Gastric Ulcers

[Stacey_xo]

Hi, I’m looking for some advice on stomach ulcers, I’m in two minds whether my horse has them and I don’t have the money to scope based off a couple of maybe symptoms.

- Fidgets a lot when touching or grooming his belly
- Slightly underweight and lacking condition but this have improved a lot over the past month due to a new diet
- He used to be girthy but not so much anymore however he does fidget again when being tacked up, this includes bridling as well though
- Performance isn’t great but he’s not very fit

Otherwise he loves his feed and always on the lookout for treats, he has ad-lib hay and is fed twice a day and has hay before being worked. He’s in light work currently and his back and teeth are up to date.

If this does sound like ulcers, I’ve heard you can treat without scoping, what’s the best treatment for him both with a prescription and without?

 

[Hollylee1989]

My gelding started to put his ears back when I did his girth up, also got a bit moody when I brushed his tummy. I fed him gastriaid (Naf if I remember correctly). I just fed it until the tub was empty, never had a problem since, that was 9 years ago.

 

[Stacey_xo]

My gelding started to put his ears back when I did his girth up, also got a bit moody when I brushed his tummy. I fed him gastriaid (Naf if I remember correctly). I just fed it until the tub was empty, never had a problem since, that was 9 years ago.

I’ve had a look at GastriAid, I’ll definitely give that a try!

 

[Melody Grey]

It would be worth feeding an ulcer friendly diet if you aren’t already- cut out all cereals and sugars, so everything un-molassed. Alfalfa chaff can be good assuming your horse isn’t allergic? Search on here for ulcer friendly diets- there’s lots of info, it’s a topic that arises frequently.

It might be worth considering grass a little now it’s coming through -the sugars may irritate ulcers if your horse has them.

Re: supplements, many people on here use aloe Vera juice to good effect and there are numerous acid- buffering products like protexin acid ease and gut balancers that might help. Supplements generally are intended for maintenance and prevention rather than treatment. There is some evidence that Aloe Vera can be used as treatment- @ycbm is an expert here.

I’d be tempted to see if I could settle the symptoms over a couple of weeks at home- you’ll know within a few days if something is working. Failing that, I’d get the horse scoped. Some ‘tummyish’ symptoms respond well to dietary adjustments and supplements, more aggressive cases need veterinary attention in my experience.

 

[Foxglove]

Ulcers are expensive to treat properly unfortunately. It’s not the cost of the scope rather the prescription meds that are usually required to get rid.

The difficulty with not scoping and just guessing is that you could be throwing good money away. Some people advocate a course of gastroguard to see if that makes a difference but such action may not make a difference on its own if the ulcers are in the pyloric region for example. Given the cost of gastroguard you’d be cheaper actually scoping and knowing exactly what you’re dealing with and having a treatment plan going forwards.

However if that is something you really don’t want to do then Pink Mash and Protexin Acid Ease would be a good start. But no over the counter supplement is going to resolve the issue if the horse does have ulcers, it just might make it more comfortable in the short term

 

[Stacey_xo]

Ulcers are expensive to treat properly unfortunately. It’s not the cost of the scope rather the prescription meds that are usually required to get rid.

The difficulty with not scoping and just guessing is that you could be throwing good money away. Some people advocate a course of gastroguard to see if that makes a difference but such action may not make a difference on its own if the ulcers are in the pyloric region for example. Given the cost of gastroguard you’d be cheaper actually scoping and knowing exactly what you’re dealing with and having a treatment plan going forwards.

However if that is something you really don’t want to do then Pink Mash and Protexin Acid Ease would be a good start. But no over the counter supplement is going to resolve the issue if the horse does have ulcers, it just might make it more comfortable in the short term

Thank you. ?