Recognizing that digestive health is important for all horses, Freedom Health, LLC, has announced the launch of the Succeed Equine Fecal Blood Test. Available exclusively through veterinarians, this simple and effective diagnostic aid detects the presence of minute traces of blood–known as occult blood–within the horse’s manure, and helps identify the general location of its source within the digestive tract. These results provide veterinarians with objective information to aid in the diagnosis of GI tract conditions, which may include ulcers. This is the only method available to detect occult blood from sources anywhere in the digestive tract, including the hindgut. Occult blood is one of the clinical signs of colonic ulcers.

"Digestive health has a profound impact on all horses, from high-level performance athletes to recreational trail horses," said John Hall, president of Freedom Health. "Occult blood within the GI tract is just one example of how modern management and feeding practices can affect today’s equine athletes."

By using the Succeed Equine Fecal Blood Test, horse owners and veterinarians are able to detect occult blood within the GI tract–one obvious indicator of digestive distress. A peer-reviewed study showed that 97% of horses involved in competition sports–from dressage to racing–suffer from either gastric or colonic ulcers, and 63% of these performance horses have colonic ulcers⁽¹⁾.

The Succeed Equine Fecal Blood Test features Freedom Health’s proprietary SmartSignal Technology, which detects trace amounts of blood in a horse’s manure–invisible to the naked eye–as an indication of GI tract conditions. The test also shows whether occult blood likely originated in the foregut–which includes the stomach–or in the hindgut, including the cecum and colon. This distinction can help veterinarians to determine whether the horse may be suffering from gastric or colonic ulcers