Ulcerguard for the Treatment and Management
of Equine Gastric Stomach Ulcers
Our research and field work has resolved many issues of this condition and here we will provide some of the detail of our work.
- The incidence of gastric stomach ulcers in horses
- What are the signs of ulcers
- Performance horses are more susceptible to stomach ulcers
- What are the causes of gastric ulceration in all horses
- Diagnosing equine gastric ulcers
-
Treating equine
gastric stomach ulcers
The incidence of
gastric stomach ulcers in horses
Ranvet has two 3 metre endoscopes that are used throughout the country for the purpose of scoping horses to diagnose stomach ulcers. This is a free service to veterinarians, trainers and owners. Over the last six years we have scoped thousands of horses in all disciplines. Thoroughbreds at stud, in pre and full training, foals, standardbreds and performance horses in other than racing.
These are the facts as we know them.
Up to 91% of racehorses and 52 % of other performance horses such as show horses we have scoped have varying degrees of ulceration.
Ulceration has ranged from Grade 1 to Grade 3
Normal Stomach |
Grade 1 |
Grade 2 |
Grade 3 |
These can all be signs of gastric stomach ulcers. However the only certain way to diagnose is via endoscopy as these can be signs of other conditions. Always consult your veterinarian.
Performance horses are more likely to develop stomach ulcers
Excessive acid can erode the protective lining and damage the stomach. The prevalence of ulcers in stabled horses results from many factors including the way the horses are fed and managed. The stress of training also may contribute to the formation of ulcers. It has been proposed that grains and pelleted concentrates can increase the production of gastrin (Gastrin is a major physiological regulator of gastric acid secretion. It also has an important trophic or growth-promoting influence on the gastric mucosa), a hormone that stimulates acid production and horses that are fed high grain diets are more likely to have higher gastric acidity.
What are the causes of gastric ulceration in all horses
Horses are grazing herbivores – they graze almost continually when left in pastured areas, and the small stomach (only 8-15 litres capacity) is ideally designed for small, regular meals, as will happen when horses graze for long periods. Horses are also designed to consume large volumes of forage (roughage), and to obtain the bulk of their energy intake from the breakdown of fibre and roughage into available energy, under normal circumstances.
The real problem for horses arrives when they have
their eating and chewing time restricted (by stabling horses and
restricting feed times to one or two large meals daily), and then by
further stressing digestive function by undergoing regular hard exercise
(often on an empty stomach).
So a normal grazing horse will chew and graze for up to 16-20 hours
daily, almost constantly producing saliva to neutralise the stomach acid
which is constantly being produced.
Normal meals high in fibre tend to absorb much of the stomach acid
produced (remember that stomach acid is there to begin to digest and
break down fibrous materials in the meal immediately after the food is
chewed, broken up, and swallowed).
Normal meals high in fibre also tend to stay in the stomach for longer
periods than watery, or non-fibrous foods (including grains and mashes).
The actual emptying time of the stomach is governed by the size of the
meal – so a large meal will empty faster than a small meal. Similarly, a
predominantly grain or concentrate meal will empty rapidly.
If the stomach empties quickly, there are long periods when acid is
being produced, yet there is no food in the stomach, especially when
horses have restricted feeding times because they are stabled and fed to
a stable routine once or twice daily.
The most likely causes of gastric ulcers in horses include feeding management practices, physical stress, diet and specific medications given in high doses.
How are equine gastric ulcers diagnosed
A clinical examination should be performed if ulcers are suspected. A 3 metre endoscope is used to confirm the existence of stomach ulcers in horses. As mentioned earlier, Ranvet has two such scopes, freely available through your vet.
Treating equine gastric ulcers
Most ulcers will heal without treatment
if the underlying cause is removed. For instance if the horse is taken
out of work and put into a paddock. This is not usually practical in
performance horses therefore a change in management is required. There
is an excellent article at
here that may
be of interest.
Anti-ulcer drugs for horses are readily available and some are expensive. Most
importantly, Ulcergard IS NOT Ulcerguard.
Ulcerguard was the first ulcer treatment for horses approved by the APVMA in Australia and the work we have done in the field confirms our claim that Ulcerguard (note: Ulcergard or any spelling similar or exact that is not manufactured by Ranvet is not our product), is the treatment of choice for healing gastric stomach ulcers in horses and maintaining a healed condition.
There is a wealth of information available at our home site.