Chaff suitable for Gastric Ulcers

SammyDingle

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Hiya :)

My boy was diagnosed with ulcers and has been on Gastoguard and Pronutrion for the past 4 weeks. Was re scoped and there has been a massive improvment :D

He is currently fed Top spec balancer (Vets instruction) and Safe and Sound. After some research though i have read the chaff i am using isnt the most suitable. Can anyone give me any ideas on what i can use?

Just to add its a 16.2hh highly strung TB i am feeding. He holds weigth VERY well. Infact too well :rolleyes:

Thank you x
 
Any chaff is good really, but alfalfa based ideal as helps neutralise the acid. I feed my ulcer horse alfa a original as he went off the molasses free version! It's high in calories so if keeping weight down hi fi a better choice - mix of alfalfa and straw. HTH.
 
Just too add.... I was thinking of Dengie Alfa A Molasses free. Thoughts?

That should be ideal, alfalfa is very good for buffering the acid and no molasses is best, better than safe and sound, if he is very highly strung the alfalfa may not help that side of things so introduce it slowly, you should not need to use much if you give ad lib hay.
 
Mine's on alfa a molasses free. It's a good option as previous posters have said, the calcium helps combat the acidity. Some horses are ok with the molassed version, others really need to avoid the sugar content. So if you can get away without the molasses I really would :)

I add dried mint if it helps to make it palatable.
 
I use Alfa A Molasses Free on my stressy boy and he has completely stopped grinding his teeth - hasn't done it at all for a good five months (used to do it pretty much ALL the time).

P
 
Rema- thats really interesting, i didnt know they did a feed ''for'' ulcers, so to speak. Has any one used this feed? The boy is typically quite fussy and as he lots of other meds in there i want to make sure he eats up :D
 
I am using the happy tummy for 2 of mine, Dengie sent a sample and money off voucher when I phoned for suggestions for a sick horse a few months ago, they love it and eat it better than the plain alfalfa but it is expensive to feed if you use it as the main feed, I now just give a few handfuls in each meal and the girthy horse has a little just before riding.
 
PolarSkye- Thats given me food for thought. My lad often grinds his teeth when he is stressed or worried. I never thought feed could combat this, i just accepted it as one of his many quirks!

Is Healthy tummy much different than Alfa-A Molasses free? He used to be fussy with Alfa-A Oil.

Sorry with being a complete wally over feed! Im used to feeding pasture mix and a handful of happy hoof! :rolleyes:
 
If you do a search on here I think there was a thread on Happy Tummy and comparing its ingredients with what you could essentially quite easily put together yourself for cheaper - may be worth a look!
 
I used to use Happy Hoof until I read that it actually has a small amount of molasses in it and that straw can irritate ulcers as it's grown with loads of pesticides.

I now feed Simple System Lucie Stalks. (I think Lucerne is another name for alfalfa- correct me if I'm wrong- so it buffers the acid). It's made with the stalks rather than the leaves though so is really high fibre and low calorie for my chunky boy. They do a version made with the leaves too- Lucie Chop I think it's called. It seems deadly dull though and it took a while for my horse to eat it after changing from his tasty Happy Hoof! I add a bit of mint now and he scoffs it up.

I think basically, something alfalfa based with no straw or molasses is the way forward.
 
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