It’s estimated that up to 100% of racehorses and 63% of performance horses1,2 could suffer from gastric ulcers, but many don’t show any clinical signs. The only certain way to check is to examine the horse’s stomach by performing a gastroscopy.
Internal Medicine
An endoscope is an instrument which consists of a tube of fibre optic fibres contained in a waterproof membrane. A light source is connected to the endoscope and transmits light down the fibres and back to an eye piece, allowing the operator to look at the region adjacent to the end of the endoscope. An endoscope can be used to look at remote body systems.
Gastroscopy involves visualisation of the inside of the horse’s stomach and is most commonly carried out in order to diagnose equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS).