Antepsin/Sucralfate/Carafate

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vanrim

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Antepsin production has been suspended. Sucralfate can't be prescribed for horses in UK as the equivalent is Antepsin (which is not being produced). I have googled and come up with Carafate (sucralfate). Has anyone bought / used this for their horses hind gut ulcers?
 
Not used carafate, but when mine needed antepsin & it wasn't being produced my vet recommended syringing him with gaviscon liquid & that seemed to work well for him.
 
I need the sucralfate for suspected hind gut ulcers as it provides a protective coating. Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought Gaviscon was to reduce acid in the stomach re gastric ulcers.
 
We used it for the same reason &, judging from he horse's reaction, it seemed to work as well as the antepsin. At the time we were dealing with gastric ulcers (GastroGard) & suspected hind gut ulcers that GG wasn't doing anything for. Try it, at least it's fairly cheap!
 
You are very lucky as it sounds like you have a really good vet.My horses are 16.2 and 17hh and about 600kg. How big / heavy is your horse and how much Gaviscon were you using and how often?
 
My vets are brilliant & were looking at everything available to give him the best chance, even when his chances looked very poor indeed.

My lad is 16.2 & around 630kg. When he was very bad I was giving 30-40ml whenever I felt he needed it, often every 2-3 hours, which I think was similar to the amount of antepsin I was giving. I still tend to keep him on a maintenance dose, about 40ml once a day. I get the mint flavour which has the added benefit of being a lot easier to give than antepsin because he likes the taste :) .
 
Did you buy it online or from a chemist? Can I ask who your vets are and what part of the country you are in as Leahurst have given up on mine without even trying.
 
What were your horses symptoms and what was he like when he was bad? I cannot touch either of mine without getting kicked and bitten. They have been like this over 12 months and are getting worse. They have had gastric ulcers but were scoped clear in March and clear again in July but the symptoms haven't gone away.
 
I tend to pick it up from Tesco with th shopping, but almost any chemist will stock it too. My vets are Lambourn Equine Vets.

When he was bad he'd be on the floor groaning & trying to shut out the world. Even a few mouthful of food would put him there so as you can imagine he was hardly eating anything. I ended up resorting to tiny amounts of warm pony nut soup hand fed every few hours & dosing with Gaviscon. Sometimes I was sleeping in my car on the yard so I could dose & feed through the night. Often a dose would have him on his feet within 30min or so & then he'd try a mouthful of something. As he improved I'd at least get a warning by how he'd stand tucked under & maybe dig, if I saw that a dose would often stop him going down & make him more comfortable. He'd never kik of bite (I've had him since a 2yo & we've always had very strict rules about that), but he'd try to move away if I went to touch towards his flanks & look very worried. His was linked to cushings induced laminitis & one fed off the other which made treating a nightmare. The other product I found very useful was Equishur, but to give him that he had to be eating whereas the gaviscon I could syringe with a dosing syringe.
 
Hi, I am currently studying an extended project qualification, the topic I have chosen to discuss is 'factors affecting horse behavior'. As part of my research I am looking for other peoples experience, particularly on gastric ulcers: however, aspects of temperament and rider errors are also included. It would be greatly appreciated if you could read and comment on my thread with your experiences 'Horse behavior- Gastric ulcers'. Alternatively, feel free to inbox me or I could provide my email address if preferred. Thanks in advance!:)
 
Your vet should still be able to get hold of antepsin internationally if the animal in question really really needs it. They have to apply for an import certificate and will have to give a very good reason why the drug is needed in this instance. The drug will then have to be sourced by an international supplier. I believe it actually comes from
Italy?
 
Yep, Ive just started mine on sucralfate today. My vets applied for a licence to import it but had no problems doing so.
 
My vet is Leahurst Equine Practice and the specialists at the hospital. They suggested Antepsin then just said they rang the local chemist who told them he couldn't get it. Time to change vets I think.
 
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