NOVEMBER 2019 THE RIDER /29 ^Between The Ears^ Glandular ulcers is


comparable to Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD) in humans and the pathogenesis is poorly understood. There is no consistent evidence of bacterial involvement and antimicrobial treatment did no improve healing. He- liobacter in humans has not been found in horses. The highest prevalence


of glandular ulcers appears to be in Thoroughbred Racehorses


and Sport


By Ellie Ross. I recently attended the


Equine Gastric Ulcer Syn- drome and Gastroscopy Clinic at McKee Pownall in Schomberg Ontario. Dr. Sarah Shaw, a Board Certi- fied Internal Medicine Vet- erinarian from Pickering, gave a live presentation of four horses being scoped for Ulcers. Aside from actually seeing ulcers when scoping a horse, what does a horse with ulcers look like clini- cally speaking? Of the four horses


scoped, all were sport horses. The symptoms of each horse varied consider- ably. One horse was de- scribed as explosive and unrideable. That horse was found to have ulcers and an active bot larva population in his stomach. 1) Adult Horses -Change in behaviour • Poor performance • Horse is reluctant to per- form • Horse is girthy/cinchy. • Body stiffness • Lack or response to leg aids • Appears to be back sore • Nervousness, aggression, self mutilation • Cribbing • Horse is unhappy • Change in eating pattern - refusing grain, picky eater • Intermittent colic - mild to moderate - post-prandial (after eating) • Weight loss/poor body condition • Rough hair coat • Teeth Grinding • NO DIARRHEA 2) Foals - • Diarrhea • Poor appetite • Poor body condition and hair coat • Teeth grinding • Excessive salivation • Colic


Overall the clinical


signs are vague and vari- able. There is a poor rela-


tionship between the sever- ity of ulcer lesions and the clinical signs. It is important that you become aware of changes in your horse. To understand Ulcers,


we must understand the equine stomach. A horse’s stomach produces acid 24 hours a day and can make greater than 16 gallons of acid a day! The stomach is buffered by food and saliva. When the pH level falls below 4, acid injury can occur. A horse that goes without food for more than a few hours, has acid splash- ing around and there is noth- ing to protect the mucosa. Food is the most important buffer to protect the stom- ach. Horses eat just as much from 1-6am as they do dur- ing the day however, they were much more likely to get ulcers if food was not available during the day. Soaked Beet pulp is a pro- tective factor. Lack of water is a problem. There are two types of


ulcers affecting equines - glandular and squamous. Squamous ulcers are similar to GERD (Gastroe- sophageal Reflux Disease) in Humans. It is an acid in- jury for which the horse has limited defences against.


Risk factors for Squamous ulcers are • The Horse’s job/breed etc. Signalment. • Type of management of care • Lack of or no turnout/ un- able to graze • Feeding (especially a diet high in concentrated feed and less long stem fibre) • Timing of feed deprivation The prevalence of Squa- mous Ulcers among horses - • TB Racehorses - 37% un- trained, 80-100% in training • STB Racehorses - 44% un- trained, 87% in training • Sport horses - 17-58% • Pleasure horses - 37-59% • Light riding horses 11%


Horses. According to the re- search done and provided by Dr. Shaw, 47-65% of TB Racehorses and 46-70% of Sport horses suffer from ul- cers. Pleasure horses were 54-57% and the lowest group was Endurance Horses at 16-33%. The risk factors for


Glandular ulcers are poorly understood however, re- search has shown that man- agement


is a large


contributing factor. • No Grass turnout • No effect of age, sex, use or month • Exercise frequency • Level of Competition - The higher the level, the more likely the horse was to have ulcers. • NSAID Involvement - pharmaceuticals such as Bute and Previcox as they decrease blood flow so not as much mucous is pro- duced therefore the lining can’t buffer the accid. • Soaked Beet pulp is be- lieved to be beneficial in the prevention of ulcers in horses. It is not understood if it is the fibre, the added moisture or a combination of both. There are a number of


ways horse owners believe is best to treat or prevent ul- cers in horses. Let’s look at what has been scientifically studied. Antacids were found


to be extremely short-acting lasting only 30-60 minutes and had no effect on acid se- cretion or neutralization. Antacids do no heal ulcers and long term use leads to osteoporosis. Gastro FX is soothing


for gastritis but it is not an approved product for treat- ment.


Aloe Vera Gel is a nu-


traceutical (pharmaceutical alternative which claims physiological benefits and are often not regulated). In a randomized blind study in comparison to Omeprazole, 75% healed with Omepra- zole vs 14% with Aloe Vera. Aloe Vera was deemed infe- rior in the treatment of ul- cers.


The video and


social community for horse people just like you! Wherever you


www.Barnmice.com


live and however you ride


Anxious Horses often found to have Ulcers


Pectin-Lecithin Complex - Lecithin reinforces mucous and Pectin stabilizes mu- cous and binds bile acids. This has been show to aid in the healing of gastric ulcers. Pectins need to be weaned onto due to palatability since it is citrus in flavour. Horses behaviour improves, more happy and less grind- ing noted. Sucralfate adheres to


and protects ulcers. It is be- lieved to stimulate healing, It does not stop acid produc- tion, nor does it protect nor- mal


tissue and it will


interfere with other medica- tions. It was most beneficial when given just before rid- ing as it is fast acting. Misoprostol increases


blood flow to the stomach, increases mucus and bicar- bonate production. It may cause diarrhea and abdomi- nal pain and could also cause abortion. Ranitidine and Famo-


tidine (Pepcid/Zantac) sig- nificantly inhibit


acid


secretion but it has a short duration of action. Dosing would have to occur 3x a day and has had variable re- sponses in horses. Omeprazole (GastroG-


ard vs Others) decreases acid production, is buffered and raises the pH above 4. GastroGard is the only FDA approved product to treat Ulcers in horses. Com- pounded products have no regulation, no guarantee of ingredients, questionable stability ,often in liquid sus- pension the product settles and dosage can’t be consis- tent. Overall, 96% success- ful response in healing for squamous ulcers and 34% in glandular ulcers when given as prescribed at least one hour before training or eating. The failure in glan- dular ulcer treatment may have been due to inadequate acid suppression, the dura- tion of treatment, adjunctive therapy, no change in man- agement of horse etc. The success in gastric ulcer treatment is due to acid sup- pression and additional treatment of Sulcralfate, Pectin-lecithin combo and management changes. Corn oil at 150-


250mL/day for 500kg horse also showed to be beneficial in the treatment of glandular ulcers. Fish and Flax oils were also found to be bene- ficial in protecting the stom- ach.


Improving hind gut


health is always beneficial but probiotics have not been well tested.There is no known FDA approved pro- biotic. The gold standard of improving hind gut health is manure transplantation to repopulate the colon. Plain yeast has no protective abil- ity.


Alfalfa hay is high in


calcium but doesn’t show to act as a buffer but interest- ingly enough, horses fed al- falfa pellets had the lowest ulcer scores. Adding this to their feed slows them down when eating and results in increased saliva production.


If you are considering


having your horse scoped for ulcers, the average cost


of a gastroscope is approxi- mately $370 plus the cost of sedation etc. usually around


$500.


Road safety during harvest season is a shared responsibility


OFA Commentary: October 18, 2019


means, we are using social media to build awareness about how to safely interact with farm equipment on the road. Key messages for these drivers are to slow down, share the road and wait until it’s safe to pass. We’re also directing drivers to view a short road safety video, “Road Safety and Farm Vehicles” at youtube.com/ontariofarms. For farmers working long hours to bring the harvest in, it’s a good time to re-


view some road safety best practices. There is more farm equipment on the road and the hours of daylight are declining – situations that can lead to some risky road condi- tions.


represents issues and advocates for actions that matter to our 38,000 farm members. So when we heard from members about road safety concerns when farm equipment travels the roadways during busy spring and fall seasons, we developed a road safety campaign to remind all drivers about how to safely share the road. For everyday drivers who may not know what a slow moving vehicle sign


By Larry Davis, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture As a grassroots organization, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA)


fall field activities. Every time you drive farm equipment on a public roadway, there’s an opportunity to practice road safety. It takes a little patience. It means slowing down a little. And it means sharing the road. For more road safety tips, visit ofa.on.ca/roadsafety.


before sunset to 30 minutes after sunrise, but best practices are to just keep them on all the time. Farm equipment on public roads must have two white headlights and one red taillight. And towed implements must have at least one red taillight. We know everyone is rushing to get the harvest done and maybe some other


anything that travels on roadways, including tractors, combines, self-propelled vehicles and sprayers, and anything being towed. Keep lights on for safety. Lights must be on farm equipment from 30 minutes


illegal to drive on the shoulder, but it may not support the weight of your equipment. Stay off your smartphone, the rules for distracted driving also apply when you are driv- ing equipment. Keep your maximum speed to 40 km/h and take the time to check twice when turning on and off busy roadways for drivers who may be anxious to race past. As for your equipment, be sure there is a visible slow moving vehicle sign on


On the road, drive your equipment on the main part of the highway. It’s not


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