Evidence-based monitoring protocols for equine gastric ulcer syndrome help owners and vets detect recurrence and assess treatment response, preventing prolonged suffering from undertreated disease.
EGUS monitoring is essential because the disease causes chronic pain that horses cannot communicate directly and treatment without management change leads to rapid relapse. Horses that appear to respond to omeprazole but continue on management that predisposes to ulceration will suffer repeated cycles of ulceration, treatment, temporary relief, and recurrence. Evidence-based monitoring including follow-up endoscopy confirms treatment response and guides decisions about management change. The welfare goal is not to manage recurring ulceration but to address underlying causes so that ulceration does not recur after treatment discontinuation.