Feeding a picky ulcer horse

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peppercorn69

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I have a 16.2hh 9yo TB gelding who has been diagnosed with grade 4 ulcers for the 2nd time this year :( Initially we thought his first bowt was due to being boxed rested following injury. Now, we are thinking it's more stressed related.

He has fully recovered from his injury and was back in work. He showed no symptoms, ie. had good covering, developed good muscle and topline, working well and responsive to the leg. The only possible symptom was his poos which were a bit cow patty and toxic green, although I thought that might be down moving to summer grazing.

I did have him on Allen & Page - Cool and Collected (low starch) (which he really loved!) and a handful of Alfa A oil (which he hated, hence the small amount). He also has 150ml of Corn oil spread between 2 meals.

When he went for his gastroscope, a Dengie Nutritionist was there and explained that he needed more roughage to make him chew more which in turn would product more saliva. She suggested Healthy tummy and wanted me to give him 1 1/2 - 2 stubbs scps 3 x daily. Unfortunately, although he'll eat it, he rather picks his way through it and will leave it and come back later to finish. This is currently just 1 scp, 2 x daily. Can't see that I will get him to eat 1 1/2 sps, 3 x daily.

He is also on Peptisole to heal the ulcers and Gastro Raft 2 x daily which supposedly acts as a buffer. I'm also putting a section of hay out 2x daily.

Any ideas on what I can feed this fickle horse as it's driving me crazy. I keep having to try different feeds (which I'd rather not be doing) but I'd love to find something that suits him and his ulcers and also something that he actually enjoys.

Many thanks in advance :0/
 
Of course the Dengie nutritionist will want him on the feeds they make but if he will not eat it there is little you can do, I would compromise and go back to the feed he loved, my fussy horse loved Calm& Condition, with a scoop or so of the healthy tummy mixed in, if you make sure it is fairly dry and that the HT is added after soaking, he should still chew well and produce the saliva required.
 
I'm in the same boat exactly, tried the healthy tummy and now on healthy hooves molasses free but she won't eat it and is leaving her supplement as a consequence. I rang the top spec helpline and they seemed to think the ulsa kind was not suitable due to it being a conditioning feed and my mare not needing any more condition. Am wondering whether adding spearmint would encourage her to eat it? will be following this thread for any advice you get!!
 
I would swap him back to the A&P feeds if I were you and if you need to add a chaff go for something either dried grass or chopped hay that's definitely umollassed.

Feed companies usually push their products so its not a surprise. If he was fine on what he was on then I would keep feeding it.

Feeding an ulcer horse is a nightmare, the trick is to find something that works and stick with it!
 
I fed my mare with ulcers Dengie Hifi Molasses free, linseed, hi fibre nuts and A&P Cool & Collected and a LOT of hay whilst she was in and good grass whilst she was out.

She had a big scoop of Hifi before being ridden with a handful of nuts in to encourage her to eat. This did seem to work very well. She also didn't like Alfa A oil - I don't know whether it was the stalky consistency or the taste but she def. didn't like it!!! However, the Hifi Molasses free she wolfed down.
 
Mine is on Top Spec Ulcer Kind & Alfa-A original (i.e. non-oil). We tried Happy Tummy & he prefers Alfa-A. I also feed Alfa-A before riding. I also feed some Alfa-Beet to damp it down a bit.

The thing that I've found made the biggest difference is Aloe Ride. He looks brilliant on it.

Mine is an ex-racer TB.

T x
 
I'd just add - the fact they have ulcers can make them picky, so if there's an alfalfa based chaff which will be good for prevention (and there's loads of evidence that it is) I'd really recommend trying him again once he's feeling more comfortable. Mine used to be insanely picky and could sniff out any new ingredient a mile off, but since getting her tummy right she's been far, far more relaxed about what she eats and way less suspicious. It's also a classic ulcer symptom to leave bucket feed (of any type, even just chaff) part way through and return to hay instead - it's one of the signs I watch for.

I would persevere though. Although Cool and Collected is low starch, it's also mainly made up of straw and what are essentially waste products (wheat feed, oat feed) and it includes beet pulp which some ulcer horses are better off without. It might be worth trying Alfa A Molasses Free, because they put some herbs in it to make it tastier? I also find that it sometimes needs to be quite wet when you're also feeding oil as - I think - not all horses like the texture of the oil in their mouths...

It's really difficult because you're so determined to keep them eating! But in reality, provided they have something to carry their meds or supplements if they're on them, they really don't need any bucket feed provided they've got grazing and loads of good hay. And what seem like very small eliminations in the diet (beet, starch, sugar, wheat) can make a really big difference at keeping them ulcer free. Good luck! It's a journey of discovery and something you manage rather than 'cure'... !
 
Crikey, I've only just managed to check back and really appreciate all your comments.

Well here is where I'm at...........

I did try him on TopSpec UlsaKind, but was informed that I'd also have to feed him a balancer (suggested TS Comprehensive costing £38ish per bag!!). Well not being funny, I would love to have a bottomless pit, but I don't. Also he wasn't that sold on it, hence my change to A&P Cool and Collected which he loves.

So he seems to be enjoying the Dengie Healthy Tummy more, although 1scp appears to be as much as he can cope with at one meal, and a double handful of D&A Cool and Collected (soaked) x2 daily. I spoke to Saracens the other day and they have suggested Releve (3 stubb scoops daily = 3 big buckets of feed again - something that he doesn't seem to enjoy; or their Super Fibre Pencils (2 x Stubbs scoops daily = 2/3 smaller feeds)
They sent me through some samples and he practically mugged me for them, so I am now just waiting for them to come in to feed merchant.

Now the other thing that I've been looking at in the longer term is Protexin..........have any of you used this or have any views on it?
 
Although a bag of balancer is expensive, you feed much less so it is still economical - you'd be feeding 1-2 cups of it. I think a balancer would be your best option as it would make a small feed, then if you need more condition you can top up with something - micronised linseed is excellent for condition, feed about 2 cups a day. Protexin is very good, although I must say it hasn't made a massive difference to my horse when I've fed it - I prefer their syringes given in an emergency. I think it is important to feed some sort of probiotics though. You could just get some yeasacc from Pro Earth on Ebay which is much cheaper. My horse gets it in his calmer - which is why I use that one (Top Spec calmer), as it has lots of useful things for the gut in it. I'd also recommend looking into mycosorb. I'd been tearing my hair out with my horse having gut issues and not knowing why, not being convinced that it was always ulcers. This has made a massive difference to him. http://www.calmhealthyhorses.com/grass/mould_what.html
 
Mine is insanely fussy but coolstance copra has worked really well. She has Alpha A molasses free with it which seems to be more palatable than the original or oil. Then micronised linseed and supplements. She has bloomed since I switched to copra from speedibeet and her poo firmed up but best of all she hasn't gone on hungar strike which she used to do.
 
I've just been looking at a new feed called agrobs which is getting rave reviews! Apparently they do a balancer too might be worth having a look at - it's al meadow herbs etc
 
I have a very picky ulcer prone TB, he gets them through stress & has got them when field kept & the company wasn't to his satisfaction! I can't feed alfalfa as it sends him crackers! He has spillers conditioning chaff,which contains some alfalfa I think but not enough for him to react to,he generally has oats as he LOVES them above anything else!!! He'll often eat speedibeet but he's off that a bit currently but a&p veteran vitality is currently the tastiest thing ever. He will also eat linseed & is on omega rice at the moment which he's eating well. He will sometimes eat grass nuts & dried grass. I do sometimes used dried mint if he's going through a can't eat phase & a carrot chopped up small encourages him to rummage about in the feed & then he'll eat to get at the bits of carrot, grated carrot doesn't work as its too small & he loses interest. In the past I've also sprinkled a little handful of forbidden coarse mix on the top to get him to actually consider eating the feed. Mine was tricky to feed long before he had ulcers,I had to give up on trying to feed him in the way that the vets recommended as he just will not eat huge fibre feeds, he lives out now which suits him & he's not on a lot of grass as his preferred company doesn't need much grass & if I take him away from them he'll get stressed. I leave him to eat in a small side field as he won't eat in a stable or tied up,if I have time I feed twice a day but often even that's too much & he's a bit half hearted about the 2nd feed.
 
I also use top cubes at times- the cool condition or the ulcer ones & I don't feed their balancer with them even though I know they say you should!
 
You do not need to feed a top spec balancer along side the ulsa kind, you can use pink powder or other products on the market.
Mine had ulcers and cribs and with some feeds, one mouthful then a good few minutes of cribbing then one mouthful etc etc.
A couple of months ago I heard of agrobs, he's living out with decent grass but he looks amazing and doesn't crib so much with the agrobs. I'm using the musli and meadow cobs, can't think of the name. It's all natural and smells lush, I have to say this is the only feed I've changed my horse over and not had negative reactions. He had pink powder maintenance dose to, you don't need the higher dose for the first month.

Does yours live in a heard or at least have a friend? Ad lib hay etc?
 
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