Performance horses are usually stabled horses, and as a result, they can be more prone to developing one of the most common conditions experienced by stabled horses – digestive ulcers. For humans, it would be too easy to find a remedy for such a condition; we simply take a trip to the nearest pharmacy for the remedy or perhaps see a physician to let them diagnose the condition and assess accordingly. Horses, on the other hand, can only provide indirect signs informing their owners that they are in pain. It’s no surprise then that such a digestive condition could alter the overall performance of the horse.
Digestive ulcers refer to erosions along the walls of the stomach. It is a common condition for horses. Various scientific studies have proven that about 70-100% of horses are found to have such a condition through endoscopic procedures. This does not necessarily mean that all those horses have exhibited signs and symptoms of horse ulcers. In humans, ulcers develop as a response to bacterial infection, while ulcers in horses are not found to be caused by bacterial infection. There are only a few specific causes of the ulcers which have been identified clearly but most horse experts agree that stress is the most common cause for such condition in foals, while infrequent feeding with high carbohydrates,
low-roughage diet, and vigorous horse training programs are common causes for conditions in adult horses. Horses continually secrete gastric acid whether they are feeding or not. Normally in the wild, they spend most of their days eating less but frequently and their diet consists of high roughage feed. This continuous acid production fits their eating habits perfectly. Once they are fed with high grade food less frequently, their stomachs would empty so quickly, leaving the stomach idle. The horse’s stomach can have protection from strong acidic environment but once the stomach is empty, the horses may not be able to endure the effects of the acidic environment of the stomach. If ulcers in horses persist, they may soon bleed out and with continuous bleeding, the horses could develop anemia and protein loss from the condition.
Since it is known to the horse industry that digestive ulcers are a common condition, the best way to prevent recurrance is to mimic the horses’ eating habits as much as possible by giving them more access to grazing. A medication may also be prescribed for horse ulcers which is Omeprazole. AbPrazole is one product from Abler that contains the ingredient, Omeprazole. It comes in granule form which makes it very easy to administer. Ensure the best for your horses and treat horse ulcers immediately. Choose AbPrazole for the best results.
