Free scoping clinics

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Footlights

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I have heard people on here mentioning free scoping clinics for ulcers. How do I find out about these? Do I contact local vets or is it the drug companies who run them?
 
Think they were run last month as it was Gastric Ulcer Awareness Month.
Our vets emailed the details in the newsletter. Very useful, as my filly was diagnosed with Grade 4 ulcers!
 
Speak to someone in your vets practice, my friends horse was done and was found to have grade 4 ulcers.
I think because it seems to be prevelant among horses theyre having them fairly regularly, i think theyre being funded by the drug companies who provide treatment, but im not sure .
 
I spoke to my vets about this when she came to do mares teeth the other day (tbhey are very good equine vets who also do Sandringham stud and i would trust her completely). She was saying that drug cxompanies do them and hyes it is ulcer awareness month but she would only ever send a horse to a collageue of hers who does the diagnosies day in day out as most horses at some point in thier lives have the potential to have ulcers but it is the ones that have them as ongoing issues which need to be looked at. The rest are just fodder for the drug companies. It is quite expensive and instrusive to do. there is one product on the market you give a paste for a week if you think a horse has a problem with ulcers and you dont have to scope them before hand - basically if you see an improvment then yes it is ulcers but if not then its not. Also insurance comanies may also get wise to this increase and start putting up premiums etc as they did when the lameness work ups started to rise. I only asked as my mare is mariesh and turns her head to you when you do the girth up first when tacking up. however the vet said she would look for collicing, etc etc far more symptoms before she thought about scoping.
 
I agree to a point about the fodder for drugs companies ( they pay for the scoping, the rep must have been delighted with my filly) but even low grade ulcers cause discomfort, so surely better to diagnose and treat?
The treatment is VERY expensive, my filly wasn't insured so her medication is entirely at our cost. We paid for her to be re-scoped last week and she's having another months worth of meds at 1k a month.
So just to give a weeks worth is £250 depending on the dose nedded and size of the horse. The scoping costs less than that!
 
They are usually run by the company that make gastro guard - think they are called 'Merial', or something like. As I understand the process can cost around £200 if you had it done normally. Of course 'Merial' s incentive is too make money from the gastro guard as is a very expensive drug.

I was lucky enough to get one of my horses on one a couple of yrs ago. My vet sent out a flier to all his clients and we were selected on a first come first served basis. I had my lad scoped as is a cribber and wanted to make sure the habit hadn't developed as a sign of ulcers, which forunately wasn't.

I thought the whole process was actually quite gentle and none of the horses seemed bothered - they were mildly sedated first and wouldn't have said that is was a particularily intrusive procedure.

It was a very interesting day and we got to watch others horses been scoped. We even got a free lunch too!!
 
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