Changes in Management Lead to Improvement and Healing of Equine Squamous Gastric Disease.
Authors: Kranenburg Lieuwke C, van der Poel Simone Henriëtte, Warmelink Tim Sebastiaan, van Doorn David Anthonie, van den Boom Robin
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
Equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) remains prevalent and welfare-compromising despite routine omeprazole treatment, prompting investigation into whether management modifications alone could facilitate healing. Fourteen mares previously diagnosed with moderate-to-severe ESGD (baseline scores 3.36–3.57) were managed in individual stalls with daily exercise and fed ad libitum hay plus modest concentrates (1 kg low-starch compound feed daily), with half receiving a collagen-supplemented feed and half serving as controls. Both groups demonstrated significant lesion regression within four weeks—dropping to ESGD scores of 1.43 and 1.89 respectively—with 50% of horses achieving complete healing (scores <2), yet no statistically significant difference between supplemented and control groups (p = 0.75), suggesting management changes rather than the collagen compound drove improvement. The findings indicate that severe squamous gastric ulceration can resolve without pharmacological intervention when horses receive consistent forage-based nutrition, minimal concentrate supplementation, predictable daily routines, and stable human contact—implications that warrant reconsideration of omeprazole dependency and highlight the primacy of husbandry optimisation in ESGD management protocols.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Severe ESGD can improve or heal through management changes alone—provide ad libitum forage with minimal concentrate and establish a consistent daily routine without necessarily relying on omeprazole
- •Environmental stability matters: a predictable schedule with the same caretakers may significantly reduce stress-related gastric disease, suggesting husbandry improvements should be prioritized
- •Expensive gastric supplements may not be necessary for ESGD recovery; focus resources on diet and management optimization instead
Key Findings
- •ESGD scores significantly reduced in both groups after 4 weeks (supplement group: 3.57 to 1.89, control group: 3.36 to 1.43, p < 0.01)
- •Healing of ESGD (scores < 2) occurred in 7 out of 14 horses regardless of supplement group
- •No significant treatment effect observed between hydrolysed collagen supplement and control groups (p = 0.75)
- •Management changes including ad libitum hay feeding, limited compound feed, predictable routine, and dedicated caretakers improved gastric health without omeprazole use