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The Equine Gastric Ulcer

© Kimberly Rinker

During the Hambletonian Festival at the Meadowlands racetrack in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Hambletonian Society sponsored a Continuing Education Seminar for racehorse veterinarians. Over 100 equine veterinarians from throughout North America attended the all-day conference, which was held on Friday, August 3,2001 at the Renaissance Hotel.

Speaker Frank Pipers, DVM, MS, and Ph.D. gave a rousing speech on the subject of equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS), providing the attentive audience with both historical facts and insightful truths into this very common ailment. Pipers was instrumental in the development of the Merial product known as Gastrogard, which is the only FDA-approved equine medication for the treatment of gastric ulcers.

According to Pipers, the first recorded incidences of equine gastric ulcers were recorded some 4,000 years ago, during the first and seventh centuries. The Romans were known for treating horses with powders made from corals in order to treat equine ulcers.

According to Pipers, in the majority of horses with ulcers, lesions will occur in the squamous mucosal portion of the equine stomach. These ulcers are craters which form in the lining of the stomach, caused by the corrosive effects of hydrocholoric acid (peptic activity) eroding away the layers of the aforementioned stomach lining.

The equine stomach has two parts, the squamous mucosal and the glandular portion, with only 10% of the ulcers occurring in the glandular portion.

The decisions regarding treatment of equine gastric ulcers over the years has been varied concerning what medication is best to use, and for how long. Pipers says that proper diagnosis is best made utilizing an endoscopic exam, in which a three-meter long scope is inserted into a horse’s stomach.

“Prior to an endoscopic exam, the horse should be given an eight to 12-hour fast,” Pipers said. “Usually, mild sedation is all that is required in order to examine the horse endoscopically. Once inside the stomach, the veterinarian is then able to determine and define the stomach ulcers, and their severity. Then the veterinarian will be able to develop a strategy for a treatment plan.”

What causes these ulcers in the first place? "Too much acid in the stomach for too long,” says Pipers. “We’ve found that ulcers are more prevalent in Standardbred geldings than in stallions, and those horses over the age of three appear more to have ulcers than younger horses. However, foals and young horses are not immune.”

“Horses secret gastric acid continuously through the day, unlike people,” Pipers explained. “Gastric acidity is low when horses consume food or roughage, such as hay or grass. Gastric acidity thus is extremely high when horses do not eat. In foals who are sick and who haven’t eaten for an hour or two, their stomachs are on fire.”