if your insurance paid for ulcer treatment...

[milliepops]

My turn to ask an ulcers q!
Horse is being scoped again today, third time... behaviour has turned a corner so I'm hoping we will see some more healing this time.

I have read that it's recommended to taper off the omeprazole gradually and when I treated a different horse with abler stuff that's what I did.

However I'm not convinced insurance will go for that, I read in the documents that if the scope is clear they won't pay for any additional meds. and if it scopes as grade 1 then they only cover another 14 days. My vet told me that glandular ulcers weren't graded in the same way as squamous ones so it may not apply in the same way, but just a straw poll...

did your insurance cover a tapering off or did you 1. stop immediately or 2. cover the cost yourself, or 3. did vet not recommend tapering off in the first place?

thanks (I will obv check with insurance when I hear from the vet, i'm just trying to gather info first)

 

[doodle]

With Robin he was treated for 6 weeks. It was due to be 4 weeks and then scope but scope was cancelled due to weather. We stopped after the 6 weeks with no tapering off. I didn’t actually realise you could/should taper off and just went with what the vet said. He was scoped I think the week after that as clear.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

I can only say from taking esomeprazole myself for acid reflux that tapering off is what I would have to do.

 

[Fluffypiglet]

The last scope I had* was clear of ulcers but some stippling (?) still seen. We had another box on insurance for the tapering period as it was to finish the treatment. I would hope that an insurer would allow for this - a bit like finishing a course of antibiotics even though you are better to make sure that treatment is finished.

Edited * the horse had the scope, not me. I don't have ulcers ?

 

[milliepops]

Edited * the horse had the scope, not me. I don't have ulcers ?

I think i might do, after all the stress, haha

 

[ihatework]

Mine tapered and that was covered on insurance

 

[greenbean10]

I asked my vet this and she said as cutting down slowly even once the ulcers have healed is standard practice, the insurance company should pay.

 

[milliepops]

thanks all for the info. so she has scoped clear (hurrah!!) and vet is sending home with some more meds to go on for a bit. hopefully ins will cough up then.

 

[palo1]

thanks all for the info. so she has scoped clear (hurrah!!) and vet is sending home with some more meds to go on for a bit. hopefully ins will cough up then.

Fantastic news Well done you and Kira - onward and upwards!! So delighted you have had good news.

 

[milliepops]

Fantastic news Well done you and Kira - onward and upwards!! So delighted you have had good news.

thanks. it's been a long 11 weeks. just hoping they just cropped up randomly and won't come back, because vets have not found anything that they think could have led to it... anyway she comes home with some regumate as it's that Time of The Year and a prescription for cartrophen to just tick all my boxes and then hopefully away we go. i think this little episode will see the end of the insurance policy!! gulp.

 

[SEL]

thanks all for the info. so she has scoped clear (hurrah!!) and vet is sending home with some more meds to go on for a bit. hopefully ins will cough up then.

Yay!!!!!

Insurance did pay for tapering down but we still had signs of inflammation so perhaps that's a bit different (although I think vet wrote findings carefully to make sure they would pay....)

If you ever feel Kira's getting a bit ulcery again & there's no insurance money then Ron Field's herbal stuff is excellent. You do have to get in quickly though.

 

[milliepops]

Yay!!!!!

Insurance did pay for tapering down but we still had signs of inflammation so perhaps that's a bit different (although I think vet wrote findings carefully to make sure they would pay....)

If you ever feel Kira's getting a bit ulcery again & there's no insurance money then Ron Field's herbal stuff is excellent. You do have to get in quickly though.

i'm probably going to have a whole pharmacy set up in the feed room just in case!

 

[palo1]

thanks. it's been a long 11 weeks. just hoping they just cropped up randomly and won't come back, because vets have not found anything that they think could have led to it... anyway she comes home with some regumate as it's that Time of The Year and a prescription for cartrophen to just tick all my boxes and then hopefully away we go. i think this little episode will see the end of the insurance policy!! gulp.

I seem to remember that Kira found the old yard incredibly stressful and she has now moved - maybe the stresses of the old yard were, in part responsible for vile ulcers? Also, from what you have said, she had a funny old time before you had her so the foundations could have been laid long ago and the blooming ulcers just needed something to enable them to 'blossom'!! Eek.

 

[Melody Grey]

There are clinical reasons for tapering off- your insurance should cover that (provided you’re within claim limit) as it will be prescribed and supported by your vet. Mine has been covered with several horses.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Yay great news!

With Skylla's ulcers we put it down to the yard move, but I'm very conscious that it could be something underlying (although all professionals currently are pleased with her). I had a wobble recently so started her on aloe vera juice, the behaviour has stopped (sharper than a sharp thing when you first get on) but it's also warmed up too, so I'm still on the fence...

edit: it's a bit too long ago to remember if Doodle was tapered off her meds, but the insurance 100% paid out for all meds prescribed.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

thanks all for the info. so she has scoped clear (hurrah!!) and vet is sending home with some more meds to go on for a bit. hopefully ins will cough up then.

I'm so pleased for you both x

 

[Bellaboo18]

Great news!

To answer your original question, I tapered off over 6 weeks. I really didn't want to have to start from the beginning again. I think I went to the extreme. Two weeks half dose, two weeks a third and two weeks a quarter. I'd always taper off but not necessarily for as long.

The insurance paid but then I only scoped once she'd been off medication for a month.

 

[TPO]

So happy for you and Kira ?

Onwards and upwards xx

 

[daffy44]

Oh I'm delighted for you and Kira! Excellent news, time to start having fun again xx