# Gastric ulcers, what were your horse's symptoms?



## Monkers (15 February 2012)

I am doing some research into gastric ulcers and the symptoms horses display, and would be really grateful if anyone could help with the below.

I am only interested to hear about all cases where horses went on to have gastric ulcers diagnosed. I am mainly interested in the symptoms and their diversity, but all of the below would be helpful.....

For example

What were your horse's symptoms, and how did they present? Did they come on gradually or was there an overnight change in the horse.

Were the symptoms behavioral or physical or a combination of both.

What were you feeding at the time of diagnosis

How long did your vet take to diagnose the ulcers

were you able to find out the exact location of the ulcers

Were you suprised at the degree of severity of the ulcers (to a greater or lesser extent) in relation to the level of symptoms in the horse. (i.e, did the horse present mild symptoms but have severe ulcers)

Did you find treatment effective and over what time scale. What treatment did you have?

Have the problems reoccured and is the horse back to his normal working self.

Many thanks for any help you are able to give.


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## bordermare (16 February 2012)

My horses ulcers were discovered beacause one of them became infected and caused a gastric impaction. Horse was very poorly with high temperature and colic. Vet realised it wasn't a normal colic so she was taken to Glasgow for investigation. They scoped, cleared the impaction and found a nasty ulcer. She had 2 months treatment followed by 2months maintenance of gastrogard. This healed the ulcer but there was still some redness around the pyloris.

Retrospectively I had thought she had been a bit lacklustre for a couple of months beforehand. Also although the ulcers are under control now with management and omeprazole (in winter months) I think she has always had a problem. Every spring she would go off her food and I would get the vet but he could never find any real symptoms and we put it down to her seasons starting up again.

When she had the ulcer that made her ill she was being fed Allen & Page Clam & Condition (always well soaked). Since her ilness she get's Dengie Alpha A non molasses and seems to be thriving on that. Also she is on adlib hay.

Since diagnosis, treatment and management she has put on 50 kilos and goes much rounder and softer when ridden.

Hope this helps with your research.


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## twinkle (16 February 2012)

Well my mare had an operation on her hind legs and this is were i think it all started but whats to say she didnt have them before!

It was a very gradual thing she slowly lost weight used to be a fatty and i just couldnt get it back on her she was on soaked hay and alfa-a lite with general vit and min supp at the time.
with turnout all day for about 7 hours and stabled at night never stressy.

These were her symtoms that gradually came on over a year period will try to put them in order from beg to end:

not really wanting to go as forward as normal when ridden
starting to leave feed including hay
would start to slightly head shake when ridden
slowly losing weight
good on the right rein but would bend her whole body to the right on the left rein 
started to buck or just refuse to move on lunge and ridden
very mild colics 
got more and more of a stressy horse (used to be very very calm easy going horse)


the last 4 symptoms come on over the last couple of months thats when she was scoped and he had grade 2 ulcers on top of tummy and at the exit of the stomach so vet also suspects that she has colonic ulcers.  she was treated with gastrogaurd and then rescoped and was clear was doing really well for a year and this winter got them again as soon as some of symtoms come on she was scoped so is now being treated again and this time has also been put on succeed. my mare is a friesian she was 9 and a half when diagnosed.



my friends horse at a diffrent stables was also diagnosed and his only symtoms where not wanting to go forward as much in his work and would grind his teeth when ridden. He was a fatty and to look at him you would just think he was being lazy and had a habit of grinding his teeth. He had grade 3 ulcers was shocked and he is a completly diffrent horse now competing very high in dressage he is a andulsian


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## peaceandquiet1 (16 February 2012)

Weight loss
Lethargy
Staring coat
Impaction colic
and prior to the above
Starting to buck at jumping competitions

My horse did not object to being girthed.

He became so ill the vet though he had a malignant tumour. Bloods showed very high levels of acute and chronic inflammation.

He was scoped and the vets were surprised at the extent of the ulceration, but his ulcers were in the glandular part of the stomach.

He had two courses of gastrogard.


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## Monkers (18 February 2012)

Thank you for the replies! I could do with a few more though!

Do any of you use medication as a preventative?

Thanks again.


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## twinkle (19 February 2012)

i use succeed and GG at maintance level


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## Fruitcake (19 February 2012)

twinkle said:



			i use succeed and GG at maintance level
		
Click to expand...

I'm thinking of using succeed when the course of Gastroguard has finished.  Is it any good?


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## Beans1 (19 February 2012)

My TB cross had fairly bad ulcers (can't remember grade but do remember they were right at the entrance to the stomach), was in a typical competition yard where lots of turnout wasn't possible.  

Symptoms wise, he was very dull in his work, not offering more than he absolutely had too, his coat was dry and his skin was very very flaky (he had dandruff flakes the size of  50p pieces coming from all over his body), dropping were inconsistent, would regularly be scouring, terrible to girth and at his worst even bad to have surcingles done up on rugs. Reared on his way to the field every day, colicked approx once every 3 weeks, but would take 10 days to get over each bout of colic, colic was always spasmodic. Always looked bloated, which really didn't help as yard manager insisted on him being on a permanent diet which was the worst possible thing for him.  He was fed 3 times per day on competition mix (due to the fact that he was 'lazy').

Eventually ended up at Newmarket for scoping and stomach tapping... they confirmed stomach ulcers.

Treatment wise.... vet said he needed grass, YM wouldn't let him have more turnout, so I moved him.  He then went out all day every day, I changed his food to an alfa based diet and now also have him on Baileys No. 4 (I needed more energy and it seems to suit him).  I find he is worse if he has anything molassed. He is a good doer but I like to keep trickling feed into him so I double net his hay.  I am strict about making sure he has hay in his belly before he is worked as it is supposed to stop the stomach acid splashing around and causing damage.  Because he has the background of multiple colics and ulcers I am also more cautious on frosty days and make sure he has hay in his belly before he goes out so his tummy doesn't get shocked.

I think some of my methods would be considered as over cautious but it seems to work for him so I stick with it.


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## Priyashome (18 April 2018)

Hi
My horse has just been diagnosed. She has front end lameness and the vet is doing more tests for the lameness. I'll let you know if it's deduced to be the reason for the lameness x


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