This article is a summary of the product Gastro Care’s clinical study, conducted in conjunction with the University of Limerick in 2002.
Introduction
Since the 1980s, various studies have indicated that gastric ulcers are extremely common, especially amongst both sport and racehorses. Gastric ulcers impact horse health and performance and if found, require careful management. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the nutritional supplement, Gastro Care, in the treatment and management of gastric ulcers in horses. Gastro Care contains a variety of active ingredients specially combined to have a multi-faceted approach to gastrointestinal health.
Equine Gastric Ulcers: Causes and Signs
The cause of gastric ulcers in horses is due to the exposure of the squamous mucosa of the stomach to excessive gastric acid when the stomach fails to empty quickly enough to get rid of the acid accumulation. On horses, the acid accumulation itself can be caused by a number of factors including:
- being stabled and on a high grain, low roughage diets, which promote acid secretion
- being stabled and going several hours with an empty stomach, in which the acid produced continuously irritates the stomach lining
- hard exercise which increases the production of acid to the point that the stomach is completed coated in acid
The clinical signs associated with gastric ulcers in horses are:
- Poor appetite
- Slowness in finishing a meal
- Dullness and lethargy
- Weight loss
- poor body condition
- Poor coat
- Low grade colic
- Poor performance/attitude
The presence of gastric ulcers can be confirmed by an endoscopic examination by a veterinary surgeon.
Present Treatment Options for Gastric Ulcers
The subsequent treatment for horses with gastric ulcers had relied on medical therapy and a change in horse management practice. The premier medical treatment is Omeprazole, which inhibits the production of acid in the stomach even when the horse is in active training. There are other medical treatments available however they are not as effective in the suppression of stomach acid as Omeprazole. It is essential to treat equine gastric ulcers by replenishing the substances necessary for proper blood flow to the stomach. Decreased blood flow reduces the production of mucus that coats the stomach lining used to protect against stomach acid.
The equine nutritional supplement Gastro Care contains the following active ingredients to assist in gastric ulcer treatment:
| Glutamine | Dihydroxy-aluminium Sodium Carbonate
Calcium Carbonate Dicalcium Phosphate |
Pectin-Lecithin Fibre Complex |
| a “non-essential amino acid” that is an important fuel for the immune system, the brain and in particular the gut mucosal cells (at the heart of the mechanism controlling acid-base balance). Glutamine is at the fore of assisting in replenishing substances, such as neurotransmitters, to ensure proper blood flow to the stomach. | all are useful in the prevention of pain caused by gastric acid. They also promote stomach health by buffering excessive acid and giving protection to the gastric mucosa.
|
Pectins prevent the harmful effects of bile and acid reflux, assist in stabilising mucus and increase the buffer capacity of the stomach contents.
Lecithin forms a highly hydrophobic layer and thus strengthens the acid-repelling protective layer of the mucosal cells. |
Gastro Care Study: Design
Eight horses in training were selected at random to participate in this study. Each horse underwent a gastro-endoscopic examination by a veterinary surgeon with an empty stomach in order for the ulcers to be accurately graded. For this study, the grading of the severity of ulceration was applied as follows:
0 – no signs of ulceration
1 – mild ulceration
2 – moderate ulceration
3 – severe ulceration
The results of this initial examination returned that 80% of horses scoped showed signs of ulceration – this is in line with recent research. The below graph demonstrates the first set of ulcer gradings in the subject horses:
Gastro Care Study: Administration
After this first examination, Gastro Care was administered alongside the daily diet to the six horses with identified ulcers. There were no product palatability issues and each horse was given 30g of Gastro Care with each of their three daily feeds. The six horses continued with their normal training and racing routine over the subsequent four weeks while receiving Gastro Care. Unfortunately, three horses were unable to complete the study owing to factors outside of the study’s control.
Four weeks after the first examination and Gastro Care administration, a second grading was undertaken with positive results shown in the below graph:
After this endoscopic examination, the horses returned to their normal routine and continued to receive the prescribed Gastro Care administration (no other medication was given either). Ten weeks later, the subject horses were scoped for a third time to assess the progress of the ulcers, as can be seen below:
Gastro Care Study: Results Analysis
After just four weeks of receiving Gastro Care, it was clear that all horses had shown improvement in the levels of ulceration. This was a positive development and it was also noted that ulcer was also taking place, which was most encouraging given the maintenance of horses’ normal routine. The horses continued to receive Gastro Care for another ten weeks and upon the final examination, all traces of ulcers had gone and healing had occurred as shown above. The examinations also revealed that each horse’s stomach appeared normal and without signs of inflammation.
Conclusion
It is clear that Gastro Care has both an initial and long-term positive effects in ulcer treatment for performance horses from the results obtained in this study. The combined daily dose of 90g (30g three times per day) had assisted in yielding such results while enabling the horses to continue with their normal training and routine. There is a case to be made that reducing the daily dose after the initial three weeks in order to maintain gut integrity however this would need to be examined in further study. Overall, Gastro Care has had a positive impact on the treatment of ulcers in the performance horses in this study.
