Recurrent ulcers

[Dru]

My horse is 11 and during the 5 years I've owned her she's been treated for ulcers 4 or 5 times (I've lost track). The paste didn't work one of those times so she now gets the injections and the last two times it's been squamous and glandular so it's costing about £4-5k each treatment cycle as she's needed 9 weeks of treatment with omeprazole and sulcralfate. She finished the latest treatment and scoped clear in May but is now beginning to show initial symptoms again.

I can't keep paying £5k a time to treat her. Some of the times there's been a potential reason for the ulcers, injury etc, but this time I've done nothing with her other than gentle hacking a few times a week, no schooling, no events, no reason to be stressed. I follow all the advice re management - chaff before riding, out as much as possible, grain free diet etc.

I don't want to sell her or loan her out as you can never be sure someone will do right by her. Do I retire her? She's pretty much semi retired now and is still probably getting ulcers so I have little faith she won't keep getting them in full retirement and I don't want her to be in pain yet long term use of omeprazole isn't advised so what do I do?

I feel like the options are retire and leave her to it or potentially PTS but that seems like a nuclear option.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Ulcers are usually caused by pain somewhere else in the body. Hind leg lameness and kissing spine seem to be common causes. It can also be caused management methods and stress but wouldn't keep reoccurring if these were addressed.
If your vet hasn't mentioned underlying pain, I'd get a different vet and get a thorough lameness work-up to start with. Back inspection including x-ray should follow if there is no gait abnormality.

For a vet to continue to treat the ulcers and not discuss underlying causes is pretty poor, IMHO.

 

[bubsqueaks]

We had a horse with squamous ulcers which are the most difficult to clear even the vets are puzzled following a years treatment under insurance we made the decision to turn him away for in the end 18 months during which time he lived out had no hard feed or supplements, & he then scoped clear & remains clear.

 

[Dru]

She's had lameness workups before but has ongoing issues ie arthritic hocks that were fused so maybe that could be giving her trouble again. Guess I'll have to throw more money at the vet but she's had so many issues that I won't put her through anything that requires rehab again. She was traumatized after the best part of a year of box rest previously and I won't do that to her again.

I'd love to be able to turn her away but the reality is that I don't have my own land and she has to be in at night in the winter. She'd starve with hard feed as a poor doer. The one time I cut back her feed she lost loads of weight.

 

[Snow Falcon]

I'd think about 24/7 at grass if not already kept like this.

 

[ycbm]

You could try her with aloe vera and see if it settles her.
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[eahotson]

Some retirement libraries being them into barns in the winter.The one my old boy is at doesn't but he is very well rugged up and to be honest he is in better health than he has ever been.

She's had lameness workups before but has ongoing issues ie arthritic hocks that were fused so maybe that could be giving her trouble again. Guess I'll have to throw more money at the vet but she's had so many issues that I won't put her through anything that requires rehab again. She was traumatized after the best part of a year of box rest previously and I won't do that to her again.

I'd love to be able to turn her away but the reality is that I don't have my own land and she has to be in at night in the winter. She'd starve with hard feed as a poor doer. The one time I cut back her feed she lost loads of weight.

 

[maya2008]

I would look again at previous (or potential new) sources of pain. It is certainly cheaper to keep on top of something like hock injections than to have to keep treating ulcers.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

If she were mine, I would find a yard where she can be out 24/7, give her Aloe Vera juice daily, starting as soon as she has finished the next/current course of ulcer treatment and get a really good equine vet, maybe one of the holistic vets, to assess her arthritis.

 

[Bonnie Allie]

Change your vet. You need someone who doesn’t just treat symptoms but looks to the source of the issue.

My stressy mare had recurring ulcers and after loads of vet meds which had varying success I changed vets who focussed on gut micro biome, which I have a massive interest in from a human health perspective, taking her feed back to as natural as possible (mountains of grass and hay), hacking out only for long periods and she came good in about 6mths.

Vet bill for this process minimal, feed bill massive initially - then it tapered off to being more manageable as she self regulated on the hay.

 

[ycbm]

Change your vet. You need someone who doesn’t just treat symptoms but looks to the source of the issue.

My stressy mare had recurring ulcers and after loads of vet meds which had varying success I changed vets who focussed on gut micro biome, which I have a massive interest in from a human health perspective, taking her feed back to as natural as possible (mountains of grass and hay), hacking out only for long periods and she came good in about 6mths.

Vet bill for this process minimal, feed bill massive initially - then it tapered off to being more manageable as she self regulated on the hay.

I love this answer!
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[moorhillhorses]

I’ve been there and it’s absolutely heart breaking.
I found feeding hay and no haylage, no fresh grass (treat it like laminitis) and using Ponease Ulc fix (then the maintenance) has been a game changer! I’d spend thousands until I came across it. Highly recommended