Gastric Ulcers

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Mosh

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I currently own an ex race horse and we've hit a huge problem.

Back in early July, he rolled in some nettles and had a massive reaction which I had the vet out for and he was given steriods, bute and some antihistamines.

I think during the nettle incident he's pulled his back but I didn't realise untill I sat on him and everytime I put my leg on, he reared, bucked, span, leapt into the air and ran off.
Its definitley pain related.
I'm currently waiting for a chiro person to come over from Ireland who i've had recommended to me buy various people but this is taking some sorting out! He's had physio since the nettle incidence and required amount of time off.

He is fine with me getting on and sitting there but it is as soon as my leg goes near his side he reacts (ridden bareback and with his saddle and it made no difference) and I'm beginning to think he may have ulcers but I've never had any experience of them and I only have limited knowledge of them as well.

He can be stressy but over the last year has relaxed a lot, but he raced and P2P for about 5/6 years of his life.
Over the summer he is fed nothing and over the winter he is fed hifi original and A+P calm and condition.

What are the symptoms of gastric ulcers?
He is currently well in himself, nice and relaxed and looking really well, just riding is now an issue..

This is such a ramble but i'm really worried about my horse
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Bute can aggravate ulcers.

High fibe diet is the best thing, no cereals. Try to avoid long periods without food and give a small amount of hay before exercise
 
Yes try Fast Fibre by Allen and Piage - with Speedibeet, half a scoop Pasture Mix for taste and maybe a broad spectrum vit and min - samll quantities four times a day - keep the stomach working and lined with fibre to avoid acidity. Our chap is doing fine on this - and any form of medication is frightenly expensive!
 
With regards to Coligone - It needs pointing out that there are no listed ingrediants and that vets tend to recommend products that have shown results in clinical trials. Rather than guessing whether your horse has ulcers you should get them scoped in the grand scheme of things its cheap and will give you a full answer rather than just guessing. If your horse does have ulcers then it will need treatment. Coligone does not heal ulcers. It will just mask the problem.
 
Hi There Mosh, You may wish to have a look over my recent posts in vets - my old horse has been colicy for about 2 weeks on and off - and vet tests have ruled out a lot of things - and they suspect ulcers - have had him on gastroguard for 3 days now - in addition to coligone and the difference in him is fantastic. (so far - touch wood it will continue this way).

He was a little gassy yesterday when he came in - 50ml of coligone and 30 mins later he was right as rain.

I really suggest you try it (and no I am not on commission) its made a fantastic difference to my old boy - he will be on it for life now.

I am not sure what symptoms your horse has - but anything gut related in my experience has greatly improved with coligone, have also used it to de stress my hyper active young warmblood mare.

Good luck with your horse, i hope all is well and back to full health asap.

Gem
 
Symptom are lack lustre coat, loss of condition, low energy and interest in life. One of our eventers has ulcers them twice - once eight years ago and again recently. On neither occasion did we scope or put him on expensive products. We blood tested him to ensure nothing affecting organs or worms then we just ensured he was on good grass and gave him high digestable fibre food to reduce the acidity in his stomach. Small amounts four times a day Worked both times.

If he is collicky at all and clearly in discomfort or if he doesnt respond to the above , then, obviously you should scope and treat. I suppose I am saying there are degrees of seriousness and if mild treat by diet - as humans do... Just my opinion - I'm not a vet...

The symptoms you describe do not sound like ulcers to me I would have to say as he is in good fettle.
 
Pretty sure Ted has ulcers, but when he has Coligone he is managable. Went hunting on Weds, he went mental on Thurs, back on Coligone Friday and he has been FAR better ever since - still a little wound up, but not trashing his stable and rearing and bucking and injuring himself
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Can I also agree with Turbobert about proper feed management - my prob is that when Ted has an *episode* he doesn't eat his hay = no fibre = flare up in acid = problems! Coligone seems to calm the stomach situation down enough for him to be able to eat his hay again, problem solved
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There is no point in me scoping him as I am managing the problem.
 
Saw a friends mare saved from the bullet by Coligone. She phoned me late one night to say her stressy mare (years of history of nasty tempered outbursts) had finally lost the plot, was attemping to demolish her breezeblock stable, and was basically going off her head.

the following day the vet came out and diagnosed serious case of gastric ulcers and recommended the fibre diet and gastroguard. the horse wasnt insured and the gastroguard was totally out of financial reach so i gave her my bottle of Coligone to see if that would help her horse. Within three days she was a different animal.

This is a horse who I wouldnt even go in the stable with in the past as she was so dangerous and moody and whose owner took her life in her hands with every time she rugged or tacked up.

the mare is still opinionated but after twelve months is still happy and shows no sign of the extreme behaviour she had lived with for so long.

Nothing, even her diet, has changed.....except the inclusion of Coligone in her diet as the grass growth changes or her turnout regime is fiddled with.

I too use Coligone and have seen it turn a very uncomfortable gassy colic into a waste of the vets time. Now Im not saying at all that the vet shouldnt be your first port of call, of course he should be, but to dismiss a product out of hand is short sighted IMO.

Im not in the employ of Coligone by the way but have no qualms whatsoever about suggesting it to people.
 
lec - an interesting post. You say that Coligone doesnt heal ulcers, I would genuinely be interested to hear what you have to say about it.

I have conducted my own trials :

17.2hh 12 y/o mare (now confirmed spavin and ring bone) - temperament changed over a period of time from refusing to school (at Novice level), loss of respect for owner, depression and generally being difficult resulting in double barrelling owner. Coligone was introduced and took effect almost overnight. Dyffryn Twyi Equine Vets are still amazed that she is the same horse.

16hh 12 y/o gelding, laminitis 5 years ago and has had a troubled bowel since - any change in pasture will result in squits. Once Coligone was introduced 18 months ago, his dung has returned to normal.

16.2hh rescue gelding, whippet framed, poor feet, sacro-illiac injury, mud fever and rain scald. Put on Coligone immediately, has gained weight to the point of me limiting his grazing, no longer bites stable door when rugging.

16.1hh mare, prone to colic due to perforated ulcers and petironitis as a yearling, product used pre and post operative, prior to travelling and competition without stress or colic.

12hh Sec A 22yo mare, developed neurological problems in May resulting in, amongst other symptoms, huge weight loss. Introduced product and, as far as I am aware during the time spent with her, symptoms have subsided and weight is going on nicely. Neurological problems obviously still exist.

14.3hh mare, successful ODE, unmanageable without exercise. DDFT tear and months of box rest meant that she was almost impossible to handle. Product introduced which made her life and that of her handlers pretty easy.

I firmly believe that pain/stress in horses goes directly to the gut resulting in squits/stable and field vices/schooling issues/depression. In the above examples I have good reason to be passionate about Coligone which works almost instantly in lining the gut to neutralise any acidosis resulting from stress. It is also loaded with magnesium and calcium along with other essential vits and mins.

Whilst I do agree that scoping is the obvious way forward in this case, I have to edify a product that I truely believe in.
 
Effectively there is only two treatments that CURES ulcers and that is gastroguard and anti Bs. The rest just mask the problem from all the research and talking to top vets and feed manufacturers. I just get really fed up with people thinking their horses have an issue but never finding out for sure when in the scheme of things £200 is nothing for sanity.

I am not doubting that Coligone does not work I know several people who use it but you would never have a horse you think is possibly lame and chuck it on a joint suppliment or a bit of bute long term without finding out the answer?
 
My horse had suspected gastric ulcers chewing stable very stessy when ridden biting when girthed up,my vet gave me a course of gastroguard after hearing symptoms and it was well worth the £155 she stopped chewing and is now much more settled and her jumping has improved a lot she is now on Mendip stud specialist mix fibre gold.
 
Thank you for all your help.
I'm going to get some coligone and I'll mention your name Llwyncwn :P
My horse is a cribber, but has never windsucked.
I'm going to ring my vet if the chiro doesn't find anything in his back (he has regular back checks due to problems before)
In himself, he is fine, coat shiney, boss of the field and happy and relaxed but is still in your face
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He is out 24/7 but when he is in, he is on haylage (he prefers it and will eat it rather than his straw bed) would he be better on hay?
Food wise, he can get quite "fizzy" so I need something to keep him calmer-ish! I'm okay with feeding speedi beet as he was okay on it before, but what else should I change?
I'm now worrying ny socks off that I've made him worse with his previous diet
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Our chap also goes off hay with ulcers - and when there is no grass this presents a problem for us. There are alternatives though - Alfa A for instance. I wonder if hay is harsh for a tender stomach - but then I dont know really.
 
My horse has had very bad ulcers. He lost condition, became so spooky and flighty I needed a drink (joking) before getting on. He was difficult to tack up and mount. For a long time I put this down to being young until his summer coat wouldn't come through. I have found that often the ulcers are secondary and that scoping is in-valuable to diagnosing and not masking. He went on Gastriguard and Antepsin (like bonjella) for a while and I am pleased to say they have gone. My horse cribbed and whilst this is now a habbit it has reduced by 90%. I changed his diet to a more digestible one and he is thriving in energy and condition. We now use Saracen Relieve and Equi-Jewel with their Neigh-Lox as a preventative for those ulcers. He is going brilliantly at the moment !
 
I'm glad to hear most people have had some success!
Moving to a new yard on sunday with unlimited hay so I can do what I want with it, he has a big hay bar to fill and he can also have a net.
Will ring up a nutritionist also and see what they have to say, but will change his diet around and see what works and what doesn't.
He will be on coligone though! lol
 
My vet said there is very little point in scoping competition horses for ulcers, as a HUGE % have them. She said if they exhibit the behaviour, to treat it as a ulcered horse, as some horses can have ulcers that never actually effect them. If the change in diet and treatment doesnt work, then to scope them. I can completely understand where she is coming from, after speaking at length with her.
I too would also try Coligone
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Well my chap is absolutely fine now. I just put him on four feeds a day (Fast Fibre and Speedibeet with half a scoop of Pastere Mix for flavour)plus lots of grass and good haylege. He's gained 35 Kgs in three weeks and looking much better in himself...phew - as he is 20 and v dearly loved!
 
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