Can gastric ulcers cause explosive reactions when girth is tight?

Wagtail

Wagtail

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As some of you may be aware, my horse had the operation to remove five spinal processes due to severe kissing spine. His symptoms were exploding under saddle after the girth had been tightened and a reluctance to canter. He was doing well until we had a setback a couple of months ago. He had been so good, I started to take it for granted and tied him up to tack him up (rather than doing it loose in the stable). After I had tightened the girth (not too tight, but I did it faster than he was used to), he reared up, snapped the string and bronked around the yard, before stopping and trembling. I have since turned him away for two months and intend to bring him back into work as soon as I can get his mosquito allergy under control (as he is covered in massive lumps).

But my question is, as his spines are no longer touching, could his reaction to the girth being tightened be due to something else entirely? At the moment his poohs are like cow pats (since he's been out 24/7). I have experienced gastric ulcers in horses before, and it has caused nappy behaviour rather than explosive behaviour, but I am now beginning to wonder. If he is still bad when I bring him back into work, is it worth having him scoped?
 
I have quite a few ulcer suffers here but never one whose behaviour was explosive around girthing it was more grumpynesswhen that was one of the symptoms and some showed no girthing symptoms at all.
There's no harm except the cost in getting him scoped , then you know for sure .
 
Thanks. That is my experience too. They are usually fine to tack up but reluctant to work and resentful of the leg going on. I think I will have him scoped as a last resort before retiring him as unridable. I hope it will not come to that.
 
Even if the gastroscope is clear don't rule out colonic ulcers, they are far more common than we realised and girthiness is a symptom more associated with colonic rather than gastric ulcers, a scope won't pick them up and gastrogard isn't necessarily the best thing to treat them with either as the lack of stomach acid allows undigested food into the hind gut which irritates the ulcers.
 
maggiesmum said:
Even if the gastroscope is clear don't rule out colonic ulcers, they are far more common than we realised and girthiness is a symptom more associated with colonic rather than gastric ulcers, a scope won't pick them up and gastrogard isn't necessarily the best thing to treat them with either as the lack of stomach acid allows undigested food into the hind gut which irritates the ulcers.
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Thanks. How do you treat colonic ulcers?
 
Hi hi, one of my boys has been diagnosed with IBS/Colonic ulcers. I used Protexin Quick fix to kick start, then their gut balancer and Charcoal. I was also told to try aloe vera but I never needed to ;)
 
My mare had a stomach tap, which showed an infection, she had been explosive to saddle, and to ride she also had ulcers. Not sure which caused it, but worth investigating.
 
Wagtail said:
Thanks. How do you treat colonic ulcers?
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We're currently on a mix of cimetidine and antepsin but its slow going, there have also been some good results reported with Egusin.
Unfortunately they're more difficult to treat and its hard to chart progress as they can't be seen.
 
maggiesmum said:
We're currently on a mix of cimetidine and antepsin but its slow going, there have also been some good results reported with Egusin.
Unfortunately they're more difficult to treat and its hard to chart progress as they can't be seen.
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Thanks. I remember using antepsin with a mare at our yard. She had to have around 15 tablets 3 ties a day.
 
zaminda said:
My mare had a stomach tap, which showed an infection, she had been explosive to saddle, and to ride she also had ulcers. Not sure which caused it, but worth investigating.
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Thanks. That's interesting and something to have a look into should I continue to experience problems.
 
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