If your horse is a picky eater or doesn’t maintain weight, ulcers and other GI issues may be the underlying cause.
Digestive issues can affect your horse’s attitude and behavior as well. If your horse is withdrawn in his stall, is “girthy,” or rebels in training, these may be external signs of internal discomfort. Even the horse’s performance ability can be affected. We often accept these behaviors as limitations of the horse’s natural ability or attitude.
But consider that digestive health may be the true culprit.
Knowing if Your Horse is Suffering is the First Step
Research published in 2005 showed that 88% of performance horses have stomach ulcers, and 63% have ulcers in the colon. In all, 97% of the horses in the study had some type of ulcer.* With the incidence of ulcers in horses this high, there’s a good chance that your horse could be suffering from this condition.
Knowing if your horse is suffering from ulcers or other digestive tract conditions is the first step in managing its GI health. The SUCCEED® Equine Fecal Blood Test™ will help your veterinarian in diagnosing any underlying conditions or other serious GI problems, including both gastric and colonic ulcers.
Improving Veterinarian’s Ability to Diagnose GI Conditions
It’s important that your veterinarian make a complete and accurate diagnosis as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, existing common methods of diagnosing digestive tract conditions are limited.
Gastric endoscopy is reliable, but costly, and few veterinarians possess a 3-meter endoscope. Further, endoscopy cannot reach the hindgut to help in the diagnosis of colonic ulcers.
Many veterinarians and owners alike rely on symptoms to guide their diagnosis. But this approach is hindered by the fact that symptoms typically associated with digestive tract injury may also be associated with a variety of other conditions. And using treatment as diagnosis requires incurring an expense while waiting days, or even weeks, to determine if the course of action was the right one.
The SUCCEED® Equine Fecal Blood Test™ is an important tool to aid in the veterinarian’s diagnosis of digestive tract conditions, by providing objective data that indicates issues throughout the GI tract in just minutes.
Discuss Your Options
The SUCCEED® FBT is for veterinary use only, for use as a diagnostic aid.
You and your vet can decide if you should administer the FBT yourself, or if he or she should handle the test. Of course, whatever you decide, remember that the SUCCEED® FBT only provides information to aid in the diagnosis, and it’s the veterinarian’s job to provide the appropriate diagnosis and recommend a course of treatment. Discuss your options with your veterinarian, and always consult your vet for any health concerns you might have regarding your horse.
If your veterinarian isn’t familiar with the SUCCEED® FBT, refer him or her to this site. Or have them call us toll-free at (877) 734-6558.
