Kent Veterinary Center 

After a careful review of the current veterinary literature concerning the prevalence and seriousness of stomach ulcers to the overall performance and health of your horse we at KENT VETERINARY CENTER have come to this decision that it is time to strongly recommend the usage of GASTROGARD® whenever you are trailering your horse for more than four hours.

 

Here is what we base our recommendation on:

1. Horses secrete stomach acid 24 hours a day.  When horses are under the stress of being trailered and are unable to graze regularly or have intermittent intake of roughage, acid can build up and lead to stomach ulcers.

2. The outward signs of ulcers, which may be mistaken for other problems, include:  altered eating behavior, sub-optimal performance and changes in attitude.

3. It has been proven that GASTROGARD suppresses acid production in the horse’s stomach and prevents ulcer development and ultimately the signs that may be associated with them. 

4. Finally, in a randomized controlled study showing that 70% of horses that were transported and housed off-site had a significantly higher incidence of equine gastric ulcer syndrome than the control group who were not transported.

 

In summary, activities such as trailering that are typical in the recreational use of horses were ulcerogenic and ulcers in the gastric squamous mucosa can develop under these conditions within 5 days.  Thus, we recommend that two days before trailering, during the event and two after trailering you protect your horse by using GASTROGARD at the recommend dose.  

 

Should you have further questions concerning equine gastric ulcer syndrome please do not hesitate to contact us at your earliest convenience.

 

Best regards,

JUDY TUBMAN, VMD