GASTRIC ULCERS.....Advice/help please.

Perfect_Pirouette

Perfect_Pirouette

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Okay, so my horse went to the vets on Friday and he has suspected gastric ulcers, or put another way he MAY have gastric ulcers.

In fact, the more the days pass the more I’m convinced he has. He hasn’t been yet scoped though.

I am looking for advice/recommendations etc from people on any supplements, products, diet changes etc that help horses with ulcers.

I know GG is obviously the medication/treatment needed but as I say, he hasn’t been scoped yet and may not be able to for another few weeks so any suggestions in the meantime are much appreciated.

Thanks
 
Diet and management are key, ime. Ad lib forage and as much turnout as possible. Cut starch and sugar from the diet and use oil as an energy source instead. Basically it's about feeding the horse the way it's evolved to eat - plenty of movement and plenty of fibre.

Consider also that there may be hind gut ulcers, which omeprazole (or gastro guard) will not treat, and may exacerbate.
 
You could try aloe vera. I posted this on another thread a while back, taken from one of the Moorcroft Rehoming Centre's newsletters - as 95% of the horses they take off the track have ulcers I figure they know something about it:

"The normal treatment is very expensive but thankfully at the centre we have found that feeding in a syringe (rather than in a feed) 60-100mls of pure aloe vera juice per day for 6 to 12 weeks has a great healing effect on ulcers and improvements are obvious very quickly with most of the symptoms disappearing. Obviously the management is paramount then also, where enough access to pasture and forage is vital. Aloe vera is affordable and natural and has no side effects at all and improves general good health"."
 
ooh, and yeasacc has really helped my boy too as it helped to clear the hind gut ulcers he had in addition to the gastric ulcers. Unfortunately they can't scope for hind gut ulcers, but it's believed that many horses that have gastric ulcers also have hind gut ulcers, and they're not helped by gastroguard.
 
Hi,

Can i ask why he isnt getting scoped right away?

the key thing with ulcers is making sure they have adlib forage.....but to also feed a few hand fulls of hay/chaff before ridden work as it will line the stomach.
give hay before turn out espically on frosty and wet days as the grass is more acidic.


do you have weight issues?

we use alfa a molasses free chaff, alfa beet (you can hot soak it for 15 minutes or cold soak for two hours) and ive just put out ex racer on dodson and horrel ers pellet designed for tbs with mucsle problems and ulcers. give them a ring as they will be able to advise you.

stay away from feeds with a higer thant 20% starch as its not good for them and also stay away from molasses.

lots of access to forage is needed as well.

our tb has half a small bale of hay a night and is on a lush paddock of grass with four meals a day.

hope that helps.

ellies
xxxx
 
Antw23uk said:
Omeprazole from a US website Abler.com .. a search woud have pulled up a current thread on this subject though!! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...



The above is illegal to import to stay clear, Managment is key 24/7 turn out with adlib hay, low starch and sugar/ molasses diet. the aloe vera is worth a try it is cheep so if doesnt work give up. The sooner you can get your horse scoped the better then you can start treatment with Gastroguard. Are you insured?
 
My horse was scoped and had ulcers. He was treated with Gastrogard and then suralflate to treat hind gut ulcers after the 'honeymoon' of Gastrogard seemed to stabilise but not resolve the issues totally. Adlib hay, lots of fibre and 3 meals a day. YeaSacc, Aloe Vera and feedmark UlcerCalm since he came off the meds seems to be working.
 
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