recommend me an ulcer supplement

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ajn1610

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As title really, stressy horse TB type horse. On plenty of turn out, haylage, chop and supplements. I've not had her scoped but have a little suspicion and figure that trialling her on a supplement couldn't hurt.
 
Hickstead horse feeds gastric settler. Was used by Jonjo O'Neill, developed by a vet originally for racehorses, and has excellent ingredients for 40quid a tub which lasts madam months on maintenance dose!
 
I have been recommended Settlex by Richard Hepburn BVSc DipACVIM MS CertEM(IntMed) MRCVS European Specialist in Internal Medicine. (He is suuch a good vet!) Apperently there are studies that prove its effective. This is the supplement we have been told to use once the insurance money runs out and we can't get anymore gastrogard. We haven't started using it yet though - still on the gastrogard. Hope this helps.
http://www.feedmark.com/Product.asp?Product=Settelex
 
Just to add, a lot of gastic supplements are just yeast which won't help ulcers. You need something to act as a buffer against acids and will help neutralise excess acid.
 
strides-eventing said:
I have been recommended Settlex by Richard Hepburn BVSc DipACVIM MS CertEM(IntMed) MRCVS European Specialist in Internal Medicine. (He is suuch a good vet!) Apperently there are studies that prove its effective. This is the supplement we have been told to use once the insurance money runs out and we can't get anymore gastrogard. We haven't started using it yet though - still on the gastrogard. Hope this helps.
http://www.feedmark.com/Product.asp?Product=Settelex
Click to expand...

Better product to the above is Ulcer Calm now, ive used it since it came out & it's brilliant stuff.
 
Have you considered a gastro guard trial I think this what I would do if I suspected ulcers now give ten days gastrguard and see if there's any change.
 
A good thing to remember is that the only treatment that actually heals ulcers already present is Gastroguard.
Other products may help to lessen the discomfort from the ulcers or attempt to prevent ulcers from occuring but they will not heal them if they are already present.

It is now widely accepted that horses that suffer from stomach ulcers also suffer from colonic ulcers however we are unable to detect these yet.

My horse had grade 3 ulcers yet he still looked well but I picked up on some subtle changes in him. Yet I know of another that lost condition badly and 'only' suffered from grade 1-2.

My horse had a course of Gastroguard (1 syringe per day for 1 month) and since he has been on 1/4 syringe per day as maintenance. He also has a syringe of Succeed (he loves it being syringed and readily eats it yet won't eat it in his feed!!) a day incase of any colonic ulcers. Added to that he is on Feedmark's Settlex, loading dose of Pink Powder to ensure he is getting all the vits and mins he needs and his calmer has vit E in it which is good for reducing any inflammation in the gut. He also has linseed oil.

He has adlib hay and is on a total fibre based diet. It's important for the diet to be low in starch, oats and barley. The best diet for a horse that suffers with ulcers is fibre, maize and oil.

My horse looks a total picture of health now and has come on in leaps and bounds - he also scoped clear not so long ago. We found the ulcers 4 months ago. Unfortunately the other horse I mentioned that was diagnosed at a similar time has not had such good advice from their vet and are still struggling with the horse and his ulcers.
 
My horse has just finished a months treatment of Gastro Plus and I can now confirm that Gastro guard is no longer the only treatment for ulcers already present.
 
After being treated with Gastro guard for a month my mare is now on slippery elm bark powder and chamomile flowers. Totally natural and much cheaper than most of the supplements.
There have been other articles on here about it.
Mare has been on these for about 6 weeks now and is now being slowly brough back into competition work.

The chamomile flowers also work as a calmer.
 
If you suspect ulcers gastrogard is the only thing that will actually heal them, so if she already has them using a supplement wont help.
Mine has been diagnosed with ulcers, and he's now on gastrogard for 4 weeks, hopefully to heal them then will be on a supplement as we cannot afford gastrogard at £150 a week!
Can you have his poo tested? Thats how they diagnosed my horses, he hasn't been scoped but it's a lot cheaper and only takes about an hour for them to do it, so if your insurance won't cover it you wont have large vet bills!
Is his management ulcer friendly? eg. Out 24/7, ad lib forage, fibre based diet? That would be the first thing I'd change if you suspect ulcers, although mine lives like this and has never touched a cereal in his life, but still has them, so obviously there can be exceptions!
 
The only way to diagnose Ulcers is Scoping (the poo test doesnt diagnose them, my mare had the test which was negative then got scoped with grade 3/4 ulcers). Suceed want everyone to believe that works, when u look at the ingredient list it is just some Oat Flour, Oat Oil and pre/probiotics, and its bloody expensive for that!!!

Insurance companies will not pay out unless you have them diagnosed by Scoping!!! I have been using ulcer calm however I am now using a Omeprazole from Abler from America and she will stay on it for life now, as at maitanance dose it works out at £1 a day.
 
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