preview

Food Ulceration Essay

Decent Essays
Open Document
There have been many confounding research trails debating whether there is causation between feeding concentrates and ulceration of the stomach. Nevertheless, there is evidence illustrating gastric pH decreases when large amounts of concentrates are added to the diet (Flores et al., 2011; Frank et al., 2005; Videla and Andrews, 2009). Horses masticate less while consuming concentrates than forages. As mentioned previously, saliva production is stimulated via mastication which is a contributing factor to decreased gastric pH; this may result in a pH low enough to result in ulcers (Elia et al., 2011; Flores et al., 2011). Therefore, concentrate consumption may highly contribute stomach ulceration, especially when adequate amounts of forage…show more content…
Omeprazole is time sensitive and will only work for twenty-four hours before it is excreted in the urine. Length of treatment is dependent upon the severity of the ulcers and dosage of omeprazole (Bell et al., 2007; Videla and Andrew, 2009). Histamine type II receptor antagonists are another frequently utilized treatment for gastric ulcers. These products prevent the interaction between histamine and histamine receptors and thus inhibit HCl secretion from parietal cells in the stomach (Bell et al., 2007; Videla et al., 2009). However, there is conflicting data concerning the efficacy of these products to reduce gastric ulcers and the half-life for these products are very short, requiring more frequent dosing (Bell et.al., 2007). Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s) are often administered to alleviate any pain associated with gastric ulcers, or other pain throughout the equine body. Unfortunately, NSAID’s have been linked to increased gastric ulcers, contributing to the issue (Bell et al., 2007, Videla and Andrews, 2009). Nutritionally, there are practices which may promote the healing and prevention of gastric ulcers. Providing a more natural management practice can reduce gastric ulceration by reducing stress and allowing for a more natural feed intake process. Increased grazing through pasture turnout is recommended as the most effective dietary treatment. Grazing will allow for a more continuous saliva
Get Access
Related
Get Access