Gastric Ulcers

[charlotte1]

Has anyone had any experiences of horses with these, as after discussing my horses behaviour with my vet he thinks it's highly liking she has them. I'll have to wait now till they have there next Gastric ulcers clinic before I know for sure which will be sometime after Christmas. I would be very grateful on any info on this as it's not something I've come across before.

 

[catherinep]

there is someone on here who has developed a natural product for ulcers called Coligone (???) I don't know anything about it except that lots of people have been v complementary and it has helped them....

Meantime, you want to adapt her diet to low starch, high fibre and if poss make sure that she has as natural a diet as poss - ad lib forage (hay/grazing etc)

Lots of racehorses have ulcers due to the unnatural living conditions (high starch, high protein, unnatural feeding positions etc etc).

If you have access to some half way decent grazing, that is natures preference - it's what and how horses were originally designed to eat.

My cob had suspected ulcers - the drugs treatment is v expensive and on going - unless she is a top competition horse, you may be able to manage it holistically with good results - grazing type regime, eat from the floor level, loads of forage to get the hind gut moving and prevent the acid build up.

Horses don't get ulcers in the wild remember....it is man made but there are lots of things you can do to make her more comfortable and therefore more ridable/successful.

good luck!

 

[catherinep]

try this...

http://www.hbradshaws.co.uk/

 

[ReefurG]

I have had some experience of gastric ulcers. As much turnout as possible helps, often if a horse is turned away for a while the ulcers clear up completely on their own. Ad-lib hay is a good idea so that there is always something passing through the stomach to "buffer" the acid (hay is preferable to haylage in cases of ulcers). Feeding alfalfa can also help lower the acidity in the stomach. There are lots of antacid type supplements on the market which can help.

 

[Scarlett]

I have two exracers - both of whom are 'suspected' to have ulcers. Both are on high fibre and oil diets with no sugar/molasses or cereals and both are absolutely fine now...!

Vet told me that in winter when not much grass to give them a small feed of just chaff before riding (half a scoop or so) as it helps encourage the right acids in the stomnach for when your riding and the movement is swooshing the acids about in athe stomach and aggrivating it.... makes a difference with mine certainly.

 

[Nickijem]

Out of interest, what are the symptoms of gastric ulcers anybody??

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
I have two exracers - both of whom are 'suspected' to have ulcers. Both are on high fibre and oil diets with no sugar/molasses or cereals and both are absolutely fine now...!

[/ QUOTE ]
Yep - mare's eventer has been managed the same for gastric ulcers. Ad libe fibre - in the shape of hay or grass. Only removed 1 hour before competition. No re-occurance.

 

[charlotte1]

I'm not 100% sure of all the symptoms, but by mare can be very aggressive, and reacts badly to having a rug put on, and also reacts to the girth being done up, and according to my vet this behaviour is usually caused by gastric uslers.

She is also on good grazing and fed ablib haylage, and is fed mainly fibre in her feed, she has also been fed like this since i've had her, but as her behaviour is so bad she's being checked out to be 100% sure.

 

[AmyMay]

The indicator for us was lethargy - not aggression....

And it was friend's mare - typing too quickly!!!

 

[druid]

My ConnemaraxTB had them.

The general treatment is 4-6 weeks of Gastrogard (I hope you have insurance, it's hideously expensive)

After that, the most important thing is for them to have adlib forage (be it hay, haylage or chaff) at all times. The action of chewing produces saliva which neutralises the stomach acid which causes the pain associated with ulcers.

Hard feed, if given, should be high fibre, high oil and low starch. I used Dodson & Horrell's Stay Power Cubes combined with alfalfa chaff, the alfalfa chaff is high in calcium which can help soothe the stomach lining.

My lad was given 50ml of Acidex (available OTC at pharmacies, cheaper than Coligone but v.similar formulation) a day just prior to feeding.

If you prefer "natural" remedies the general consensus is slippery elm, valerian (not under rules!) and aloe vera juice daily.


My lad went from this when he arrived...

to this when treated
[image]

[/image]

 

[catherinep]

has your mare been checked for ovarian cysts??? sorry - bit of a random one but symptoms v similar to a friend's mare....stroppy wasn't in it...she was aggressive and not nice to be around.....but vet correctly identified a hormonal problem and then cysts and treated successfully....all fine after that....

 

[charlotte1]

He seems to think it's most likely to be gastric ulcers rather than her ovaries, and wants to check these out first, but he has also said that he'll properly scan her ovaries at the same time as well as her behaviour is so bad there's a chance that she could be suffering with both.