Suspected gastric ulcers in Welsh D

[flickaandthefox]

Hello,

my new loan mare has not been happy having her girth done up, and I have to brush her using my hand under her belly. She'll put her ears back and hold her head up and chew the leadrope clip. I've had her for a month now and she's done it all that time, her owner said she'd started doing it a few weeks before she came to mine.

Her saddle and teeth have been checked in the last two weeks, her back is getting done soon hopefully.

So I've been thinking gastric ulcers...? Could this be a potential? And if so, can I feed her GastriAid or will I need to get a vet to diagnose it first?

Thank you for your help

 

[Fruitcake]

Ulcers could be a possibility. Does she have any other symptoms?

As far as I know, gastric supplements shouldn't do any harm so it probably wouldn't hurt to try one. My Sec D has had ulcers and been treated with Gastroguard which is apparently the only way to actually get rid of them as it shuts off acid production (which it did but they returned- twice!) He's now on a supplement called ExEgus from the vet. Supposed to be good.

You might also like to look at her diet. Any cereal or molasses can irritate ulcers and most feeds include some so it's worth looking at that as a starting point. (There are some good high fibre, cereal-free options out there).

Hope this helps.