long period of time then being exercised causing acid splash, increasing the likely hood.
Some horses after an injury or illness, e.g., sore teeth, so they decrease their forage or hard feed intake due to the pain or a horse who has been used to turnout but had a week’s box rest due to a cut leg and having Bute, can lead to ulcers as there grazing pattern has differed, causing physical and environmental stress related ulcers as well as the Bute causing the natural acid defence to be altered. Ill-fitting tack and soreness that would make a horse uncomfortable at times, increasing stress levels can also cause gastric issues.
Signs of Ulcers
Poor appetite
Dull or poor coat
Lack of enthusiasm to life
Change of character, sudden kicking, biting, bucking
Decreased ability to work
Reluctant to work or go forward
Poor body condition
Weight loss, rapid or slow
Mild Colic, recurrent
Girthy, touchy around the stomach area.
Cribbing or teeth grinding
How to treat
You will have to have your horse scoped, have an endoscopy by the vet, this goes into the stomach to look at ulcers and the severity of them.
Omeprazole is normally what the vets treat with as it’s a paste, and proven effective.
Your vet will discuss all the options depending on the severity of ulcers
Ulcers will reoccur if you keep the horse in the same environment or physical state that it was in when the ulcers occurred.
Preventing Ulcers?
Preventing ulcers is based on an individual horse:
Adding a barrier to the gut before riding e.g., a chaff feed
Supplements to help buffer acid, especially in show or racehorses.
Lots of forage, e.g., grass or hay, ab lib or turned out 24/7
Reduce grain type feeds
Reducing stress, let horses interact with others
Reducing stress like competition, travelling until healed
Little and often forage based feeds
Ab lib hay or grazing
Most horses though they will always be prone and must be managed carefully they can lead a normal active life; they just need a bit more TLC to their gut than others.
Comments