Equine & Livestock Product & Promotions Guide

13 May 2023 | Product and Promotions Guide Better Equine Gastric Care Needed While gastroscopy is effective in identifying gastric ulceration, not all veterinarians have an endoscope, and it's invasive and difficult for the horse. Further, the gold-standard treatment, while effective in the short-term, isn't useful for long-term prevention. It works in the stomach only, interferes with normal digestive processes, and may exacerbate issues in the hindgut. Veterinarians should consider additional solutions that provide more complete, longer-term results. What About the Hindgut? At the same time, digestive issues in horses extend well beyond the stomach. In 2003, Dr. Franklin Pellegrini conducted the first large-scale necropsy study of gastric and colonic ulcers. That study, published in 2005, showed a colonic ulceration incidence of 63 percent (Pellegrini, 2005). Further research into topics such as the gut-brain connection, and relationships between feeding, stress, performance, and GI disease, among other topics, reveals the significance of the hindgut. Unfortunately, options for diagnosing and managing the hindgut are limited. Non-Invasive GI Diagnostics, Hindgut Included The SUCCEED ® Equine Fecal Blood Test ™ offers an objective, reliable tool to identify GI tract damage in horses (Pellegrini, 2009). This antibody test detects occult blood components in a fresh fecal sample. A positive for hemoglobin represents blood loss from anywhere in the GI tract, while a positive for albumin represents loss from the hindgut. Taken together, these results can help differentiate between issues in the stomach only, hindgut only, or potentially both. Because an albumin positive always indicates a hindgut problem, the FBT is useful for identifying problems in this difficult-to-diagnose area. The test is non-invasive, simple, and inexpensive, making it useful for regular diagnostics and monitoring. Effective Long-Term GI Management SUCCEED ® Veterinary Formula provides a natural, daily program to optimize the health of the entire equine GI tract—foregut and hindgut. It provides nutrients used by the body to maintain the integrity of the gut wall, support efficient nutrient absorption, assist in cell repair, remove pathogens, and maintain immune function. SUCCEED VF has been proven effective in clinical settings and real-world applications. This includes multiple patents, internal clinical trials, and independent studies. A study published in 2016 showed SUCCEED was equally effective to omeprazole in the treatment of squamous gastric ulceration at 90 days (Kerbyson et al., 2016). SUCCEED VF is intended for continuous, daily use, making it ideal for long-term GI management. Together, the SUCCEED FBT and SUCCEED VF provide effective problem-identification and problem-solution tools for equine GI management. REFERENCES Pellegrini F.L. (2005) Results of a large-scale necroscopic study of equine colonic ulcers. J Equine Vet Sci, 25 (3), pp. 113–117. Pellegrini F.L. (2009) A novel antibody test can help to differentiate gastric from colonic ulcers in horses. In: proceedings 11th International Congress of World Equine Veterinary Association. Sao Paulo, Brazil. Kerbyson N.C., Knottenbelt D.K., Carslake H.B., et al. (2016) A comparison between omeprazole and a dietary supplement for the management of squamous gastric ulceration in horses. J Equine Vet Sci, 40, pp. 94–101. Contact your Covetrus ® representative to order. Veterinarians and their clients are giving greater attention to the gastrointestinal health of horses. While gastric ulceration has been well-understood, new research into issues beyond the stomach make obvious the need for improved management of the entire digestive system. This has also given rise to a multi-million-dollar supplement industry, with owners making decisions every day about their horses' health. At the same time, effective measures available to the veterinarian are limited. Veterinarians need better options for identifying GI problems and providing ongoing management.

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