[XmasAngel98]

Hi. Has anyone here dealt with stomach ulcers in horses? My mare has been acting "weird" lately (for about the past month). She's just not herself. Pacing, grouchy under saddle, her eyes are dull, sometimes eats but sometimes doesn't, etc. Anyway, I had blood work done on her and it was all in the normal range (although her red blood cell count was on the low side of normal).

The vet thought a possibility would be a stomach ulcer. He has her on meds. right now to see if they will help her (he said we should see a difference within 7-8 days if this is the problem).

My main question is, how could this be possible? She is out in the field for at least 12 hours a day (sometimes more) and she has free access to hay anytime she is in her stall. Nothing in her routine has changed that would add stress and she is not worked overly hard under saddle at anytime. What are some things that could cause ulcers? Thank you!

[horschik]

Hi there,


I ride at a boarding stable and a APHA mare that my trainer owns got stomach ulcers. At first it was unknown and she would just colic about once a month or more and we got the vet out but he couldnt determine what it was. So eventually she coliced sooo bad that they had to travel 3 hours to a huge vet clinic and they tested her and she has stomach ulcers. Anways...what can cause them are stress, like this mare (Cupid) gets really stressed when it is time to eat dinner and she doesnt have food. She also gets EXTREMELy stressed being housed away from home. Thats what the vet said can cause it..is alot of stress and when they colic, they can also develop them he said. I hope this may clear up some questions with your horse and the medicine will make a difference QUICKLY. At least it did with the mare at our barn. Its good to keep food by them at all times as you are doing and I hope everything turns out for the best!


Kelsey

[3WishesDun]

Does she have a history of taking Bute?
To be sure I believe she must be scoped (endoscopy)......unless there are other tests that would indicate something.....good luck

April

[Cowgirl2135]

Up to 93% of racehorses get stomach ulcers, regardless of age.
Almost 60% of other performance horses have ulcers.
Up to 57% of foals have stomach ulcers, particularly during the first several months of life.
50% of horses with ulcers show no outward signs of gastrointestinal disease.
Stomach ulcers in horses are increasingly recognized as a major problem in adult horses as well as foals. Even when there are no obvious signs of stomach ulcers, they can interfere with performance by affecting training, appetite, and temperament. Ulcers may naturally heal if horses are turned out to pasture for an extended period of time, but they usually don't heal in horses that continue training.
Feeding. Infrequent grazing or reduced hay intake can lead to stomach ulcers within hours to days.
Training. Intense exercise actually increases acid production in the horse's stomach. Performance horses often go without feed several hours of each day during training, permitting acid build-up within the stomach, causing more damage. In addition, exercise reduces blood flow to the stomach, but the effect this has on ulcer formation is not known.
Physical Stress. Foals that are sick, hospitalized, or in pain often get ulcers.
Changes in Growing Foals. The stomach of young foals is still developing and is easily injured by acid and enzymes.
Other Factors. Shipping and extended time in stalls expose horses to stresses that may cause ulcers. Ulcers may also result from certain medications given at high doses.

[bay_blnd jmpr07]

We have a therapy mount(fairly old) who has stomach ulcers. He gets Neigh-Lox every day to help and since he's been on it he hasn't had a problem since.

BBJ

[XmasAngel98]

Thanks. I think I saw the website where you found that info. I appreciate you doing the research on it.

[Cowgirl2135]

Umm, this came out of my book. I am currently a student at U.C Davis for Equine vet med. What website is this ?

[Cowgirl2135]

At least I waste my time typing all that for you..Thanks Anyways!

[XmasAngel98]

I just did a regular AOL search on "stomach ulcers" horses and I went through several sites...I'm not sure the exact one. My sister is a vet...she just graduated from Mizzou.

[SweetSavannah]

stomach ulcers can be (debate-ably) caused by bute so if she's had any bute for an injury, even if it was years ago, it can cause ulcers. and ulcers can easily reopen at any time of stress. some horses cant stand being stabled at all. its more due to stress than not having access to hay.

one horse at the stables im at has severe ulcers even though she was on grass, and fed hay when she was stabled. some horses ar just stress heads!

also if she has a low red blood cell count she may be anaemic. check her gums and see if they are pink. if they are more white looking then she could be anaemic and may need an iron supplement such as MegaBlud to help her keep weight on.