Upper Airway Endoscopy
Gastroscopy
Gastroscopy is a special form of endoscopy and is used to diagnose gastric ulcers (stomach ulcers). From a horse's nose, it takes approximately 3 meters of length to make it to the stomach. Under sedation, the 3 meter long gastroscope is passed through the nose, to the back of the throat, down the esophagus and into the stomach. The horse needs to be held off feed for 12-18 hours in order for us to visualize the entire stomach lining (this is not a problem in the adult horse due to the amount of feed that is digested continuously within the hindgut which is fermented by the resident microbes and provides energy to the horse).
The gastroscope is able to be directed at different sections of the stomach by hand-held controls so we can get a thorough evaluation of the stomach lining. Most ulcers are present at a line we call the 'margo plicatus'. This is the junction between the part of the stomach that produces the acid (used to break down food particles) and the part of the stomach that does not. The acid-producing portion of the stomach naturally has protective mechanisms to prevent gastric ulcers from forming. However, the other half of the stomach does not have these protective mechanisms and is at risk of developing ulcers under certain conditions.
Some predisposing factors for the formation of gastric ulcers are stress, traveling/trailering and a high level of performance. Ulcers are found in upwards of 50% of performance horses and upwards of 80% of thoroughbred racehorses. They can even be found in horses or broodmares turned out to pasture! Common signs of gastric ulcers include teeth grinding, decreased appetite, pawing just before or after feeding and mild colic.
The gastroscope is able to be directed at different sections of the stomach by hand-held controls so we can get a thorough evaluation of the stomach lining. Most ulcers are present at a line we call the 'margo plicatus'. This is the junction between the part of the stomach that produces the acid (used to break down food particles) and the part of the stomach that does not. The acid-producing portion of the stomach naturally has protective mechanisms to prevent gastric ulcers from forming. However, the other half of the stomach does not have these protective mechanisms and is at risk of developing ulcers under certain conditions.
Some predisposing factors for the formation of gastric ulcers are stress, traveling/trailering and a high level of performance. Ulcers are found in upwards of 50% of performance horses and upwards of 80% of thoroughbred racehorses. They can even be found in horses or broodmares turned out to pasture! Common signs of gastric ulcers include teeth grinding, decreased appetite, pawing just before or after feeding and mild colic.
