How do I recognise a gastric ulcer?
Since there are no specific symptoms that would clearly signal gastric ulcers and stomach inflammation, it is absolutely essential that the horse’s caretaker pay close attention to the animal's behaviour, feed intake and physical signs.
These signs include reduced appetite, weight loss, a resulting drop in performance and a dull coat. They also include behavioural changes.
Horses and ponies love routine in their daily activity. An important part of this daily routine is a greeting when you enter the yard.
If a horse does not appear for this ritual and instead remains visibly distant, this is an indication that something may be wrong with this horse.
Behaviour may also change in such a way that normally tame and obedient horses suddenly become sullen or aggressive. It is also quite possible that such behavioural changes in individual horses only become visible during work, and are not immediately noticeable during the first morning check.
In the context of animal observation, the following symptoms are considered to be indications of a more advanced course of the disease:
- grinding of teeth
- colic
- excessive salivation
- cribbing
Important:
The symptoms mentioned here may also stem from other health issues. It is therefore essential to observe and examine the animal carefully, without prematurely concluding the presence of gastric ulcers, and to treat the animal accordingly.
False diagnoses, with unnecessary treatments and stress for the animal, should be avoided at all costs.
This brings us to feeding and rations.
Here, too, the principle applies that the desired goal should be a balanced diet.
A continuous supply of feed and – very important – hay must be ensured to avoid metabolic disorders.
This aspect of feeding is particularly important when the ration consists of concentrated feed and roughage. A healthy 500 kg healthy horse with average activity often serves as an orientation in the calculation and composition of the correct ration, i.e., he neither simply stands his whole life in the stable nor must he work excessively hard. For such a horse, a hay quantity of 2% of its body weight is recommended. With our model horse, this comes to 10 kg.
Since the life of a horse in human care is very different from that of a horse in the wild, you should at least make sure that there is enough food available during the night so that the horse can eat continuously.
The relevance of this recommendation becomes apparent on closer examination of the equine stomach and its physiology, as well as the lifestyle of horses living in the wild.
Horses produce gastric acid continuously, independently of food intake.
This, a potential problem for domesticated animals and their feeding intervals, was originally an excellent concept in nature.
As grazing animals, they stand virtually up to their hooves in feed. They have unlimited access to it, and the stomach is permanently ready for digestion. It's not the stomach alone, however.
The saliva of a horse contains bicarbonate, which acts as a buffer to gastric protecting the stomach from damage. Regular intake and good salivation of feed before swallowing ensures a balancing buffer.
Something to keep in mind: on the one hand, it is important that the animals salivate their feed thoroughly, which is much easier when it is rich in fibre. On the other hand, coarse fibrous straw or heavily woody hay can also cause gastric ulcers.
The consistency of the feed in the stomach plays an important role as well. Here it should mix with gastric acid. If not, the feed remains "on its own", while the gastric acid may attack the stomach wall. Naturally, it goes without saying that the feed should always be of high quality.
For example, the feed must not be used if something should go wrong during the silage fermentation process. This can happen very quickly: a small hole in the protective foil is sufficient to allow oxygen to enter, stopping the anaerobic processes and causing the feed to spoil.
How is a gastric ulcer diagnosed?
This is how a gastroscopy is carried out on your horse!
Even with prevention, the figures mentioned at the beginning suggest that there is still a lot of room for improvement. A gastroscopy is often the only way to find out for certain whether a horse suffers from gastric ulcers.
The examination involves an endoscope being inserted into the horse's stomach to check the lining for gastric ulcers or lesions. The stomach must of course be empty in order for the examination to go smoothly, so forget for a moment the recommendations for prevention discussed above.
For horses, such an examination means no eating 12-24 hours before the procedure and no drinking 2-3 hours before. These are the basics.
While at first glance a gastroscopy appears to be the best path to a diagnosis, another challenge lurks here.
Gastric ulcers come and go, sometimes very quickly. If the gastroscopy turns up no abnormalities, that doesn’t mean everything is in perfect order.
Gastric ulcers may have been present a few days before the examination and have since disappeared – or they may occur two days after this "satisfactory" examination.
This is exactly why it is so important to observe the horses closely for any of the symptoms mentioned above. One should also know the individual characteristics of one’s healthy animals, in order to spot behaviour changes that may arise. A further challenge lies in the simplified presentation of gastric ulcers in all stages. Rats have been used for research in this area because their stomachs are similar to those of horses.
For those who may feel somewhat overwhelmed by the information in this article, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) offers a 5-point plan for the prevention of gastric ulcers.
This plan is part of a white paper which is freely accessible and easy to find via Google. The author is veterinarian Beth Davis of Kansas State University: