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Gastric Ulcers In Horses: Search For Biomarkers, Treatments Continues

Are you considering having your horse's stomach scoped again? Is there any other way to verify the presence of gastric ulcers? Right now, there isn't, but researchers are working on noninvasive ways to diagnose and monitor horses with equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS).

Many performance horses have gastric ulcers, which are defects in the surface of the stomach lining that occur in either the glandular or nonglandular (squamous) regions. Thought to be largely due to management factors—stress due to training or competition, social isolation, diets high in concentrates or low in forages—gastric ulcers often cause poor performance, decreased appetite, and weight loss.

After diagnosing and grading ulcers via gastroscopy, veterinarians typically recommend treatments geared to decreasing the acidity of the stomach. Treatment plans for EGUS typically include diet modifications, management changes, and medications such as omeprazole, sucralfate, and ranitidine. Nutritional supplements designed to control the pH within the stomach could also be included.

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“Triacton supports gastric health by moderating acidity using ingredients shown to have greater buffering capacity. Those include a seaweed-derived source of calcium and several other highly bioavailable minerals,” said Catherine Whitehouse, M.S., a nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research. “The form of calcium in Triacton offsets the negative effects of omeprazole on calcium digestibility compared to other commonly used sources of calcium in feeds and supplements.”

Because gastroscopies play a key role in ulcer management, repeated procedures are a necessary evil as horses may be resistant to treatment or the ulcers may return rapidly following cessation of pharmaceutical treatments like omeprazole.

Veterinary researchers recently suggested that identifying blood or salivary markers, or perhaps a combination of both, could help create a diagnostic panel for EGUS. This tool would screen patients for EGUS and monitor response to treatment, which would limit the frequency of gastroscopy.^*

Blood collected from eight mature geldings with gastric ulcers was evaluated for total antioxidant capacity. A moderate but significant correlation between blood and salivary antioxidant capacity was identified, potentially indicating that oxidative stress decreases as ulcers heal.

“The role of oxidative stress and antioxidants in EGUS requires further exploration, but these very preliminary findings suggest that antioxidants may play a role in the future management of this condition,” said Whitehouse.

While horse owners wait for this research to advance, Whitehouse suggested using diagnostics and treatments, including gastrointestinal buffers, currently recommended by veterinarians.

^*Svagerko, P., W. Bridges, E. Jesch, S. Pratt-Phillips, and K. Vernon. 2021. Equine gastric ulcers; a pilot study: Associated biomarkers and polysaccharide supplementation as a solution. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 100:103518.

Reprinted courtesy of Kentucky Equine Research. Visit ker.com for the latest in equine nutrition and management, and subscribe to Equinews to receive these articles directly

The post Gastric Ulcers In Horses: Search For Biomarkers, Treatments Continues appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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When Is Choke Not A One-And-Done Emergency For Horses?

Choke in horses is always an emergency. Though some horses may resolve a choking episode on their own, others may behave as if they're colicking, throwing themselves on the ground. Horses may hold their necks out and down, in odd positions. Often the only signs a horse has a blockage in his esophagus are a frequent cough or s a mix of feed and saliva dripping out through his mouth or nostrils. Sometimes the obstruction can actually be seen as a lump on the side of the neck.

Unlike a choking human, a choking horse is not at risk of imminent death because the organs used to swallow food and to deliver air to the lungs are not shared in the same way there are with people, so a food obstruction will not hinder a horse's breathing. Still, a choking horse should be kept quiet and away from food and water, either until he passes the obstruction or until a veterinarian can be called in to assist. A vet will pass a tube down the esophagus and try flush the blockage down with water.

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If a horse chokes repeatedly, it's worthwhile to investigate the cause, Dr. Melina Freckleton tells EQUUS. The first step is to check the horse's teeth, in case dental problems are inhibiting the horse from chewing and swallowing properly.

If that doesn't uncover a cause, it's time to dig a bit deeper and see if he has physical or behavioral issues that are causing him to choke. Look first at how the horse is fed — is he fed in a quiet stall with no neighbors harassing him, or is he fed on a fence line where he must bolt his food to get anything to eat? A horse that eats too quickly is more inclined to choke.

To determine if there is a physical issue that's causing a horse to choke, taking a closer look at the esophagus is key. The vet will snake a long endoscope down the horse's esophagus to see if any injuries have caused scar tissue that make the esophagus more narrow, causing food to get trapped. In other cases, the esophageal wall can weaken, allowing a pocket where feed can accumulate.

A horse that chokes repeatedly can cause and worsen damage to his esophagus, and potentially develop aspiration pneumonia, a serious health issue. It's imperative to find out why a horse is choking and to make management changes to prevent its recurrence.

Fecal Tests Fail At Tapeworm Detection

Though fecal egg counts are an essential tool in a horse owner's anti-worm arsenal, the test isn't always accurate in detecting the presence of tape worms, a German study has found. The presence of tapeworm eggs can be missed by the tests as tapeworms don't continuously produce eggs like most parasites do; they release packets of eggs only occasionally.

Adding to the issue is that even when the eggs are released, the packets aren't evenly distributed through the manure, meaning they could easily be missed under a microscope. However, there are other methods for detecting the presence of tapeworms in horses, including using manure, saliva or serum.

Drs. Laura Jürgenschellert, Jürgen Krücken, Corrine Austin, Kirsty Lightbody, Eric Bousquet and Georg von Samson-Himmelstjerna used 48 horse farms in Berlin and Brandenburg, Germany, to test different tapeworm analysis methods. They took fecal samples from 484 horses, serum samples from 481 horses and saliva samples from 365 horses. The saliva and serum samples were tested to determine the antibody levels against tapeworms.

The fecal egg count tests detected tapeworm eggs in 0.6 percent of the samples (6.3 percent of the farm). However, antibodies against tapeworms were present in 16.2 percent of serum samples (52.1 percent of farms) and in 29.5 percent of the saliva samples (75.7 percent of farms).

The research team also sent out a questionnaire to horse owners and they determined that pasture access and pasture changes, as well as high strongyle egg counts, were risk factors for positive serum responses to tapeworms.

The scientists determined that treatment with a dewormer targeted to tapeworms is protective. The presence of foals and a large number of horses on the farm also seem to offer protective benefits. Interestingly, daily removal of manure didn't make a difference on whether a horse had tapeworms.

The research team concluded that conventional fecal tests for tapeworms are not accurate; for a true indication of the prevalence of tapeworms, horse owners should consider using antibody detection methods like the saliva test used in the study.

Read the full study here.