Scoping for ulcers

[dreamcometrue]

Hi. My pony, T, is booked in at the vets to be scoped for ulcers on Wednesday. She has been ‘pretending’ to nip my leg when I do up her girth and then biting onto the stable door. She has been on a restricted diet for a long time (4 years) as she has EMS and the vet and I knew that it could result in ulcers. She is also recovering from an injury to her stifle that happened 18 months ago and in June I had the go ahead from my vet to hack her in walk to help to control her weight.

Anyway, what I really would like is if anyone could please describe the scoping process for me and what to do to prepare her for it and what to to do afterwards to help her get over it.

Pic of when I finally got back on board after her 14 month field rest.

Thanks. X

 

[MereChristmas]

You should get an information sheet from the vets which tells you what to do.
Are you having the scope done at your stable or taking the horse to the vets?

I restricted food and water as directed and took my pony to the vets. Afterwards we waited until he was awake enough to travel. By the time we got home he was fine.

The vets told me what they were seeing on the screen and took photos for reference. They sent me a report with the photos and instructions for the recommended treatment.

 

[Timelyattraction]

The vet should have prepped you, i’m assuming you are having it done at home, but you will need to starve her from 8pm the night before so no food, hay, i removed bedding to ensure that wasnt eaten either. And then water needs to be removed in the morning, 2 hours before, the scope is then done first thing in the morning. They will sedate her and then put the camera up her nose and you will be able to see on the screen any ulcers.

 

[expanding_horizon]

Horses are sedated, lubricated tube goes in through nose into stomach. They cope pretty well and are fine afterwards. Some have slight nosebleed.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Hi. My pony, T, is booked in at the vets to be scoped for ulcers on Wednesday. She has been ‘pretending’ to nip my leg when I do up her girth and then biting onto the stable door. She has been on a restricted diet for a long time (4 years) as she has EMS and the vet and I knew that it could result in ulcers. She is also recovering from an injury to her stifle that happened 18 months ago and in June I had the go ahead from my vet to hack her in walk to help to control her weight.

Anyway, what I really would like is if anyone could please describe the scoping process for me and what to do to prepare her for it and what to to do afterwards to help her get over it.

Pic of when I finally got back on board after her 14 month field rest.

Thanks. X

sadly i lost my boy last year after the second scope after ulcer treatment.

I have been giving the meds to a livery the last 4 weeks as he had bleeding ulcers. They starve them the night before and scope the morning.

We had to give him his paste which is a pain in the a$$ to get out the surginge its thick and gloopy and I get covered in it so does the horse. Then you have to wait 1/2 hr before you can feed them. Its smells ok but like paint it gets everywhere. So glad he finished the course yesterday, and it was very disruptive doing this while trying to do the yard/

 

[MereChristmas]

My pony was prescribed omeprazole injections and Sucralfate Powder. It was easy.

 

[Landcruiser]

My mare didn't mind the Omaprazole paste from the tube, I think she quite liked the taste and we never wasted any.

 

[Bellaboo18]

sadly i lost my boy last year after the second scope after ulcer treatment.

I have been giving the meds to a livery the last 4 weeks as he had bleeding ulcers. They starve them the night before and scope the morning.

We had to give him his paste which is a pain in the a$$ to get out the surginge its thick and gloopy and I get covered in it so does the horse. Then you have to wait 1/2 hr before you can feed them. Its smells ok but like paint it gets everywhere. So glad he finished the course yesterday, and it was very disruptive doing this while trying to do the yard/

A mess? I thought they were so easy to administer. I don't think a bit ever went where it shouldn't

 

[dreamcometrue]

You should get an information sheet from the vets which tells you what to do.
Are you having the scope done at your stable or taking the horse to the vets?

I restricted food and water as directed and took my pony to the vets. Afterwards we waited until he was awake enough to travel. By the time we got home he was fine.

The vets told me what they were seeing on the screen and took photos for reference. They sent me a report with the photos and instructions for the recommended treatment.

Thanks Meredith. They haven’t told me anything! I phoned up and they booked her in. She is having it done at the vets. I suppose it would be best to put her in a stable without bedding overnight then. She will have eaten her night net before midnight anyway.

 

[dreamcometrue]

The vet should have prepped you, i’m assuming you are having it done at home, but you will need to starve her from 8pm the night before so no food, hay, i removed bedding to ensure that wasnt eaten either. And then water needs to be removed in the morning, 2 hours before, the scope is then done first thing in the morning. They will sedate her and then put the camera up her nose and you will be able to see on the screen any ulcers.

Thanks. Having it done at the vets. She can go into a spare stable without bedding.

 

[MereChristmas]

Thanks Meredith. They haven’t told me anything! I phoned up and they booked her in. She is having it done at the vets. I suppose it would be best to put her in a stable without bedding overnight then. She will have eaten her night net before midnight anyway.

l think the vets should give you precise instructions. The scope is a waste of time and money if there is food in the stomach.
You withdraw feed ( and bedding if they may eat it) at a set time and withdraw water at another set time.

I will look to see if I have a copy of my instructions.

 

[dreamcometrue]

sadly i lost my boy last year after the second scope after ulcer treatment.

I have been giving the meds to a livery the last 4 weeks as he had bleeding ulcers. They starve them the night before and scope the morning.

We had to give him his paste which is a pain in the a$$ to get out the surginge its thick and gloopy and I get covered in it so does the horse. Then you have to wait 1/2 hr before you can feed them. Its smells ok but like paint it gets everywhere. So glad he finished the course yesterday, and it was very disruptive doing this while trying to do the yard/

Ah, so sorry that you lost your horse.

It’s hard enough getting wormer into T so I do not look forward to getting that into her. From your description it sounds like Gaviscon in bottles. That is foul and like drinking emulsion paint.

 

[MereChristmas]

Ah, so sorry that you lost your horse.

It’s hard enough getting wormer into T so I do not look forward to getting that into her. From your description it sounds like Gaviscon in bottles. That is foul and like drinking emulsion paint.

That’s why I chose the jabs for F

 

[MereChristmas]

Sorry, I can’t find the instructions. All the vets websites I’ve looked at say

remove food ( and bedding if necessary ) for 12 hours.
Muzzle if you think the horse might eat anything i.e. wooden stables!
and water for 2 hours

I gave F his evening haynet early, removed it 12 hours before and as the journey to the vets was 1 1/2 hours removed his water for 1/2 hour. By the time we arrived and checked in it was over 2 hours.

It sounds horrid and some people won’t have their horses scoped but I felt there was no choice.
How can you cure the problem without diagnosis? And scoping is the only certain way to know.
Also another scope after treatment tells you how much healing has occurred and if more treatment is needed or not.

 

[Sossigpoker]

I've had a horse scoped twice and dreaded the starving bit but honestly, he was fine. I think he had to be starved for 12 hours so I put him in his stable with a small haynet to run out around 8-9 pm and he was in a rubber matted stable without any bedding.
I went down at 7 am ,.an hour before breakfast and gave him Sedalin so he wouldn't kick off when the others were fed and he was actually just sleeping when I went down. Then the vet came at 9 am to scope. I only gave him the Sedalin as he was a very "spicy " horse and could get violent so it was to protect him from himself as much as anything- this isn't a part of a standard routine.
But my point is that I was surprised by how calmly he handled the starvation.

I'd call your vet in the morning to ask what time you need to remove food and water though.

 

[dreamcometrue]

I've had a horse scoped twice and dreaded the starving bit but honestly, he was fine. I think he had to be started for 12 hours so I put him in his stable with a small haynet to run out around 8-9 pm and he was in a rubber matted stable without any bedding.
I went down at 7 am ,.an hour before breakfast and gave him Sedalin so he wouldn't kick off when the others were fed and he was actually just sleeping when I went down. Then the vet came at 9 am to scope. I only gave him the Sedalin as he was a very "spicy " horse and could get violent so it was to protect him from himself as much as anything- this isn't a part of a stabsard routine.
But my point is that u was surprised by how calmly he handled the starvation.

I'd call your vet in the morning to ask what time you need to remove food and water though.

Thanks for that. I’ll phone them in the morning x

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

Yep pony came in, had her tea and then no food/bedding from 9 as vet came to us for 9am. Sedated and scoped.

She had 6 weekly omeprazole injections plus sucralfate for maybe 3 months in total. Mix the sucralfate with apple juice, my pony can be a pain to worm but she took this fine, never made a mess.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

A mess? I thought they were so easy to administer. I don't think a bit ever went where it shouldn't

This stuff is thick and gloopy and you have to stir it first and you have to suck it up with the syringe then administer it comes in a pot, and you get it over the end of the syringe which then gets on the corners of the mouth, its not ready in syringe

 

[MereChristmas]

This stuff is thick and gloopy and you have to stir it first and you have to suck it up with the syringe then administer it comes in a pot, and you get it over the end of the syringe which then gets on the corners of the mouth, its not ready in syringe

I have only heard of Sucralfate Powder being used not Paste. Perhaps that is why you had trouble administering it.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

This stuff is thick and gloopy and you have to stir it first and you have to suck it up with the syringe then administer it comes in a pot, and you get it over the end of the syringe which then gets on the corners of the mouth, its not ready in syringe

Do you mean it came as a powder or already liquid?

I just added a bit more apple juice to mine to make it a thinner consistency.

 

[MereChristmas]

Do you mean it came as a powder or already liquid?

I just added a bit more apple juice to mine to make it a thinner consistency.

It came as a powder and it was just put in the feed. Eaten with out any problem.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Those signs you describe are not necessarily ulcers. BB has been scoped and nothing found

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

It came as a powder and it was just put in the feed. Eaten with out any problem.

We were told by vet it had to be given 30 mins before a feed so couldn’t do that. But I didn’t find making the syringes too much bother anyway.

 

[Muddywellies]

I've had umpteen scopes carried out and it's all incredibly straightforward. I don't take hay away till the very last safe moment, which if being done 8 or 9am, is about 11pm (don't want to 'starve' them any lo ger than necessary) I never ever take water away. Horse is quietly sedated, thin tube popped into tummy for a look around which is v interesting. The camera has a water thing on it so when in there, if there's anything in the way, it just gets flushed out of the way. You can stand there and watch it on the computer screen. It's literally all over in 10 or 15 mins. Then when horse is fully awake again, hay and feed. Simple

 

[canteron]

Slightly different view to muddywellies (maybe lack of experience) but ….. if there is the slightest bit of anything in their passageways they can’t get the tube down, and the process is so vile (for us, they seem to tolerate it!) that I don’t want to take any risks and err on the side of caution, so for an 8am scope, no food from 6pm and water taken away at 6am.
They found glandular ulcers (different to the stress induced squamous ulcers) in my horse and after a rather expensive course of action I have a much happier horse again.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Do you mean it came as a powder or already liquid?

I just added a bit more apple juice to mine to make it a thinner consistency.

it was a tub of thick paste pictured above

 

[foxy]

I took mine to the vets to be scoped and he stayed overnight and was scoped the following day. I was there during the scope and vet explained everything they found and then I got a report afterwards. Mine had the injections and the sucralfate powder daily which I mixed with water and syringed into his mouth

 

[Birker2020]

I've had a horse scoped twice and dreaded the starving bit but honestly, he was fine. I think he had to be starved for 12 hours so I put him in his stable with a small haynet to run out around 8-9 pm and he was in a rubber matted stable without any bedding.
I went down at 7 am ,.an hour before breakfast and gave him Sedalin so he wouldn't kick off when the others were fed and he was actually just sleeping when I went down. Then the vet came at 9 am to scope. I only gave him the Sedalin as he was a very "spicy " horse and could get violent so it was to protect him from himself as much as anything- this isn't a part of a standard routine.
But my point is that I was surprised by how calmly he handled the starvation.

I'd call your vet in the morning to ask what time you need to remove food and water though.

He probably thought you'd forgotten to feed him lol.

When I dropped Lari off at the vets the afternoon before his scoping they took all the hay out of the haybar but he still managed to get his head right down and rooted around to find a few mouldy strands!

 

[lauragreen85]

If its any help have a look at Ponease, we use it before riding to line the gut, prevents acid splashes, its been a game changer for us

 

[dreamcometrue]

Here is the update.

T has grade 2 squamous gastric ulcers. She is to have oral omeprazole treatment. Hopefully she will be more comfortable from now on.

I’m so glad I listened to her and did something about it!