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Healing Hero

When Lori went to pick up Hero, she saw him standing in a pasture and immediately knew there was something wrong. The horse that had once been her pride and joy was now an animal she barely recognized. While it had been several years since she had trained him, McCard was unprepared for the dramatic physical changes in the horse. Hero was so underweight she could see his ribs and his haircoat was in such poor condition that he looked brown instead of black. “I immediately suspected gastric ulcers,” says McCard, who is a horse trainer, performance rider and veterinary technician at Ocala Equine Hospital in Ocala, Fla.

Results from Merial’s Nationwide Scopings Show All Horses At Risk for Stomach Ulcers

Duluth, GA. – February 17, 2011 – For the past three years, Merial has hosted gastroscopy events across the country, and the results consistently show stomach ulcers are a threat to horses of all breeds and disciplines. From 2008 through 2010, veterinarians scoped 3,354 horses, with more than 58 percent of them identified with some grade of stomach ulcer.¹ In 2010 alone, 644 horses of varying disciplines from 30 states had some ulceration as identified by gastroscopy.¹

Equine Stomach Ulcer Prevalance Remains at 60 Percent

For the second year, a nationwide series of more than 160 gastroscopy events showed 60 percent of horses were identified with stomach ulcers. "This is the second year that these scopings were able to show horse owners the type of potentially painful stomach ulcers that their horses have been dealing with," says April Knudson, DVM, manager, Merial Veterinary Services.

Know What You’re Getting

When your horse’s health - and your dollar - are on the line, using products that carry the stamp of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval is a surefire way to ensure it has been tested for safety and effectiveness. "Taking chances with products that aren’t FDA-approved means you may have to go back to the drawing board for a real solution. Or worse, you could even be putting your horse’s health at risk," says Hoyt Cheramie, DVM, MS, manager, Veterinary Services, Merial.

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Photography by David R. Stoecklein