Does My Horse Have Ulcers?

Is your horse not acting as it always has? Does he show some physical changes that you, the owner, can't understand? Perhaps he has an ulcer; yes a horse can get ulcers. Ulcers in horses can be very painful and dangerous if untreated. Here, is the important information all horse owners need in order to keep their horse safe and healthy.

Risk Factors for Ulcers

The veterinarian will explain to an owner that ulcers are man made conditions. By this, he means the way man himself interacts with the horse has created the exact setting needed for ulcers to crop up.

The horse is a grazing animal and being a full time grazer means there is always stomach acid present, which digests what is eaten throughout the day. A stall bound horse can develop gastric ulcers because of the stress of being kept in the stall for long periods of time, the lesser amount of fresh grazing grass available, eating the dry hay and products served on the stall menu. The horse is an outside animal and confinement for some can cause immense stress due to the enclosure itself.

Heavy training can cause stress. It is always important to ride a well-trained horse, it keeps horse and rider safe from injury; however, the horse is not always a willing subject. Horses don't instinctively want to serve man, they must be trained for riding and activities that we wish them to perform. In order to have a horse work well under its rider that takes training on a consistent basis. Training and hard exercise can decrease the emptying function and blood flow to the stomach which will contributing to the cause of gastric ulcers. Hauling a horse from place to place in the trailer is also a stressful activity.

Symptoms of Ulcers

There are not always outward symptoms of ulcers in horses. A few signs owners should be aware are:

Poor appetite
Decreased performance
Poor looking hair (lack of shine, rough looking and dry)
Abdominal pain (colic)
Bruxism (grinding of the teeth)
Mouth sores (one tongue and gums)
Weight Loss
Change in attitude (just seems a bit unruly when being ridden or worked)

Any one of these symptoms alone or all together means it is time to have a veterinarian check out the horse.

Diagnosis

The best way to diagnose stomach ulcers is by gastroscopy. This test involves placing an endoscope through the nostril and into the stomach. With this scope, the veterinarian can actually look at the walls of the horse's stomach. In order to perform this type of test the horse must have an empty stomach, they must be kept from feed for 12 to 24 hours, and not allowed any water for two to three hours prior to the test. The veterinarian may put the horse under a light sedation and may use a twitch. Once this test is complete and diagnosis is made treatment for ulcers should follow.

Treatment and Prevention

Treatment begins by trying to remove the predisposing factors and decreasing acid production in the stomach. Horses should always be allowed free-choice access to grass or hay if possible. There has been some research and evidence that alfalfa can reduce the risk of gastric ulcers. However, this is not specific and varies from horse to horse.

Owners need to address environmental factors if there is a horse with ulcers in the herd. If a horse must be stalled then having a barn with stalls allowing your horses to see and interact with each other may lower stress. If possible allow the stalled horse access to forage, perhaps adding outside paddocks attached to each stall would help.

If horses cannot get to forage easily then feeding more frequently will be necessary. This frequent feeding helps to buffer the acid in the stomach and decrease the chance of ulcers. Decreasing grain that forms volatile fatty acids in the stomach may help. Replace the energy from the grain by using a feed higher in fat. For horses with lower caloric needs, free-choice grass hay with vitamin and mineral supplements may help.

Medication can decrease acid production but, this is only necessary with horses showing clinical signs of disease and predisposing factors cannot be removed. While it may sound like a good idea to use antacids, to be effective they would need to be administered six to 12 times a day.

Owners should never medicate a horse for ulcers without first consulting a veterinarian as this form of medication can be harmful if used incorrectly and, if it is unneeded. The best way to deal with horse ulcers is prevention if possible; by using preventative measures ulcers may never be a problem with your horses.

Resources:
www.NutrenaWorld.com
www.myhorsematters.com
Equus veterinary Services, Oregon City, Oregon