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7 Signs Your Horse Could Be Suffering From Ulcers

How can you tell if your horse has ulcers? Without thorough veterinary investigation (gastroscoping), determining if your horse has ulcers is impossible, but there are some characteristic signs (horse ulcers symptoms) which could indicate your horse is suffering from ulcers. Here are 7 Signs Your Horse Could Be Suffering From Ulcers:

A Change In Attitude

Are you noticing a change in your horses’ attitude? Whether its related to ridden work or even to being tacked up, groomed or rugged up, this could be a sign of ulcers. Our MD Han van de Braak suggests that you test this: after tying your horse safely, place your hand (palm facing upwards) on its sternum (breastbone), push your flat fingers gently but firmly upwards, slide your fingers with this pressure applied over the midline towards your horse’s rear quarters, if you notice any skin flinching, or evasive movement then your horse is likely to suffering from ulcers or gastric erosion. Simplest trick to verify horse ulcers symptoms. Take appropriate action from there.

Uncomfortable Being Girthed Up

Grumpiness at being girthed up should be investigated further as this can be a tell-tale sign. Anna Bostrand-Daly is a Classical Dressage rider who found Aloeride to be very helpful.

Weight & Muscle Loss

Weight loss and muscle loss can point to ulcer issues in the horse. Issues putting weight on can also be a red flag. One of the things Aloeride is known for is boosting equine condition.

Poor Appetite

If your horse has always had a healthy appetite and looked forward to mealtimes, then a decrease in appetite could indicate tummy troubles.

Dull Coat

A dull, lack-lustre coat indicates poor health and can be a physical feature in horses which suffer from ulcers. Feeding an amazing natural coat shine is why Dressage and Showing riders love Aloeride.

Intermittent Colic

Colic can be an indicator of a hindgut issue and may be accompanied by intermittent or acute diarrhoea. Your vet should investigate both with urgency.

Behavioural Issues

Whether it’s a behavioural issue under saddle or on the ground, pain and discomfort should always be removed from the equation in the first instance. Horse ulcers symptoms may present as behavioural issues.

As with any health concerns, you should always seek your professional vet’s advice. Changes in a horses’ physical appearance or behaviour can be related to so many different factors, ranging from poor diet, poor stable management, dental issues, back pain, lameness, stress and even down to riding and training regimes. This 7 Signs Your Horse Could Be Suffering From Ulcers article does not substitute qualified veterinary advice.

Can ulcers cause back pain in horses

To the question “can ulcers cause back pain in horses”, increasingly gastric ulceration is found in horses that are reported to have back pain. This finding, published in Horse & Hound (May 2009), is somewhat odious because up to 90% of racehorses and 58% of show horses, as well as non-performance horses and even foals are affected by equine gastric ulcers. It almost deflates the finding except that, when the spine is compromised this can be exacerbated by gastric ulceration. Is there a reasonable precedent for this? In a human study, forty-eight out of 117 (41.0%) and 11 out of 35 (31.4%) patients with gastric and duodenal ulcers respectively complained of back pain with or without other symptoms. [Dig Endosc 1944; 6 : 17–23] The answer to can ulcers cause back pain in horses is yes but it may be coincidental rather than causal. Because too many horses have gastric ulceration nowadays, I wrote about feeds and several of our customers have taken this to heart and achieved a positive clinical outcome.

For further ulcers in horses related reading, tips and advice on stable management, you might like The Problem Of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome

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