67% of non racing competitive horses and greater than 90% of racing horses have been shown to suffer from stomach ulcers. Stomach ulcers, not to be confused with ulcers of the colon, can develop in as little as 5 days and can be caused by competition and training, travel and trailering, stall confinement or limited turnout, changes in their routine or environment. Signs that your horse may show are weight loss, change in attitude, poor hair coat, changes in eating and drinking habits, decreased performance, recurrent colic and diarrhea. The definitive diagnosis of stomach ulcers is to perform a endoscope of your horse’s stomach. We use a 3M long (9 feet) endoscope with a camera to see if your horse has evidence of ulcers. A scale has been established to grade the severity of the stomach ulcer: Grade 0= no ulcers to Grade 3= severe ulcers as seen in the picture above.