What are Gastric Ulcers
Gastric Ulcers are an issue that is very common with active horses. Gastric ulcers are sores that form in the stomach lining. Horse stomachs have 2 regions: glandular and non glandular. The glandular portion of the stomach is highly acidic with the pH averaging at 1.5. This portion of the stomach has a protective layer of mucus that prevents the stomach lining from being damaged by the acid. However, the non glandular region does not have this protective mucus layer because it has a more neutral pH range of 5-7. Gastric Ulcers occur when the acid from the glandular portion of the stomach enters the non glandular portion of the stomach typically during exercise or strenuous activities.
What causes Gastric Ulcers
The horse's glandular region produces acid all day everyday. The average horse secretes about 9 gallons of the gastric acid daily. Horses are built to eat small meals throughout the day, so the acid is being “buffered” and used in the process of digestion rather than just building up in the stomach. When the acid is not buffered and the horse is performing a physically demanding activity, the acid from the glandular stomach will leak into the non glandular stomach and begin to cause damage to the stomach lining.
Grains can also be a contributing factor to ulcers because they produce volatile fatty acids when fermenting which are the same as the acids that are produced in the glandular region of the stomach. Horses who are fed grains and especially concentrates need to be fed some type of roughage throughout the day as a buffer because they will have excess acid from the grain fermentation.
Another possible contributing factor to ulcers can be stress. This is seemingly unavoidable for horses who show or race considering all of the traveling and new and strange situations. However, when they are in those situations, just do your best to minimize their stress as much as possible.
There are also some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that can contribute to the decrease of production of the protective mucus coating which in turn could lead to gastric ulcers; these included Phenylbutazone (aka Bute) and Flunixin Meglumine (aka Banamine). You do not have to all out avoid these products, but if your horse is showing symptoms and you have been using these products, it is something to consider. When you do use these products be sure to offer more roughages and to frequently create more buffer for that acid to minimize chances of ulcer development.
Prevention
Some of the key things you can do to prevent gastric ulcer development in your horses is to limit stressful situations, feed frequently and/or offer free choice pasture or hay as much as possible to act as a buffer for that acid.The feed and roughages act as a sort of antacid for horses; so when the horse is fed more frequently more acid is being used for digestion, which means less chance of the the acid being able to reach and damage the sensitive lining in the non glandular region of the stomach.
Of course it may not be feasible for every horse owner to feed every horse free choice all day and it’s not really possible to avoid every stressful situation with your horse, but manage your time and horses wisely. Do what works for you to prevent ulcer development in your horses and monitor them daily for changes in mood, appetite, and body condition changes.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Gastric Ulcers can occur in horses of any age, so it is important to care for all horses in a way that can prevent them from developing this painful condition. Horses will begin to show signs of ulcers at varying times depending on the severity of the horse's condition. Signs can include poor appetite, attitude changes, poor performance, diarrhea, increased salivation, pot bellied appearance, weight loss and colic like behavior. If your horse is showing these signs, it is important to contact your veterinarian. Your veterinarian can give you an idea if it may be stomach ulcers or not and they may recommend performing an endoscopy to give you a definitive diagnosis.
Treatment
While there is no definite cure for gastric ulcers, there is one USDA approved treatment that can lead to the horse’s ulcers healing; however the results tend to vary from horse to horse.
Horses who are diagnosed with Gastric ulcers should be allowed a break from strenuous activities immediately and provided with roughages to eat throughout the day and night. They should be administered the medicine as prescribed and have the vet out for regular checks to make sure things are progressing as they should. After a bit of time on that treatment it is likely that your horse will get relief from the painful sores.
Sources
Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome | School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis
Gastric Ulcers » College of Veterinary Medicine » University of Florida
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