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How to Manage Gastric Ulcers in Horses in the Middle East
Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) is a common concern for performance horses. In actively racing thoroughbreds, the prevalence can be as high as 100%. Gastric ulcers have a detrimental impact on both performance and the overall well-being of horses. However, there are proactive measures you can take to help minimize the risk.
Understanding Gastric Ulcers in Horses:
Gastric ulcers occur when there is damage to the lining of the horse’s stomach (the mucosa). The development of gastric ulcers can be influenced by various contributing factors, and based on their location, they are typically categorized as follows:
Equine Squamous Gastric Disease (ESGD):
- – Lesions occur in the non-glandular (squamous) region of the stomach.
- – Damage to the squamous stomach lining is primarily caused by excessive exposure to acidic stomach contents.
Equine Glandular Gastric Disease (EGGD):
- – Lesions occur in the glandular region of the stomach.
- – The exact cause of EGGD is less well understood.
Your veterinarian can diagnose gastric ulcers, determine their type, and assess their severity through gastroscopy, which involves using a small camera inserted down the throat into the stomach.
Clinical Signs of Gastric Ulcers in Horses Include:
- – Poor performance
- – Reduced appetite
- – Weight loss and poor body condition
- – Dull coat condition
- – Episodes of colic
- – Diarrhoea
- – Sensitivity or discomfort when tightening the girth
- – Behavioural changes
- – Teeth grinding
Risk Factors for Gastric Ulcers in Horses:
Many of the risk factors for EGUS are associated with the lifestyle of a horse in training. For ESGD, factors that increase the risk of acid exposure include:
Diet:
- – High starch intake (>2g/kg body weight per day). Grains (oats, barley, maize, etc.) are naturally high in starch so limit amounts per meal. If larger amounts are desired, split these meals into three or four meals per day. Horses are desiged to eat “little and often”.
- – Extended periods of fasting (>6 hours between feeding of hay- ideally, hay should be fed ad lib)
- – Limited access or restricted forage (hay), as is common in the Middle East.
Stress:
– Exercise: The severity of the condition is linked to the intensity and regularity of exercise.
The risk factors for EGGD, while less clearly defined due to an unknown definitive cause, may include:
- – Frequent exercise (more than 5 times per week, irrespective of intensity)
- – Stress
- – Thoroughbred breed
Treatment of Gastric Ulcers in Horses:
Several management changes can help reduce the risk of gastric ulcers, although not all are practical for horses in training:
- – Avoid high-starch diets, ensuring that concentrate feed does not exceed 2kg per meal.
- – Space concentrate meals at least 6 hours apart and avoid feeding them immediately before forage.
- – Consider adding oil to the diet, with products like Kentucky Karron Oil or Foran’s Cod Liver Oil which contain the ideal ratio of omega 3, 6, and 9 for horses to support digestive and overall health.
- – Ensure free access to good-quality imported forage, as it helps build a protective fibre mat for the stomach lining. If free access isn’t possible, ensure that the time between forage meals doesn’t exceed 6 hours.
- – Provide a small forage (hay) meal 30-60 minutes before exercise.
- – Omeprazole is a commonly used treatment for gastric ulcers and can also be used alongside the above measures to help prevent recurrence. Consult your veterinarian for more information.
Maintaining overall digestive health is beneficial for horses prone to gastric ulcers. Our Gut balancer, Nutri-Gard is our newly improved formula that contains a unique blend of prebiotics, highly digestible fibres, B vitamins and postbiotics. Its ingredients have been carefully selected as they have been scientifically proven to support the gut & buffer the stomach (pectin & inulin), enhance the appetite (B vitamins), optimise protein/
energy absorption (amino acids) and aid in stress management (postbiotics). Nutri-Gard is intended for any competition horse, any horse that is not thriving, may have stomach issues, has a dull coat, recovering from illness, has had or is on a course of antibiotics, has a fluctuating appetite or is highly strung. The unique inclusion of postbiotics in Nutri-Gard makes it a superior stomach and hindgut supplement for horses. The postbiotics used in Nutri-Gard have been scientifically proven to make the hindgut’s microbiome more robust and less reactive to stress (5)
Contact the Foran Equine Team for further information on using their products to support horses in training. They will be delighted to assist you.
References:
- Sykes BW, Hewetson M, Hepburn RJ, Luthersson N, Tamzali Y. European College of Equine Internal Medicine Consensus Statement—Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome in Adult Horses. J Vet Intern Med 2015;29:1288–1299
- Sykes BW, Jokisalo JM. Rethinking equine gastric ulcer syndrome: Part 2 – Equine squamous gastric ulcer syndrome (ESGUS). Equine Vet Educ 2015;27:264-268
- Luthersson N, Nielsen KH, Harris P, Parkin TDH. Risk factors associated with equine gastric ulceration syndrome (EGUS) in 201 horses in Denmark. Equine Vet J 2009;41:625–630
- van den Boom R. Equine gastric ulcer syndrome in adult horses. Veterinary Journal (London, England : 1997). 2022 May-Jun;283-284:105830. DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2022.105830. PMID: 35472513.
- Ganda, E., Chakrabarti, A., Sardi, M.I., Tench, M., Kozlowicz, B.K., Norton, S.A., Warren, L.K. and Khafipour, E. (2023). Saccharomyces cervisiae fermentation product improves robustness of equine gut microbiome upon stress. 24 February 2023. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1134092
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Nicolas Gaumerais
Group Commercial Manager GCC Region
Based in the UAE, Nicolas Gaumerais is the Commercial Manager of the Connolly's RED MILLS Group which includes Foran Equine supplements and Connolly's RED MILLS horse feed in the GCC region. Nicholas regularly travels across the Gulf.