Effect of diet composition on glandular gastric disease in horses.
Authors: Julliand Samy, Buttet Marjorie, Hermange Tanguy, Hillon Patrick, Julliand Véronique
Journal: Journal of veterinary internal medicine
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Diet Composition and Glandular Gastric Disease in Horses Glandular gastric disease represents a significant welfare concern in intensively trained horses, yet optimal dietary management strategies remain unclear. Julliand and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis followed by a prospective randomised controlled trial across four trotting training centres, using gastroscopic examination and a standardised severity scoring system (0–4 scale) to assess disease progression in 82 exercising horses over a six-week period. Counterintuitively, horses without glandular ulceration at baseline consumed significantly higher levels of soluble sugars from concentrates (77.5 g/kg bodyweight) compared to ulcerated horses (59.1 g/kg), whilst starch intake showed no relationship to disease status. Most notably, replacing 50% of concentrate feed with pelleted dehydrated alfalfa produced a dramatic clinical improvement: horses with existing ulceration were 47.7 times more likely to achieve successful resolution (score reduction from 2–4 to 0–1) within 42 days compared to controls, with only one of six affected horses in the alfalfa group remaining severely ulcerated versus all six control animals. These findings suggest that forage-based strategies warrant serious consideration in managing glandular gastric disease, though the unexpected inverse relationship between sugar intake and baseline ulceration warrants further investigation to clarify causality versus confounding factors in training populations.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Feeding pelleted dehydrated alfalfa as a 50% replacement for concentrates significantly improves glandular gastric health in horses with existing ulceration, with 83% improvement vs 0% in controls
- •High soluble sugar intake from concentrates alone does not protect against GGD—dietary composition and fiber type matter more than expected for gastric health
- •Consider alfalfa-based feed modifications as a practical dietary intervention for horses showing signs of gastric disease, particularly in high-training environments (≥5 days/week exercise)
Key Findings
- •Horses with healthy glandular mucosa (scores 0-1) consumed significantly more soluble sugars from concentrates (77.5 g/kg BW) than those with ulceration (59.1 g/kg BW), contrary to expectations (P=0.01)
- •Starch intake did not differ between ulcerated and non-ulcerated horses (P=0.24)
- •Substituting 50% of concentrates with pelleted dehydrated alfalfa reduced severe GGD at 42 days in ulcerated horses (1/6 vs 6/6 remaining affected, P=0.02)
- •Clinical success was 47.7 times more likely with alfalfa supplementation compared to control diet (95% CI: 1.6-1422.8)