{"id":4778,"date":"2016-08-05T15:50:33","date_gmt":"2016-08-05T20:50:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/equinevetob.com\/eva\/?p=4778"},"modified":"2016-09-13T09:08:59","modified_gmt":"2016-09-13T14:08:59","slug":"gastric-ulcers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/equinevetob.com\/eva\/gastric-ulcers\/","title":{"rendered":"Does my horse have gastric ulcers?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gastric ulcers can affect a horse of any age and discipline.\u00a0 The majority of horses with gastric ulcers are under heavy stress, such as performance or race horses.\u00a0 However, retired pasture horses, non-performance horses, and even foals are susceptible to gastric ulcers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What are gastric ulcers?<\/h3>\n

Gastric ulcers are erosions in the lining of the stomach due to prolonged exposure to the acid that is normally present in the stomach.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Why do horses get gastric ulcers?<\/h3>\n

Horses are designed to graze regularly, and therefore their stomachs continually secrete acid.\u00a0 Regular intake of roughage neutralizes the acid in the stomach.\u00a0 Often times gastric ulcers result from a horse not being able to eat regularly enough to neutralize the acid.\u00a0 This often occurs with stall confinement and feedings twice per day, which results in a prolonged period without food intake.\u00a0 Stressful environments can also contribute to the development of gastric ulcers, as well as a diet rich in grains but low in roughage.\u00a0 Misuse of common anti-inflammatory drugs, such as chronic administration of phenylbutazone, can decrease the amount of mucus in the stomach lining and leave a horse more susceptible to gastric ulcers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is considered a “stressful environment”?<\/h3>\n

Many scenarios that a horse is exposed to daily can easily be categorized as stressful.\u00a0 Training, hauling, weaning, and herd alterations are all commonly known to be stressful to a horse.\u00a0 However, this often does not account for a horse with a retired, pasture lifestyle.\u00a0 Unfortunately, our horses cannot tell us what is causing them stress.\u00a0 Did your neighbor recently start renovating his house?\u00a0 Did a tractor that has been parked in the same spot for 10 years recently get hauled away?\u00a0 Any number of things can seem strange or new to a horse, and thus cause him or her stress.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What signs should I watch for?<\/h3>\n

Symptoms of gastric ulcers can often be subtle and hard to pinpoint.\u00a0 Many times the horse will have a poor appetite for grains, or overall poor performance.\u00a0 In more severe cases, the horse may have chronic bouts of mild colic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How are gastric ulcers diagnosed?<\/h3>\n

The only definitive way of diagnosing gastric ulcers is through gastroscopy<\/a>.\u00a0 The horse is fasted for 12 to 24 hours, and withheld from water for 3 to 4 hours prior to examination, to ensure the stomach is empty.\u00a0 The veterinarian uses an endoscope with a lighted camera on the end to pass through the nasal cavity and into the stomach to visually examine the stomach lining.\u00a0 The procedure is non-invasive and performed similarly to passing a nasogastric tube for treating a colic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How are gastric ulcers treated?<\/h3>\n

The only proven treatment gastric ulcers is GastroGard (omeprazole), which decreases the amount of acid produced by the stomach.\u00a0 Sucralfate and ranitidine may also be prescribed to aid in acid reduction.<\/p>\n

Altering the horse’s environment to reduce the level of stress is key to preventing continued issues with gastric ulcers.\u00a0 Adding alfalfa to the horse’s diet is recommended for it’s neutralizing effects.\u00a0 It is also recommended that the horse have access to free choice forage or more frequent feedings to reduce the amount of time without food.\u00a0 For added protection, our veterinarians recommend the Platinum Performance Gastric Support<\/a> supplement to maintain healthy levels of stomach acid.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Download our Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) Management Guidelines <\/a>for a quick guide to gastric ulcers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adapted from “Equine Gastric Ulcers: Special Care and Nutrition” By Scott R. McClure, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVS, Diplomate ACVSMR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gastric ulcers can affect a horse of any age and discipline.\u00a0 The majority of horses with gastric ulcers are under heavy stress, such as performance or race horses.\u00a0 However, retired pasture horses, non-performance horses, and even foals are susceptible to gastric ulcers.   What are gastric ulcers? Gastric ulcers are erosions in the lining of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[504],"tags":[23,511,513,514,512],"class_list":["post-4778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faq","tag-colic","tag-gastric","tag-stomach","tag-stress","tag-ulcers"],"yoast_head":"\nDoes my horse have gastric ulcers? - Equine Veterinary Associates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you suspect your horse has gastric ulcers? 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