Gastroscopy
Gastroscopy is an important imaging technique used by vets to
visualise the inside of your horse's stomach. Gastric ulcers are a common
cause of pain and discomfort in horses and can be a cause of poor performance
in equine athletes. Accurate diagnosis of gastric ulcers requires visualisation
of the stomach wall.
Chiltern Equine have a number of hospital based and portable gastroscopes to enable a fast and accurate diagnosis for your horse.
Gastric ulcers are erosions of one or multiple areas of the
surface lining of the stomach. There are two distinct diseases included within
the diagnosis 'Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome'.
- Equine
Squamous Gastric Disease:
- This
refers to lesions specifically affecting the squamous portion of the
equine stomach, the upper region of the stomach. This area of the stomach
has limited defence against constantly secreted gasrtic acids and relies
on the buffering affects from alkaline saliva and a full stomach to prevent
gastric acids splashing on the unprotected squamous mucosa.
- Equine
Glandular Gastric Disease:
- This refers to ulceration in the ventral glandular region of the horses stomach, the lower region of the stomach. The glandular mucosa is well adapted to cope with constant exposure to stomach acids and has a protective lining. When this defensive mechanism breaks down in the horse, damaging acids can cause ulceration in the glandular mucosa. The cause of glandular ulceration is not as well understood as Equine Squamous Gastric Disease however, high doses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatories can be a contributing factor.
Due to these two distinct syndromes having different aetiologies and treatments it is vital to perform a gastroscope to enable a correct diagnosis and treatment plan to be implemented for your individual horse. Gastroscopy is an imaging technique employed by clinicians to visualise the inside of the equine stomach. Equine gastric ulcer syndrome is a documented cause of poor performance in equine athletes. Accurate diagnosis of stomach ulcers requires visualisation of the stomach wall. Our video endoscope allows not only visualisation of the stomach wall but is of adequate length to reach the duodenum of adult horses.
Please contact the reception team if you would like to book an
appointment or speak to one of our vets.
