Does your horse demonstrate any of the symptoms in the list?  This condition is very common in horses especially those that are in active work, are showing or traveling to shows, and those undergoing veterinary treatment. The most common complaint we hear from our clients is that their horse is "just not acting right". The symptoms can be subtle but the condition can be quite painful.

Above is a healthy empty equine stomach showing healthy pink tissue, Yellow arrows are showing the Margo Plicatus, often a site of ulcers.

The horse has a very different stomach to that of the human. Humans have a stomach lining that is made up of what is called glandular epithelium which is much like the mucous membrane of the inside of your mouth. This tissue has acid pumps that produce the strong acids that digests the food you eat. The horse's stomach is partially made up of this glandular epithelium in the lower portion of the stomach, and partially squamous epithelium, which is more like the skin on your hand, in the upper portion. Horses evolved to be continuous grazing animals, ensuring that their stomachs are full of grass or hay for the majority of the day. This "fiber mat" or ball of hay in their stomach protects the sensitive squamous portion of the stomach from the strong acids produced in the lower part of the stomach. The constant grazing also produces a lot of saliva which buffers the strong acids produced in the stomach and protect the upper part of the stomach. Our modern management of horses with confinement in stalls or barns, meal feeding hay AND grain 3-4 times per day, and intermittent, heavy, exercise produce longer periods of time where there is an absence of the "fiber mat' in the stomach to protect this sensitive tissue. The acids from the lower part of the stomach can splash up and burn away the squamous tissue causing gastric ulcers.

How do you know if your horse has ulcers? Often clients will describe a horse's abnormal behavior or a new, unusual, or progressively worsening performance problem. These histories clue us in that your horse may be experiencing stomach pain. Once we have this suspicion the best and most reliable means to determine if gastric ulcers are affecting your horse is to perform a gastroscopic exam or "Scope". This procedure involves fasting your horse overnight so the stomach is virtually empty. We then pass the camera into your horse's stomach under mild sedation. This allows us to see the entire stomach and determine if ulcers are present. The cost for this procedure is about $300- $500 and is covered by major medical insurance. If ulcers are found we will 

A patient undergoing a Gastroscope

recommend a course of Gastrogard to treat the ulcers. At the end of the treatment we often 

recommend a recheck gastroscopic exam to ensure that our treatment has been successful and the ulcers are healed. If the gastroscope exam is not ideal or not possible we may suggest a trial period of Gastrogard and monitor for changes in the horse's attitude and appetite. If we see a positive response to the trial we will suggest a full course of treatment.