Gastroscopy is the gold standard for diagnosing equine gastric ulcer syndrome, with welfare-positive preparation and procedure protocols minimizing stress and maximizing diagnostic accuracy.
Gastroscopy is an aversive procedure for horses but brief and essential for definitive diagnosis and appropriate treatment. The welfare cost of the procedure must be weighed against the ongoing welfare cost of undiagnosed and untreated ulcers. Preparation that minimizes fasting duration while ensuring gastric clearance, and technique that reduces scope passage time and operator inexperience, minimizes the welfare burden of the procedure. Inadequate preparation that produces false-negative results prolongs untreated pain - a greater welfare harm than the procedure itself.