From: Kathryn
Dear Jessica, your website is the best place on the Internet for good information about horses! I'm so happy I found it, and thank you for making this wonderful question and answer service available to all of us. Someday the things that "go around" will "come around", and something wonderful will happen to you for giving so much of your time and expertise to so many people!
I have a question about ulcers. My horse is ten years old, and he is usually very fat and shiny at this time of year. This year his coat doesn't look very good and he isn't fat at all, just sort of normal, maybe even on the thin side, and he isn't very interested in his feed any more, and he is cranky instead of nice. My vet came out to give him his regular fall shots, and I asked about this, and he just said that I should add some corn oil to the feed. I've done this and Panda may be putting on a little weight, but not much, after six weeks. And he still is very cranky and quiet. My riding instructor has been gone all summer, but she came out to give me a lesson last week, and said that she thinks maybe Panda could have an ulcer. She was riding at a fancy barn for the last four months with HER instructor, and she said that a lot of the show horses had stomach ulcers.
My questions are, have you ever heard of this? And, if it's true that horses can get ulcers, how would I know if Panda has one? And if he does, what should I do about it? I don't think that my ver knows about them.
Wouldn't he have mentioned ulcers if he knew about them?
Kathryn
Hi Kathryn -- thanks for the kind words! I enjoy helping people and horses, so in a way it's already "coming around" -- I get notes like yours. ;-)
It is possible that your horse could have a gastric ulcer, yes. This is something that you should discuss with your vet, or with another vet.
I may be able to help you prepare for the conversation by telling you what I know. Equine gastric ulcers are NOT all that rare; in fact, I've seen some studies that indicate that some groups of horses are very prone to such ulcers. Almost all racehorses, a majority of performance/show horses, and, if I remember correctly, more than half of all foals have ulcers!
Ulcers aren't all that easy to diagnose, partly because there are so many symptoms that could easily be symptoms of other problems, and partly because most people aren't used to thinking of horses as animals with gastric ulcers, so people (owners AND vets) sometimes don't "get the picture" even when the horse is showing a lot of symptoms.
The symptoms you've described (dull coat, loss of condition, loss of interest in food, change in attitude) could indeed be consistent with gastric ulcers. Colic is another typical symptom, so you might want to watch out for that. If you want to be absolutely certain, you'll need to have your vet, or some other vet, use an endoscope to verify whether or not there are ulcers in Panda's stomach. If your vet doesn't have access to such a long endoscope, he can help you begin a course of treatment that -- if it helps Panda -- would tend to confirm the presence of ulcers. If he notices symptoms that are NOT consistent with ulcers, and/or if the endoscope doesn't reveal any ulcers, you and your vet will have to shift gears and start looking for something else. Either way, it's worth finding out!
Ask your vet to look into anti-ulcer medications for horses. In the past, some vets have had good luck using medications meant for humans, but there is a new medication specifically designed for horses with ulcers. Your vet has probably heard of omeprazole paste (I think the commercial name is "GASTROGARD"); if not, he can get you some information about it.
Your vet should also be able to help you figure out possible causes, too! A diet that's high in grain or other concentrates can result in a higher concentration of stomach acid. Some medications can contribute -- bute, for instance, has been implicated in a lot of cases. The kind of stress that racehorses and show horses experience can also be a cause. Illness can also be a factor. Good horse management tends to create healthy horses -- if you can get Panda onto a diet of good hay around the clock and as much free exercise as possible (preferably around the clock as well), he should be able to get the maximum benefit from whatever treatment your vet prescribes.
Good luck!
Jessica
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