Stomach ulcers have long been considered an "occupational disease" in racehorses and competition horses. It was thought that early training, the stress of the racetrack, or frequent transport to international competitions caused stomach ulcers. However, we now know that this condition can affect horses of all breeds and performance levels. Even your neighbor's pony, grazing peacefully in the meadow, could be suffering from a stomach ulcer. Although around 90% of all racehorses are still affected by stomach ulcers, the proportion of leisure horses with the condition now stands at 37%.
While the human body only produces stomach acid when food is ingested, it is produced continuously in the horse's stomach. In nature, horses are almost constantly engaged in eating. The stomach acid produced by the mucous glands is essential for life, as it aids in the digestion of food and kills bacteria. A protective mucus produced by the stomach and buffering substances from saliva protect the sensitive stomach lining from the acid. If these protective mechanisms become unbalanced, the acid can irritate or even damage the stomach lining. This leads to gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining), which can result in painful stomach ulcers.
All acid-related inflammatory changes and irritations in the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine of horses are collectively referred to as equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS).
A distinction is made between equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) and equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD). The horse's stomach is divided into a front part without glands and a rear part containing glands that produce stomach acid. If the front part without glands comes into contact with too much stomach acid for too long, this leads to ESGD. This is more common. EGGD is less common and its cause is still unclear. In this case, the rear part of the stomach, which produces stomach acid, is affected. In healthy horses, this part is always exposed to stomach acid.
The signs of stomach ulcers in horses are very unspecific, meaning that they are often overlooked for a long time. In some cases, a positive change in the horse is only noticeable after successful treatment. However, there are some signs and behaviors that may indicate gastritis or a stomach ulcer. The symptoms in adult horses must be distinguished from those in foals, as they can differ significantly.
Adult horses suffering from stomach ulcers often show one or more of the following symptoms:
Approximately 50% of all suckling foals suffer from stomach ulcers, which can be life-threatening. The following symptoms may indicate stomach ulcers in a foal:
If you suspect that your horse is suffering from stomach problems, please contact your veterinarian immediately so that they can carry out a quick examination and initiate any necessary treatment.
Unlike humans, no bacteria have been detected in the development of stomach ulcers in horses. Many different factors can trigger the development of a stomach ulcer in horses. The biggest risk factors include mistakes in husbandry and feeding, inappropriate training, stress, and prolonged medication.
Known stress factors include long transport in horse trailers, unfamiliar surroundings, competitions, events, changing stables, changes in feed, and insufficient opportunity to move freely. Even seemingly everyday things such as riding without a companion horse or the radio playing constantly in the stable aisle can cause stress for individual horses. Develop a good eye for your horse and what stresses it in particular. In both box stalls and open or exercise stables, an unfavorable herd composition can cause stress for individual horses. This may be because they dislike their box neighbor or because the hierarchy in the herd is unclear. A change of trainer can also be a stress factor.
In terms of feeding, too much starch or grain, insufficient roughage, poor-quality roughage, too long breaks between meals, hot, frozen, or coarse feed, insufficient access to water, and increased intake of tannic acid from acorns and beechnuts can promote the development of stomach ulcers.
During training, the pressure in the stomach changes when trotting and even more so when galloping. This causes stomach acid to come into contact with the sensitive, glandless stomach lining and can damage it. Training should not take place on an empty stomach, i.e., not before morning feeding or after a long break from eating. However, do not feed concentrated feed two hours before and two hours after training.
Horses whose immune systems are weakened by other diseases or operations are at higher risk of developing stomach ulcers. Prolonged administration of certain medications can also cause stomach ulcers to develop.
Based on the vague symptoms described above, your vet can only make a tentative diagnosis. To get an accurate picture of the horse's stomach lining, your vet will need to perform a gastroscopy (stomach examination). Horses undergoing gastroscopy must not eat any food or bedding for 18 to 24 hours before the examination. The examination is performed on a standing horse under sedation. A long, flexible endoscope is inserted through the nasal passage, advanced to the larynx, swallowed, and carefully advanced through the esophagus into the stomach and the front section of the small intestine. Using a camera and a light source, your veterinarian can examine the inside of the stomach on a screen and save images and videos. This is the only way to accurately determine the extent and location of the disease. If the veterinary practice has the appropriate equipment, the examination can also be carried out in the stable.
If gastroscopy is not possible or desirable because the horse should not be subjected to additional stress, diagnostic therapy can be used to determine the presence of stomach ulcers. If the symptoms disappear with medication, it can be assumed that the horse had a stomach ulcer or gastritis. However, this does not reveal the exact findings in the stomach.
Once diagnosed, stomach ulcers in ESGD are easy to treat. The prognosis for EGGD is less favorable, as the causes are not yet known. The majority of horses with EGGD do not respond to standard stomach ulcer treatment.
ESGD is treated with the medication omeprazole. This inhibits stomach acid production and is administered daily, ideally 30 minutes before the morning feed, either directly into the mouth or mixed with feed. In some cases, additional medication or feed supplements are used. A follow-up check is carried out after 28 days. In addition to the location of the stomach ulcers, their severity also always affects the length of the healing process.
In addition to medication, optimizing the horse's living, feeding, and training conditions is extremely important to prevent recurrence. If triggering factors or an underlying disease are known, these must be eliminated or treated as best as possible.
In the case of ESGD, keep the training duration to a maximum of 40 minutes of trotting and cantering. In the case of EGGD, incorporate two to three rest days per week.
It is not advisable to treat your horse with omeprazole or various feed supplements on a permanent or preventive basis. Stomach acid has a natural function in the horse's body and should not be permanently suppressed or artificially buffered. Your veterinarian will draw up a detailed treatment plan for your horse on an individual basis.
Wild horses move around for 16 to 18 hours a day, covering 15 to 30 kilometers, mostly at a walking pace. In contrast, a horse kept in a stall will cover three kilometers during a 40-minute lunging session, for example. Keeping horses in a way that allows them plenty of exercise is the best way to prevent the development of stomach ulcers.
The second important factor is feeding the horse correctly and in accordance with its individual needs. Roughage plays a major role here. Horses chew roughage three times longer than concentrated feed, which means it is better mixed with saliva. Saliva buffers stomach acid. For this reason, roughage should be fed in sufficient quantities and always before the concentrated feed ration.
Reducing stress for the horse is not always easy to achieve, as not all stress factors are obvious. Therefore, pay attention to what exactly causes unusual behavior in your horse. Ask yourself the following questions to make sure that your horse is doing well in its current living conditions:
In general, you should pay particular attention to the following points to expose your horse to as little stress as possible:
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