Ulcer friendly feed?

Traks

Traks

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Hi there,

Newly diagnosed grade 2/3 ulcers in my TB, the vet has recommended a high protein diet with linseed oil and as lib hay. He’s already on Allen and page Care and Gain and omega rice which has micronised linseed in it. We’ve upped the hay too.

I’ve read some conflicting stuff about alfalfa being a buffer for the acid…what are people’s experience?

Care and Gain has 12% protein not sure if this is enough?
 
Any complete feed which is low sugar and starch. Alfalfa is a good buffer, so feed before exercise.
If feeding straights then add a vit/min supplement or balancer. A good gut supplement would also help.
Also depends on the type of ulcers and identifying the cause and managing/treating.
 
Sorry they are being treated with gastroguard and in the lesser curvature apparently!

Not sure what the cause is other than history of racing until April this year…had a lameness work up and couldn’t find any pain or lameness anywhere (he had been stiff behind and reluctant to go forwards)
 
Loads out there now. Basically don’t feed above 8% starch is my rule with them.
Saracen
Castle Horse Feeds
Spillers do a digest range
Top Spec Ulcer Cubes

For a buffer you just need any chop/chaff as long as it’s stalky. Just feed it before doing anything is my rule - travel, riding, anything where they might get mildly stressed. Mine will also be on as lib forage and come in to be worked off grass in the summer but I will still feed it as a buffer.

I also feed an antacid - limestone flour is cheapest and add it to feed. I also have a feedmark one which gets added if staying away from home/travel.

Finally I feed a pre/probiotic as well. Currently on protexin as they had 20% off but I am not that fussy. As long as it has live yeasts. If I am being cheap I feed yea sacc and brewers yeast combined.
 
Bobthecob15 said:
Sorry they are being treated with gastroguard and in the lesser curvature apparently!

Not sure what the cause is other than history of racing until April this year…had a lameness work up and couldn’t find any pain or lameness anywhere (he had been stiff behind and reluctant to go forwards)
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Squamous?
Squamous ulcers can occur with daytime forage deprivation, lack of access to water, high-starch diets, pelleted feeds, straw feeding, intense exercise, travel, a change in housing and lack of daily horse-to-horse contact.

So ad lib hay is really important so that the gut is lined
Hope better soon!
 
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deicinmerlyn said:
Squamous?
Squamous ulcers can occur with daytime forage deprivation, lack of access to water, high-starch diets, pelleted feeds, straw feeding, intense exercise, travel, a change in housing and lack of daily horse-to-horse contact.

So ad lib hay is really important so that the gut is lined
Hope better soon!
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The discharge letter didn’t say squamous, literally says- grade 2/3 ulceration of the lesser curvature with haemorrhagicic lesions. One small flat area of erethma of the pylorus.

Thanks so much hay is being increased, vet says he’s not to be without it.
 
My TB has Spillers Ulca balancer for the digestive goodies and vits/mins.

Oily herbs

Feedmark Gastric Comfort as an antacid and provides mucilage.

All fed in a scoop of Hi Fi lite, which I like because it's low sugar and starch and has a little alfalfa for buffering, but not too much to send the horse bonkers!

Fingers crossed your boy will improve with his medication and diet changes.
 
Horseysheepy said:
My TB has Spillers Ulca balancer for the digestive goodies and vits/mins.

Oily herbs

Feedmark Gastric Comfort as an antacid and provides mucilage.

All fed in a scoop of Hi Fi lite, which I like because it's low sugar and starch and has a little alfalfa for buffering, but not too much to send the horse bonkers!

Fingers crossed your boy will improve with his medication and diet changes.
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Great thanks so much this sounds ideal.
 
Sugarbeet (non molassed!) is a really underrated feed. An article from Baileys:

4. Protect the mucosal lining. Although there are proprietary supplements available, one of the most widely reported nutrients that can help is pectin. In acidic conditions pectin alters its structure to one that is similar to mucus and it has been shown to bind to, and thicken, the stomach mucosa. In the presence of surfactants (naturally occurring soaps that emulsify oils and water) the effect is enhanced.

So, ideally, a feed that contains legumes (alfalfa), pectins and surfactants, and which can be fed as a wet feed, would be an excellent complementary feed for forage. It would also have to have low levels of starch but provide sufficient energy to replace cereals or hard feed and reduce the overall starch load.

Speedi-Beet, high in pectins and with a good acid binding capacity, can replace starchy feeds and provide a high moisture ration, whilst Fibre-Beet, incorporating Speedi-Beet, with alfalfa and oat fibre, has a higher ABC and good levels of surfactants (oats are one of the richest sources of surfactants - one of the reasons it binds cholesterol in humans).

Nutrition Library

baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk

I give a feed of sugarbeet and chop before riding and use sugarbeet in all my feeds. For my horse keeping the feed really simple, grass nuts, grass chop, sugarbeet and micronised linseed with a balancer was worked best.
 
Welly Boot said:
You might also want to talk to your vet about esomeprazole as a preventative going forward after the course of gastroguard. You can buy it cheaply online, just shop around for price.
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How is that a cheap preventative? Puzzled? Anything that is protected to survive stomach acid in stomach is expensive when bought in sufficient horse quantities?

AFAIK the commonly available form is Nexium 24, that can buy in bulk online, but in horse quantities (I did have amounts for 500kg horse written down once), for a week or more, it is not particularly cheap.
 
Bobthecob15 said:
The discharge letter didn’t say squamous, literally says- grade 2/3 ulceration of the lesser curvature with haemorrhagicic lesions. One small flat area of erethma of the pylorus.

Thanks so much hay is being increased, vet says he’s not to be without it.
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Worth asking you vet if squamous (most common) - front stomach ulcers, easiest to treat.

Or latter part of stomach, glandular ulcers, that are harder to explain or treat.

The management and treatment are different. Lots of good websites explain difference between squamous or glandular.
 
Fieldlife said:
Worth asking you vet if squamous (most common) - front stomach ulcers, easiest to treat.

Or latter part of stomach, glandular ulcers, that are harder to explain or treat.

The management and treatment are different. Lots of good websites explain difference between squamous or glandular.
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Thanks, looking at the anatomy of the gut its the foregut, not hind. I shall ask though.
 
Fieldlife said:
How is that a cheap preventative? Puzzled? Anything that is protected to survive stomach acid in stomach is expensive when bought in sufficient horse quantities?

AFAIK the commonly available form is Nexium 24, that can buy in bulk online, but in horse quantities (I did have amounts for 500kg horse written down once), for a week or more, it is not particularly cheap.
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In terms of ulcer treatment, I though esomeprazole was not a bad price. The vet gave me a prescription in August for it, 15 tablets a day. This was for treatment, I believe preventive is 3-5 tablets a day. I ordered from a online pharmacy, 600 tablets for £102 inc delivery.

Worked out about £80 a month. Cheaper than buying Nexium.
 
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Hormonal Filly said:
In terms of ulcer treatment, I though esomeprazole was not a bad price. The vet gave me a prescription in August for it, 15 tablets a day. This was for treatment, I believe preventive is 3-5 tablets a day. I ordered from a online pharmacy, 600 tablets for £102 inc delivery.

Worked out about £80 a month. Cheaper than buying Nexium.
Click to expand...

that does sound a lot cheaper than buying nexium online.

Why dont more people treat with esomeprazole initially when not insured? I

didnt think vets could issue a prescription for esomeprazole when there is the dedicated omazeprole / gastroguard drug licenced to treat ulcers in horses. (and very expensive).
 
My guy did great on the Saracen Re-Leve (soaked, fed with chaff). In winter we fed it with a daily cup of rice bran pellets for a little extra fat without increasing the intake of the hard feed.

He is extremely ulcer prone and lived out 24/7 on grass wherever possible. Definitely keep that hay in front of your guy if that type of turnout option isn't available. Best of luck and I hope he's feeling better soon.
 
Thanks I’ll have to try the releve, my tack shop didn’t have it so I went for the Spillers Ulca balancer and some alfalfa A oil chaff, he’s already on micronised linseed/rice bran. And I’ve ordered some Acid Ease supplement.
 
Hormonal Filly said:
In terms of ulcer treatment, I though esomeprazole was not a bad price. The vet gave me a prescription in August for it, 15 tablets a day. This was for treatment, I believe preventive is 3-5 tablets a day. I ordered from a online pharmacy, 600 tablets for £102 inc delivery.

Worked out about £80 a month. Cheaper than buying Nexium.
Click to expand...

The dose has been shown to work at far lower quantities. 4 or 5 nexium a day was what mine got.
 
Well we’ve had about a week on the new feed regime and he’s not keen on the Alfa A oil chaff! He picks out the Ulca balancer and doesn’t really eat the chaff that well..nibbling it rather than eating it all.

So not sure what to try next! Wondering if he doesn’t like the alfalfa? I know it’s important for buffering acid though so maybe should try another chaff?

I was looking at Dengie healthy tummy as it has alfalfa pellets too and a gut prebiotic in it so wouldn’t need the acid ease I’m using? Id get him a mash again but the acid ease can’t be put into lots of water or it loses it effectiveness so o steered away from mashes…

Should also add he’s put on about 15kg since he started his treatment and upped hay and changed feed so something is working!

Such a minefield!
 
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Some can find the Alfa oil a bit unpalatable.
You could try the conditioning fibre from spillers
ETA but the healthy tummy is often more palatable than the straight Alfa, although you would have to feed quite a quantity to get the equivalent of your supplement in
 
ihatework said:
Some can find the Alfa oil a bit unpalatable.
You could try the conditioning fibre from spillers
ETA but the healthy tummy is often more palatable than the straight Alfa, although you would have to feed quite a quantity to get the equivalent of your supplement in
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Thanks I tried a scoop of a friends molichaff calmer complete which he seemed to like, no alfalfa in it but he ate it ok so I’ll try that as low in starch and sugar too. Until he goes off that and we will probably be back to care and gain mash 🤦🏻‍♀️ with extras!

He’s been extra “looky” and a bit sharp since he’s been on the alfalfa anyway so I wasn’t keen (although it could also be the new balancer but will see by process of elimination!)
 
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