Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome is one of the better understood digestive issues that horses face. It’s increasingly common knowledge that:

• The majority of race and show horses suffer from ulcers
• Ulcers largely result from modern management practices (high-grain diets and no or restricted turn out for starters)
• The best way to avoid ulcers to increase turnout and feed a diet of primarily forage

The problem is that by focusing solely on equine gastric ulcer syndrome, we ignore the signs and symptoms that may instead be linked to colonic ulcers. Colonic ulcers are more difficult to diagnosis and to study, and as a result are often overlooked. But they can have a serious impact on a horse’s health, particularly when misdiagnosed and subjected to the common treatments for gastric ulcers.

The Horse recently published an article entitled “Ulcers for Life” that unfortunately perpetuates these ideas regarding equine ulcers.

Our VP of Veterinarian Medicine, Franklin Pellegrini, DVM,, who has done extensive research into equine ulcers, explains why it’s so important that we recognize the prevalence of colonic ulcers in horses and the issues associated with misdiagnosis.

Read the rest of this entry »

We recently contacted The Horse magazine regarding the article “Recurrent Colilc Diagnosis” in their September 2010 issue. This began an exchange between our director of veterinary science, Frank Pellegrini, DVM, and AAEP President Nathaniel A. White, DVM. The original article identifies gastric ulcers as one of the many potential causes of recurrent colic, but fails to discuss the existence of colonic ulcers and their potential contribution to colic. Here is the exchange we’ve had with The Horse to-date, with the hopes that this very important discussion may continue.

Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a lot of conventional wisdom out there about diagnosing and treating ulcers – yet ulcers continue to be a prevalent problem for horses. In order to keep your horse at its healthy best, it’s important to understand the signals your horse is giving you as well as all of the options for treating and preventing ulcers. The “Your Horse Ulcer Free” series will equip you with the knowledge to recognize, treat, and ultimately prevent equine ulcers in a better, more lasting way.

In Part 1: Overview of Equine Ulcers, we filled you in on the basics of equine ulcers. In Part 2 we talked about causes and symptoms of gastric ulcers. Today we discuss the less understood but equally damaging colonic ulcers, or ulcers of the hindgut.

Colonic Ulcers in Horses: Ulceration in the Hindgut

Gastric ulcers have been in the spotlight in recent years, thanks to well-known treatment and extensive research in this area. As a result, many people associate equine digestive health with stomach health. But truly understanding the horse’s digestive system means understanding the significance of the hindgut.

Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a lot of conventional wisdom out there about diagnosing and treating ulcers – yet ulcers continue to be a prevalent problem for horses. In order to keep your horse at its healthy best, it’s important to understand the signals your horse is giving you as well as all of the options for treating and preventing ulcers. The “Your Horse Ulcer Free” series will equip you with the knowledge to recognize, treat, and ultimately prevent equine ulcers in a better, more lasting way.

In Part 1: Overview of Equine Ulcers, we filled you in on the basics of equine ulcers. Today we move on to discuss gastric ulcers specifically.

Read the rest of this entry »

What horse owner, trainer, rider, or breeder isn’t looking for a happy, healthy horse? Horses that perform better, behave better, sell better, and even incur fewer vet costs? Unfortunately, the reality is that horses rarely are perfectly happy and healthy. And for many horses, the root of their problems begins in the digestive tract.

Did you know that studies have shown pervasive instances of ulcers in horses? It has been shown that:

• About 90 % of racehorses have gastric ulcers as reported in published studies
• 97% of performance horses have gastric and/or colonic ulcers as found in our own peer-reviewed published study.
• 37% of leisure horses have gastric ulcers

Those are some awfully staggering numbers – and a lot of uncomfortable, irritable, sick horses.

There’s a lot of conventional wisdom out there about diagnosing and treating ulcers – yet ulcers continue to be a prevalent problem for horses. In order to keep your horse at its healthy best, it’s important to understand the signals your horse is giving you as well as all of the options for treating and preventing ulcers.

Read the rest of this entry »