Possible ulcers?

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lcharles

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My gelding has started being grumpy over the last two months. I'm not sure if he's more dominant and has man'd up since i dont have my mare, or if the summer/autumn change has effected me or if its because his feed has changed as he's hunting more and needs feeding to keep the weight on, also has haylege now (sometimes hay-depends whats out). I've searched the internet and he doesnt display any of the symptoms other than change in temperment, he performs fine still - if not better than before, hes fine to be ridden and is fine when hes out but is a bit grumpy when he's in his stable, he'll pin his ears back at people walking past occasionally and just looks grumpier/sad in general when he's in. I dont know if its just because he doesnt like being in - although he gallops up to the fence when its time to bring him in but is instantly grumpy when hes in!

My friend suggested that her horse might of had ulcers when he was grumpy- although he was evil, and after colic surgery he was a different horse.

He pulled a face at me when i put his rug on yesterday but i'd already swapped it 3 times - i couldnt decide which one - so he might of been annoyed but hes quite a chilled type in temperment in general.

Can i just treat him for ulcers anyway? I'd imagine they are the first stage if he has any as its only recently hes got a bit grumpy. What would you recommend?

At the moment, he has one scoop sugarbeet soaked, 2 scoops of conditioning cubes, a big handful of chaff, bit of salt and a scoop of barley rings soaked. He has 3 haynets of hay and 2 haynets of haylege to chose from! Hes out most of the time but comes in when its particularly cold or raining (got rain scold from being rained on - hes sensitive :rolleyes:)

Would pink powder help? Anyway of knowing if he has ulcers without scoping?
 
you can only know for sure that ulcers are present with scoping. you could try feeding a digestive soother to see if it improves his behaviour before calling out vet. he might have more acid due to diet...
 
Icharles - I definitely recommend this tummy calmer which I used on my TB and he has improved tenfold since being on it, I wasn't concerned with ulcers on my boy but hes always had a really sensitive tummy and after being on this 2 months, he's really improved. Might be worth a try, but if you are worried at all, it's always easier to put mind at rest and call the vet :)
http://www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/whatproduct/supplements/digestplus.htm
 
Well i didnt want to call the vet in the first instance as he might just being stroppy because he's in more now, he's not always like it but I'd like to rule out ulcers. I know Gastoguard is meant to be the best but really wouldnt want to buy this on the off chance so i was looking for a supplement or something to see if it changes him at all x

Thanks mischamoo, i'll look that up. Do you know of anyting specific to ulcers though so I know i'm targeting it - if there are any, as i presume its not going to hurt him to treat him for something - even if he doesnt have it!!

I know how grumpy i get if i have a mouth ulcer so i want to rule them out! x Can ulcers go on there own, like ours? And, does haylege encourage ulcers? Think i read somewhere that it can? x
 
Definitely look into the baileys one then as it wasnt too pricey and I saw a change in my boy, obviously every horse is different so you may not see a change! With regards to supplements specific for ulcers, my farrier actually recommended me the baileys one as he suspected my boy might have them, but Ive heard Feedmarks Ulcer Calm is supposed to be good but I think that's its recommended after a diagmnosis of ulcers has been given. Thats why i liked the baileys one as its an "allround tummy soother" for stressheads, horses on box rest, prone to tummy upsets (like my boy) etc.

I'm not sure if haylage can encourage ulcers, I have to admit I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to haylage as always been a simply hay girl :) but maybe try your boy on a good tummy soother, ensure he's got a good supply of adlib forage/hay as horses are meant to be trickle feeders and if you can maybe break his his dinners into 3 or 4 meals, i know thats difficult that will help his gut to work a bit more efficiently.

Sadly ulcers can only be diagnosed by scoping so I'd just keep an eye on him, look for any ulcer symptoms and call the vet if your concerns grow.

Hope all goes ok!
 
Hi, My boy was diagnosed after scoping with Grade 2- 3 Squamous and pyloric ulcers.His only signs were not wanting to turn right when being ridden and not looking as good as usual.He has had to have his feed changed from Hi-Fi Lite,Top Spec Cool Conditioning Cubes damped 3 x a day to Hi-Fi Lite, Baileys Lo-Cal Balancer,Vegetable Oil and as much Un-Molassed Sugar Beet-Speedi-Beet as he likes.He is also fine to have Hay or Haylage adlib.I got advised that he must not have any type of feed which is Cereal Based. He is currently on the course of GastroGuard and after the first month he had a re scope and showed a 75% improvement.He is now carrying on with the GG. I also got advised to have him out as much as possible as when out they tend to graze more which stops so much acid production.Hope this helps.
 
lcharles said:
At the moment, he has one scoop sugarbeet soaked, 2 scoops of conditioning cubes, a big handful of chaff, bit of salt and a scoop of barley rings soaked. He has 3 haynets of hay and 2 haynets of haylege to chose from! Hes out most of the time but comes in when its particularly cold or raining (got rain scold from being rained on - hes sensitive :rolleyes:)

Would pink powder help? Anyway of knowing if he has ulcers without scoping?
Click to expand...

You can do acupressure points as an aid to diagnosis (watch the video in the link). Obviously this doesn't replace a vet ;)

http://www.depaoloequineconcepts.com/library/ulcer_treatment_protocol.aspx

A four week course of Egusin (2 week's of the SLH and then 2 week's of the 250) is something I would consider with a ? ulcer horse.
http://www.forageplus.com/forageplusequineulcers.html

You need to look at the diet as well.

Fibre ferments in the hind gut in an alkaline environment.

Grain, barley, 'conditioning feeds' and molassed feeds digest in an acidic environment - so you are producing more acid by feeding these things.

If I eat mash/pastry while working nights - I can literally be on fire with acid.
If I stick with meat, fruit and veg....I am fine.

If the gut is working insufficiently - the horse will not maintain his weight well....so the conditioning feeds will make you go round in a circle.

Pink powder is basically brewer's yeast and magnesium. You can buy these much cheaper from other places.
I would add Yea-sacc to the diet in any case......
 
Oberon said:
You can do acupressure points as an aid to diagnosis (watch the video in the link). Obviously this doesn't replace a vet ;)

http://www.depaoloequineconcepts.com/library/ulcer_treatment_protocol.aspx

A four week course of Egusin (2 week's of the SLH and then 2 week's of the 250) is something I would consider with a ? ulcer horse.
http://www.forageplus.com/forageplusequineulcers.html

You need to look at the diet as well.

Fibre ferments in the hind gut in an alkaline environment.

Grain, barley, 'conditioning feeds' and molassed feeds digest in an acidic environment - so you are producing more acid by feeding these things.

If I eat mash/pastry while working nights - I can literally be on fire with acid.
If I stick with meat, fruit and veg....I am fine.

If the gut is working insufficiently - the horse will not maintain his weight well....so the conditioning feeds will make you go round in a circle.

Pink powder is basically brewer's yeast and magnesium. You can buy these much cheaper from other places.
I would add Yea-sacc to the diet in any case......
Click to expand...

NAF Pink Powder is so much more than is suggested above... it is a broad spec vit and min supplement, plus eq specific pre and probiotics , plus also amino acids for muscle devel.

However poster, if you suspect your horse has ulcers, after taking veterinary advice , NAF have two specific ulcer products. Gastriaid and the clinically proven Gastri Vet. Contact NAF direct for more specialist QUALIFIED advice.
 
Pink Powder ingredients.......

"Wheatfeed, Dicalcium phosphate, Maize, Brewers' yeast, Bitter orange peel (ripe), Whey protein powder, White mineral oil, Sodium chloride, Fructo-oligosaccharides, Whey powder, Glutamine, Wheat protein, Magnesium oxide."

Brewer's Yeast, Magnesium, salt, glutamine, whey protein......and sweeteners and fillers......

It may help the OP's horse.....but the point I am making is that throwing Pink Powder at an ulcer isn't going to be enough......
 
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