Gastric Ulcers
HORSE OWNERS COMMENT
1 . My TB was diagnosed with grade 3 ulcers in Nov and after many courses of Gastrogard and many scopes,
Keep him as stress free as possible, look to his field companions, his stable, his workload - everything . Then his diet. My horses management didnt conform to what is normally associated with ulcers so you really have to get picky.
Feed as natural as possible. I fed no mixes but he still had them.
He is now fed as much hay as he will eat, in the field and in the stable. Modern grasses grown for horse pasture are too high in fructans.
He has molassed free sugarbeet, molassed free alfalfa (high in calcium , good for ulcers) and corn oil (sold in any supermarket). He also has Equine Americas Ulcergard twice daily and seaweed supplement. He is fed all that twice daily although quantites of beet and alfalfa have been reduced now its summer.
Then if he has got worked up or if he has done fast work I give him 50ml of liquid Coligone to soothe his upper tract which isnt protected.
This is working for me as his last scope showed minimal ulceration and the vet was really pleased .
Hope you get sorted and that this helps.
2. Hi, Gastrogard is so effective I really wouldnt give Coligone whilst your horse is still on it. Ulcergard (equine america) is fine to give alongside the Gastrogard and indeed I personally would start it asap so it is in his system before he comes off the Gastrogard.
Sulphur irritates ulcers and so make sure you are not feeding Garlic whilst he has them. I got in touch with some of the racehorse rehabilitation places and asked their advise as my vet was drawing a blank as to why my horse had them. My horse doesnt compete, isnt in fast work, wasnt fed any concentrates, is in a field with only 1 other horse and isnt bullied, has daily turnout etc etc etc. Everything opposite to what would normally be a cause. Some of the experts I spoke to said the ulcers could easily have been a byproduct of his racing days and that something could have caused them to flare up again, though my vet disagreed here and said they wouldnt have lay dormant and that he'd only just got them. I tend to disagree with the vet there though i'm sure some one could argue the case on here.
A horse produces stomach acid constantly and the best way it was explained to me is that you have to buffer the acid to help stop it splashing up onto the unprotected part of the stomach.
Short grass is not as good as long for eg, long strands of hay are even better at creating a 'matting' over the acid. Bare in mind though that the stomach can digest its contents in 15 minutes, so when going on long hacks etc the stomach will be empty very quickly and therfore acid will be sloshing around freely.
I was told to feed hay freely which i now do, make sure the horse has plenty of hay before riding. Several of the experts used Ulcergard and one reccomended giving Aloe Vera, though i havent tried it myself. Cut out sugars (molasses, carrots etc) and interestingly I was told to stop feeding 'Fast Fibre'. Now fibre is the good for the gut but the one chap said he found that in some horses 'fast fibre' and the like was a too intense fibre for some horses too handle and that alfalfa and sugarbeet with plenty of hay , was a much more natural and gentle way to make sure he was getting fibre diet.
If going on a long hack give your horse a chance to graze briefly half way round if you can, just so he had something in his stomach to soak up the acid. If he is stressed he will produce more acid so try and keep him as stress free as poss.
You can get coligone in powder form to feed as a supplement, but I went with what was used by others ie the ulcergard and bought the liquid Coligone to use at times of stress and before and after being ridden. I just administer it via a large syringe straight down the throat, like a wormer. He is so used to it now and stands really good. This will coat the upper stomach and soothe.
questions :
What are equine gastric ulcers?
Ulcers are an erosion of the horse’s stomach lining
caused by prolonged exposure to acid produced by the
stomach
Which horses get gastric ulcers?
All equines. Surprisingly 63% of performance horses.
37% of leisure horses and 50% of foals.
What causes gastric ulcers?
• Prolonged periods without food
• Stress
• Exercise induced acid regurgitation
How can I tell if my horse has gastric ulcers?
• Behavioural changes
• Poor performance
• Poor appetite
• Weight loss
• Recurrent colic
• Dull coat
• Teeth grinding
• Excessive salivation
How are gastric ulcers diagnosed?
Gastroscopy can be performed to look inside the
stomach. This is a standing procedure performed
under light sedation, where a camera is passed via the
nose into the horses stomach.
Can gastric ulcers be treated?
Yes this is a very treatable condition once diagnosed.
GRASS SICKNESS
HORSE OWNERS COMMENT
I brought a pony from Reading market a few years back she started loosing weight dramatically. I had the vet out many times and they diagnosed her with grass sickness and 50/50 chance of survival. I spend loads of money trying to find a feed she would eat, but she turned her nose up at them all. I had to raiser her water up to a higher level so she would drink, I spent many a night nursing her staying with her round the clock. One day I was in a feed merchants talking to customer and got onto the subject of my pony and she suggested fast fibre.
I brought some as I had nothing to loose and she loved it kept eating it the next day too, small amounts but she ate it. As the days went by she started improving slowly. Zoom forward and she made a full recovery but it took m,any months she is now onto small hacks and still enjoying life.
Grass Sickness link
http://www.aht.org.uk/skins/Default/pdfs/EGSSS_riskfactor.pdf
Horse Vet Direct for horse owners in the UK
Equine Grass Sickness
Grass Sickness is a disease that causes damage to parts of the nervous system which control involuntary functions. The main symptom seen with this is that gut movement stops. The cause of this condition is unknown, however, as the disease is seen almost exclusively in horses grazing, a toxin is considered most likely. Grass sickness affects horses, ponies and donkeys of all breeds. There is some evidence that mares may be at slightly less risk than stallions and geldings although this is still being investigated.
The disease occurs in horses of all ages, however, most cases are seen in 2 to 7 year olds. The reason for this age group being most at risk is thought to be because the younger animals are not yet eating large quantities of grass and the older animals may have developed a degree of resistance to the disease.
Cases have been seen in every month of the year but most are seen between April and July. Grass sickness, as its name suggests, is strongly associated with grazing, however, horses don’t appear to need to be on pasture full-time to get the disease and the type of grazing does not seem to have any affect on the number of cases.
Animals undergoing stressful situations appear to be predisposed to the condition. These stresses include recent purchase, mixing with strange horses, breaking, castrating and travelling long distances.
Animals that are slightly overweight appear to also be predisposed.
Worming more frequently than is necessary has also been found to be a risk. Horses should still be wormed regularly and the wormer rotated each year. See section on worming.
Other risk factors include increased numbers of horses on the pasture, mechanical dropping removal, anything that causes soil disturbance, harrowing, and the presence of birds on fields.
Clinical Signs Grass sickness occurs in three main forms, acute, subacute and chronic.
Acute Affected animals will show signs of colic with distended, imotile small intestines and nasogastric reflux (foul smelling fluid pouring from the nose). These animals will often have a high heart rate patchy sweating and muscle tremors and will either die suddenly or have to be put to sleep immediately.
Sub-acute The symptoms in the sub-acute form are similar those of the acute form but are less severe. Affected animals may show colic, trouble swallowing, increased heart rate, drooping eyelids, trembling, patchy sweating and rapid weight loss. Such cases may die or require to be put down within a week.
Chronic The main sign in chronic grass sickness is rapid, severe weight loss, horses with this form of the disease have a typical ‘grey hound’ appearance. It was previously thought that nearly all cases died and that the few which survived made only a partial recovery and were subsequently useless for work. This is now known to be incorrect and attempts at treating the chronic form of the disease now made.
Diagnosis The symptoms may seem quite clear-cut but unfortunately not all affected animals show all these signs and it can sometimes be very difficult for the veterinary surgeon to distinguish grass sickness from other causes of colic and weight loss.
At present the only reliable test to diagnose grass sickness is the microscopic examination of a section of small intestine. Because of this a diagnosis is usually only made once the animal has died and a post-mortem exam performed. The application of eye drops that reverse the drooping of the eyelids can be very useful as a test in the live patient, however, this can still only be used as a guide rather than a true diagnosis.
Treatment The key to treating horses with grass sickness is carefully selecting cases where successful treatment is possible. Treatment should only be considered in chronic cases that are not in much pain, will still eat at least a small amount and are still interested in life. Animals that don’t meet these criteria including all acute and sub-acute cases will never make a full recovery. Treatment of chronic cases involves the feeding of palatable, easily swallowed food e.g. chopped vegetables, grass and high energy concentrates soaked in molasses. There are no rules in what to feed it is a case of feeding whatever high energy feed the horse seems interested in and varying the feed to find what this is must be done frequently.
Nursing is also vital and provides the mainstay of management. The patients require constant stimulation by human contact, frequent grooming to prevent them becoming scurfy and sticky with sweat. With careful selection of patients recovery rates of 70% can be seen in some specialist centres.
Prevention Until the cause is known, exact methods of prevention will not be fully understood, however, many years of research have provided many guides in preventing the disease.
Reducing risk
Grass Mumps (swollen Parotid Glands)
This is the classic example that will worry many people more than it does their horse. Everyone will have seen it at some time, yet it is poorly understood.
Frequently, a horse or pony will be brought in from the field after grazing for some hours with large, firm and usually painless swellings behind the jawbone at the back of the throat, beneath where the throat lash would go. Occasionally, the swelling will be accompanied by some fluid swelling under the skin.
Affected horses can look rather like hamsters and may be reluctant to work with their head down on the bit. Such lumps are commonly mistaken for a manifestation of the disease strangles, when in fact they are simply swellings of the parotid salivary glands.
Such swollen glands can vary in size from day to day. They are often linked with particular areas of grazing and are suspected to be a form of allergic reaction.
The glands enlarge after the horse has been out at grass and most return to normal size within 36hr of coming in with no treatment. It helps if such horses, when affected, are fed from a height once they are brought in, to allow any accumulation of fluid to drain down.
There is no need to do anything except have a careful feel of the area to confirm it is just swollen parotid glands. If the horse looks ill or the swelling persists, talk to your vet.
Frequently, a horse or pony will be brought in from the field after grazing for some hours with large, firm and usually painless swellings behind the jawbone at the back of the throat, beneath where the throat lash would go. Occasionally, the swelling will be accompanied by some fluid swelling under the skin.
Affected horses can look rather like hamsters and may be reluctant to work with their head down on the bit. Such lumps are commonly mistaken for a manifestation of the disease strangles, when in fact they are simply swellings of the parotid salivary glands.
Such swollen glands can vary in size from day to day. They are often linked with particular areas of grazing and are suspected to be a form of allergic reaction.
The glands enlarge after the horse has been out at grass and most return to normal size within 36hr of coming in with no treatment. It helps if such horses, when affected, are fed from a height once they are brought in, to allow any accumulation of fluid to drain down.
There is no need to do anything except have a careful feel of the area to confirm it is just swollen parotid glands. If the horse looks ill or the swelling persists, talk to your vet.
Grass cracks
Feet splitting up from the bottom. Help by using grass tips and blacksmith burning a line above the crack