You’re certainly not the first person to be confused by different types of equine ulcers.

Many online resources are seriously complicated and can overwhelm you with their descriptions and different terminology. However, understanding the different types of equine ulcers will help you choose and understand the reasons treatment.

In simple terms, gastric ulcers are found in the horse’s stomach while hindgut ulcers are found in the hindgut (or specifically the colon).

Let’s break it down further…

​

Gastric Ulcers

The foregut of the horse comprises of the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine. This is where gastric ulcers occur.

The main types of gastric ulcers are squamous ulcers, glandular ulcers and pyloric ulcers.

• Squamous ulcers affect the squamous portion of the horse’s stomach, which is the upper third of the stomach.

• Glandular ulcers affect the lower section of the horse’s stomach.

• Pyloric ulcers appear at the opening from the stomach into the small intestine.

 

 

Hindgut Ulcers

The hindgut consists of the horse’s large intestine, which includes the caecum, large colon, small colon, rectum, and anus.

Ulcers can occur in any of these sections of the large intestine, however the most common is known as ‘Right Dorsal Colitis’ or RDC.

 

Right dorsal colitis

Right dorsal colitis is a term given to equine ulcers found in the upper right section of a horse’s colon.

The main cause of right dorsal colitis is the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, (like phenylbutazone) and hindgut acidosis.

​

Hindgut acidosis

As the name suggests, hindgut acidosis occurs when the acidity of the horse’s hindgut is raised. This is caused by large quantities of undigested simple carbohydrates reaching the hindgut and producing lactic acid.

The increase in acid reduces the hindgut’s mucous production and leaves the mucous membranes vulnerable to ulceration. In addition, the change in pH cause the ‘good’ bacteria die off.

This  further hampers the horse’s digestion efficiency and is thought to cause colic.

​

Treatment for equine Gastric ulcers

Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor and it’s most common medication for stomach or gastric ulcers.

Omeprazole products like AbPrazole block the acid secretion from the stomach, reducing the amount of acid and returning the stomach’s pH balance to horse standard. This decrease in stomach acid promotes the healing of the damage done by the ulcer.

 

Treatment for equine hindgut ulcers

Gastric ulcer treatments such as Omeprazole do not provide relief for hindgut ulcers or acidosis. This is because these medications lose the power to minimise acid production by the time they reach the hindgut.

Alternatively,  Sucralfate passes through the digestive system undigested and coats the stomach and hindgut as it travels. This layer protects the site of the ulcer and gives them a chance to heal.

The side-effect is that anything your horse ingests within a couple of hours of the sucralfate isn’t going to be absorbed properly.

​

​

Customer Product Review:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

‘

 

​

Covering all bases’ with a two-pronged approach

The most effective way to treat equine ulcers is through a combination of omeprazole and sucralfate. This is because 65% of ulcer suffering horses have both gastric & hindgut ulcers. Furthermore, hindgut ulcers are hard (and expensive to diagnose) so treating them, while you treat gastric ulcers makes sense.

Unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple as adding both medications to your horses feed and waiting for the results. By it’s very nature, sucralfate coats the stomach (to protect the ulcers) but in doing so will hinder the absorption of other medication and nutrients.

This conflict of medications leads to two options. On the one hand, you can give your horse their meal with omeprazole and then in an hour give them sucralfate. On the other; you can give your horse the sucralfate and then in a couple of hours give them their meal and omeprazole.

​

In Summary

As part of an ulcer healing regimen, the two medications are very effective. The acid inhibitor properties of Omeprazole will stop new ulcers forming, while the protective properties of sucralfate will help existing ulcers heal.