Equine Stomach Ulcers
January 12, 2012
A barrel-racing enthusiast becomes a believer.
Barrel racer Jessica Abel and her horse Flash N Frenchman prevent equine stomach ulcers caused by the stress of training and competing. Photo courtesy of Merial.
From AQHA Corporate Partner Merial
When barrel racer Jessica Abel of Holton, Kansas, tried to get her American Quarter Horse Flash N Frenchman ready for a run at the Lincoln Barrel Bash & Hawki Futurity, she was unpleasantly surprised.
“When I went to saddle him before the race on Friday, he was extremely agitated and was kicking and biting at me. His behavior was completely out of character; he just is not that kind of horse,” she says.
When Jessica shared his behavior and other clinical signs with her two veterinarians, they both made the presumptive diagnosis that Flash N Frenchman (also known as “Duke”) could be suffering from equine stomach ulcers. Because of the travel distance required to have Duke undergo a gastric endoscopic examination, both veterinarians advised Jessica to forego the diagnostic procedure and try treating Duke using Gastrogard (omeprazole), the only FDA-approved product for the treatment of equine stomach ulcers.1
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“Three-meter endoscopes are expensive investments for veterinarians, so not every practice has one,” says Dr. April Knudson, equine specialist for Merial. “Even without gastric endoscopy, however, it is possible to make a presumptive diagnosis that a horse is likely to be suffering from equine stomach ulcers. By evaluating clinical signs such as a horse’s attitude, behavior, coat condition and eating habits, veterinarians can conclude stomach ulcers might be the problem and recommend treatment accordingly.”
Horses like Duke, who travel and compete, can experience stress, which may lead to the development of stomach ulcers.2 In fact, as many as 93 percent of race horses,3 63 percent of nonracing performance horses4 and 51 percent of foals5 have been found to have equine stomach ulcers.
Jessica started Duke on the 28-day treatment and is happy with the results thus far.
“The difference in Duke has been amazing,” she says. “I can saddle him without dodging his feet and teeth. He is back to his old agreeable self.”
Having Duke feeling his best is important to Jessica, not only because she wants what is best for him, but also because Duke has to feel his best to perform well in the more than 50 barrel racing events they compete in each year. The horse and rider team participates in regional and national competitions throughout the Midwest.
After Duke completes his 28-day Gastrogard treatment, Jessica plans to follow up with Ulcergard (omeprazole), the only FDA-approved product to help prevent stomach ulcers in horses. She was introduced to Ulcergard and the concept of ulcer prevention through the Ulcergard Trial Program.
“We have been working with horse owners one-on-one at different show and event venues around the country to educate them about the prevalence of equine stomach ulcers and how to help prevent them,” says Dr. Knudson. “As part of the program, horse owners participating in the selected events can receive two free tubes of the product to try.”
Although like many other horse owners, Jessica was unfamiliar with the prevalence of equine stomach ulcers and how even activities considered normal can lead to stress and ulcer development,2 she now knows more.
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“Having information about equine stomach ulcers, the number of horses impacted and how easily they can occur has been very helpful to me. I now know a lot more about equine stomach ulcers and am committed to helping prevent them before they become a problem,” she says.
For more information about equine stomach ulcers, go to www.ulcergard.com
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Caution: Safety of Gastrogard in pregnant or lactating mares has not been determined.
Ulcergard can be used in horses that weigh at least 600 pounds. Safety in pregnant mares has not been determined.
About Merial
Merial is a world-leading, innovation-driven animal health company, providing a comprehensive range of products to enhance the health, well-being and performance of a wide range of animals. Merial employs approximately 5,600 people and operates in more than 150 countries worldwide. Its 2010 sales were more than $2.6 billion. Merial is a Sanofi company.
For more information, please see www.merial.com.
1 Gastrogard product label.
2 Ulcergard product label.
3 Murray MJ et al. Factors associated with gastric lesions in Thoroughbred racehorses. Equine Vet J. 1996;28:368-374.
4 Mitchell Rd. Prevalence of gastric ulcers in hunter-jumper and dressage horses evaluated for poor performance. Association of Equine Sports Medicine, September, 2011.
5 Murray MJ. Endoscopic appearance of gastric lesions in foals: 94 cases (1987-1988). JAVMA. 1989;195(8):1135-1141.
®Gastrogard and Ulcergard are registered trademarks of Merial Limited.
©2011 Merial Limited, Duluth, Georgia. All rights reserved. EQUIUGD1144 (12/11)
Comments
20 Comments on “Equine Stomach Ulcers”
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January 12th, 2012 at 7:42 am
I most definitely agree. It”s a vicious circle. The horses are in pain so they stress…and then they get nervous at events because they know they will hurt. I have found a tremendous difference in attitude when treating the stomach. it makes all the difference.
I barrel race as well. Horses are athletes and if you treat the athlete pains that can occur, your chances of performance are on your side as well as having a happy horse on your side.
Lucie Rancourt
January 12th, 2012 at 8:22 am
Dear Jessica, Is Flash ‘n Frenchman have Kid Flash in his blood lines? I ask because he looks a lot like a stud horse my dad raised and showed and then sold to a guy in Michigan. Kid Flash was a great stud horse with a great disposition, sired out of Tiger Leo.
Diane Godwin (Heim)
January 12th, 2012 at 12:40 pm
I agree with this article that Ulcergard and Gastrogard are practically miracle drugs for a lot of barrel horses, however, the cost is so prohibitive for most of us. Please give some alternatives or even possibly an AQHA member discount.
January 12th, 2012 at 2:42 pm
We have had remarkable results with feeding Performance Products. They are a direct fed microbil at keeps horses from getting ulcers but if they do have them, this product will heal them at a fraction of the cost of Gastrogard. We have had horses on prolonged meds and fed the PP the whole time and these horses never missed a meal and no drug founder. Have had horses tie up and colic and given them the gel tubes and brought them right out of their discomforts. It is worth trying!!!!
January 12th, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Please give us some cheaper options for treating ulcers.
January 12th, 2012 at 3:04 pm
An easy & natural alternative is to add slippery elm to your feed, an internet search should give you more info on correct dosage for your horse, or contact an animal herbalist / naturopath. My orphan QH foal receives tblspn twice daily to guard against it, as well ad probiotic yoghurt to keep his gut flora in balance as formula can’t provide what mares milk would do naturally.
January 12th, 2012 at 3:43 pm
Michele Blasi – do you mean Platinum Performance products? I am just curious because my daughter has an extra sensitive barrel horse that coliced at a show this past October. The vet said that he had a ‘gas bubble’ to say it more simply. He gave him a shot to relax his muscles and we had already given him banamine. He took a few days to become himself again so I had bloodwork done on him and it didnt show any signs of ulcers or mineral difficientcies, however, he is a nervous guy, doesn’t like to travel that much, and we would like to prevent any ulcers in the future. Just curious which one of the products mentioned, if any, we should feed as a preventative. Any input is helpful. Thank you.
January 12th, 2012 at 5:51 pm
I also, feed Performance Products, direct fed Microbials. My mare used to have a bad gate issue, then I started her on the Performance powder every day, but about 30 minutes before a run,( I barrel race) I give her about 10cc of a performance gel tube. she would go right in! I also had a friend that horse was a cronic colic. she fed the Performance Products, powder for 10 days, she call me and told me the horse had passed a PLASTIC GROCERY BAG! That horse had been on performance ever since and never coliced once! It’s also a fraction of the cost of Ulcer guard! It also happens to be host specific, which means it’s horse bacteria, for a horses digestion! Ps I got food poision one time and took it myself!! I was better in 10 minutes!
January 12th, 2012 at 7:04 pm
Becky, No Performance Products are totally different from, Platinum Performance. If you read Christy’s comment, she explained a little more about PP. there are a few stores in Southern California that carry it or you can order it from one of the distrubuters.
January 12th, 2012 at 7:59 pm
Thank you so much Michele. From what Christy wrote it sound like something we should feed him. I will look up the product and order it. Just didn’t find it my first try, I’ll look closer.
Thanks again.
January 12th, 2012 at 8:28 pm
I think I found it. Is it the ADR by Kentucky Performance Products?
January 13th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
Please put the ordering information up for me to try also. I am not great at searching for things and this sounds like it might also work for my barrel horses. Thankyou
January 13th, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Oxy-Gen Performance Horse Supplements has a Pre-Performance electrolyte paste product that contains a ph balance ingredient that works well to determine if your horse would benefit from tretment of ulcers. It is a non-invasive test. The product is called JailBreak GI comes in a four dose tube and is $25.00. http://www.oxyhors.com is the web site.
January 14th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
You need to order it from a dealer. Christy and I are both dealers and we can be reached on our e-mail address. Mine is Blasiranch@yahoo.com. You can also go on facebook and friend Joe Hoffman, he is the national rep.His picture is a bucket of Preformance.
January 17th, 2012 at 10:08 am
Folks…thought I’d jump in here with some science backed info.
Yes, treatment with GASTROGARD is not inexpensive…however, this is because the cost of producing this product is VERY high. Omeprazole is very tough to keep stable PLUS it has to make it through the stomach into the intestines to work at all. So the company has done a lot of research to find a way to make that happen. FDA approval comes with a price tag, but it also comes with a lot of research so you know that the product is working.
That being said, while supplements and “other” products may help ease some ulcer symptoms, be careful that you’re not just masking symptoms and leaving the ulcers there to do more damage. Tons of horses on “pH balancing”, or “acid reducing” supplements are endoscoped each year. Their owners think they’ve prevented or worse, treated an ulcer, but alas when you look in their stomachs ulcers are present. This is pretty scary to a lot of horse owners since they were TRULY trying to do what was right for their horses!
While I can’t tell you any of these products will have negative effects, I can tell you that equine stomach ulcer prevention with ULCERGARD has been proven to FDA standards.
You can get 112 days of proven ulcer prevention for what you’d pay to treat a horse with GASTROGARD one time! And the vast majority of folks only use this during times of stress/travel/competition.
On a side note…free choice hay (especially alfalfa) HAS been shown to help ulcer-prone horses. While it hasn’t been shown to treat ulcers while horses are kept in competition, it surely does help the cause!
February 18th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
I do not like the idea that we treat horses with the same “western medicine” approach as we do humans. Why treat symptoms, and not go to the root of the problem. Why do we need to have a magic pill to stop pain, instead of curing the root of all the pain? The horse has an incredible ability to “cure itself” of all sorts of issues. I’ve seen torn ligaments and tendons grow back and reattach, without surgeory or drugs. I’ve seen horses regain vision when impaired, with just diet changes.
It is the same as humans, if our diet is not right, we are likely to have health issues. If we stress alot, we are likely to have health issues. Often times, our diet is the best thing for preventative medicine as well as for acute/chronic medical issues. So why not apply this knowledge to horses?
That is when I found out about the good people of Medicine Bag Project. They share the same philosophy as me. They know they don’t fix the horse, they give the horse what it needs to fix itself. Their War Horse Formulas are the best you can find. Their Medicine Bag Complete is used on all horses at, world renowned, Valhalla Farms. Their Ligdon Formula is also used, when there are arthritis or ligament/tendon issues. Talk about watching a miricle right before your eyes. Watch a horse that has not walked for 6 months, get up and start grazing in 2 to 4 weeks on the Medicine Bag Complete. See full recovery in 3 to 6 months.
Try it, I guarantee you will see incredible results that your vet won’t be able to explain!
http://www.medicinebagproject.com
War Horse Formulas
-Medicine Bag Complete
-Ligdon Formula
February 20th, 2012 at 12:20 pm
There ARE inexpensive options for omeprazole, the only active ingredient in UlcerGard and GastroGard. Merial doesn’t want you to know that but it easily sourced. If manufactured or compounded properly, It is absolutely effective. The generic form of omeprazole is 100% safe and effective – look at what you see in the drugstores for humans. It’s been out in generic form for quite some time.
March 15th, 2012 at 1:59 pm
I was recently talking with a vet (not Mine) who told me there was a report that daily ulcer treatments were show signs of promoting problems in the hind gut. Is there truth to this. I have an 8 yr old Pleasure horse I have been giving a daily maintenance amounts to fix and or prevent ulcers. Performance wise she is great, and health wise she’s been great, her coat is the best in the barn, and no gut problems.
July 24th, 2012 at 7:44 am
Stomach ulcer is one nasty disease, it could also lead to bleeding if not properly cared for. Stomach ulcer recovery time is quite long compared to other bleeding issues becuase of stomach acids. `;:`*
Many thanks
http://www.foodsupplementdigest.com“>
March 28th, 2013 at 7:51 am
when you say bleeding are you talking about stomach bleeding?? I have an apendix barrel and gymkhana horse. He was doing great and then started going down hill. He also started bleeding from his nose. The vet checked him out and gave him meds and it cleared up. He has not ran very well since and he sits in the stall in the shade by himself a lot. We sold him and 6 months later had to go get him. He was skinny and his coat looked horrible. He looks better but his coat hasn’t shedded off completely yet and he sits in the stall. He is bucking at the lope and is just not himself. Any ideas??