Gastric Ulcers: The Stress of Showing
By Christine Barakat
It has long been known that as many as 93 percent of racehorses suffer from gastric ulcers. Now a Purdue University study suggests that show horses are also at greater risk for developing the painful stomach lesions.
Examinations of 50 otherwise healthy horses from 23 different farms revealed that well over half had some ulceration caused when excessive digestive acid dissolves parts of the stomach's protective lining. "We defined show horse as one in a training program for at least 30 days and that had traveled to competition at least once that month," explains Scott McClure, DVM, Ph.D., who headed the study. "We had horses from all types of events, from rodeo to dressage to halter, and at various levels, but mainly weekend-type novice competitors." Most of the horses were fed sweet feed or pelleted rations along with hay.
After endoscopic examinations, the condition of each horse's stomach was rated on a scale of 0 (no ulcers) to 6 (diffuse ulceration). About 58 percent of the horses had scores of 2 or higher, which is not surprising, McClure says, given the factors known to contribute to the development of ulcers. "We know that high-grain diets can lead to stomach ulceration and that confinement to a stall also plays a role."
Another important component could be the stress of travel. "Getting in a trailer is very traumatic for horses, particularly if they aren't used to being shipped," says McClure. Indeed, he reports, a 4-H horse who rarely traveled but had recently been hauled to the county fair was found to have one of the worst cases of ulcers among the horses studied. In addition, horses described as "nervous" by their owners were much more likely to have ulcers than those classified as "calm."
Equine ulcers, which can cause mild colic, weight loss and irritability, can usually be prevented by increasing the amount of hay in a horse's diet and reducing stressors in his daily routine. Where ulcers already exist, studies have shown that the drug Gastrogard, a paste that contains the active ingredient omeprazole, is an effective treatment.
This article is from EQUUS Magazine, Issue 268 (February 2000), copyright 2000 by PRIMEDIA Enthusiast Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.
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