Every horse is susceptible to ulcers, but good management practices can often help prevent ulcers from forming or getting worse. Ulcers can be caused by a wide variety of things including diets high in grain and low in roughage, restricted feed intake, stress, and certain types of medication.
Some horses show very few outward signs of discomfort, but others may experience any of the following:
-Loss of appetite
-Weight Loss
-Lethargy
-Dullness
-Reactivity to the girth
-Diminished performance under saddle
-Signs of colic or gastrointestinal discomfort, especially following feeding
The only way to truly diagnose ulcers is to have a veterinarian perform a gastroscopy of the stomach to identify the location and severity of ulcers.
Ulcers can be treated with oral medications, typically over the span of one month. These medications include Omeprazole in combination with Sucralfate. GastroGard and UlcerGard are two over the counter Omeprazole treatments that have been clinically proven to treat ulcers. It is important to note that these proton-pump inhibiting medications lower stomach pH allowing the ulcers to heal. However, stopping these medications suddenly can cause a spike in stomach pH and lead to ulcer relapse. Therefore, it is best to wean a horse off the Omeprazole at the end of treatment over the course of at least a week.
The cost of treatment for ulcers in an average sized horse ranges from 1200-1500.00. Money well spent if the horse is suffering to the point of its health and performance being affected.
Proper management practices can also help to prevent ulcers from forming or coming back.
-Horses are grazers and are designed to be eating small amounts throughout a 24 hour period.
-Natural grazing is the most ideal, but this can be mimicked with the addition of slow feed hay nets that allow a horse to eat small amounts over a longer period of time.
-High grain diets lead to increased stomach acid and higher risk of ulcers, so a forage first diet is an important line of defense.
-Working a horse on an empty stomach is another factor in ulcer formation. A horse should be offered a small amount of roughage based feed 1-2 hours before exercise to help protect the stomach.
