0800-011-2620
Equestrian Supplements
May
MAY – Gastric Awareness Month
Posted by (0) Comment
May – Gastric Ulcer Awareness Month
Don’t let your horse suffer in silence…
It is reported that up to 83% of racehorses have gastric ulcers, but it’s not just performance horses that are affected. As many as 37% of all leisure horses can suffer with this debilitating condition too.
So, what should you look out for? The key indicators or symptoms are:
- Lack of condition/inability to hold weight
- Poor appetite
- Aggressive behaviour when being tacked-up/groomed/rugged
- Lack of performance/reluctance to work
- Windsucking
There are many steps you can take in order do to prevent ulcers forming or stop them from
re-occurring, such as:
- Access to grazing or forage 24hrs or as much as possible
- High fibre diet with little or no starch
- Reduce stress, ie stable the horse where he can see others
- Feed a supplement that neutralises acid in the stomach and protects the stomach lining
Should your horse be unlucky enough to become another victim of this hidden condition, it doesn’t necessarily mean a lifetime of treatment under the vet. After diagnosis, initial treatment will probably consist of a course of an omeprazole based product called GastroGard, which although very effective, can be costly. There are many supplements available which can ease the symptoms or prevent the ulcers returning, such as Ulser Gard by Equine America, GastriAid and GastriVet by NAF.
The key thing to remember here is prevention is better than cure………