Edited News Release:
Gastric ulceration is a widespread clinical finding among performance horses in training as well as in foals. Prevalence of up to 93% has been documented among horses in race training1 and in nearly 60% of other performance horses.
The disease complex that precipitates ulceration of the esophageal, gastric, or duodenal mucosa in the horse is referred to as Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS). It includes both asymptomatic and symptomatic cases; focal or multifocal ulceration of squamous mucosa, glandular mucosa, or both; and gastritis and complications of these disorders.
EGUS ranges from mild erosion to craters that penetrate the mucosa with a spectrum of severity, ranging from inflamed but intact epithelium to single, superficial erosions of the mucosal surface, and from there to multiple actively hemorrhaging hyperemic and/or necrotic craters extending beneath the mucosal surface. In severe cases, perforation may occur, and when it does, it is usually fatal.
GASTROGARD® (omeprazole) is the only ulcer medication which is FDA-approved to treat equine stomach ulcers.