Ulcer question. Supplement/Drugs/Natural remedies

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tullulahjay

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Hi Guys,

I bet you guys are fed up with the same old questions!!

Ok my boy was diagnosed with grade 2 ulcers (he is extremly sensitive) back in Sept after 3 weeks of antibiotics and 5 weeks of gastro guards. A nice healthy tummy and a happy Harry :-)

I kept the turnout the same all the way through and he was always on adlib hay. I took the grains out and he only now gets Fast fibre and Alfa a Un mollased when in ridden work. With Mint. And lots of readi grass/ff when not at work (snow) I tried corn oil and he got a bit of a belly ache with it.So we just cut that out

The last 2 weeks he was on healthy Tummy by Dengie but to my HORROR it had a high content of starch and protein as well as molass. (Lable reading is SO IMPORTANT) And he also started to go a bit crabby at the begining of his schooling sessions, which he was like before being diagnosed. In the last 2 weeks as well I have had to cut the turnout to a pen turnout instead because it was getting WAY too wet out there and he was getting bored. Despite me giving hay AND lots of it. It just seem him and his pal just ate the hay so much quicker. Plus he started squabbling in the end with her. Naughty not sharing I know I did do seperate piles but that didnt work either.

So anyway. The day we worked out it was the feed he went off his hay. I just thought he was getting bored of it as he was going through so much..... but that wasnt the case. So I just went back to alfa a unmollased. He has been ridden every day. I try and do something in the morning as well as the afternoon. Nothing too major just so I got that gut moving. Just to ensure he had no adverse effect of restricted turnout.

I steam his hay (no haylage)

Also before ridden work (15 min, a small scoop of Alfa A)

He also gets 3 feeds a day.

So as a paranoid mummy, I have been looking stuff up for ULCERS. To be honest i really want to stay away from anything that isnt natural and in powder form :-( Just the expense of some of these supplements are SHOCKING.

There were recommendations for the following

Ulcercalm
Rite Trac
Gastri Aid
Equisin
Succeed
Ulca Tonic
Coligone
Gastro calm/Kalm
Gastrivet


Protexin
Happy Tummy Charcola

But the nataural things that I have come across to me looks FAR more appealing

Calomine tea in his water
Liquorice root
Marshmallow root
Liquorice root
Slippery Elm
Brewers yeast
Mint
Comfy Leaf
Meadow sweet
Linseed (but I get confused with oil and Micronised)

I think I have even come across someone saying BANANAS but it concerns me this one because of the sugar in them
Drugs to help with the hind gut (which I suspect he has)

Ranatidine ??

I know this is a lot but I really do want to hear what everyone recommends. Especially if they have similaritys with my boy. If you use any of the natural products what are your measurements.

he is a girthy and grumpy git and even after gastroguard he was still a tad moody but the ridden work was SUPER after so I just thought it may be because he now has it in his head that he will still be unconfortable when we do girths and rugs up!

He is covered for ulcers under the insurance at the mo, which will expire in Sept. I am fully aware that gastroguard is the only drug that will actually heel them. I do not feel that he as it to that extent I just feel that he is getting GASSY again :-( I am waiting for a call back from Rossdale to see what they say too.

COMMENTS MUCH APPRECIATED
 
You are quite right that Gastroguard is the only supplement that will completely clear the ulcers and if the insurance is paying I would continue this treatment as recommended by your vets. Partially healed ulcers will simply flare up again. As long as you are covered by insurance I would follow your vets recommendations, as you may find that if you go down an alternative route not recommended by them and if the ulcers flare up again before September the insurance company may refuse to pay for further treatment.

Slippery elm, marshmallow and liquorice are the main ingredients in lots of the popular ulcer supplements and Brewers Yeast is fed routinely in a lot of racing yards, so you should get good results from these, once the ulcers are healed.
 
Hey Tammy

Thanks for this.

I was told at the end of the treatments when he went for his follow up scope that he had made a full recovery. Which I was really pleased about.

I have 110% kept to the vets instructions bar the oil, but it seems a bit of a coincidence that i reduce the turnout and he gone all funny on me ;-(.

I did once try him on brewers yeast as he was on haylage before (big no no I know) but he wouldnt touch it :-(

I have been looking up further that fennel is great for GASSY horses. When my vet comes back from holiday I will ask her if he can go back on the gastrogauard for a while and see if that helps
 
As a long suffering owner of a horse with ulcer problems (and others), I am busy putting together a list of all drugs /natural remedies to treat ulcers along with the cheapest suppliers. I underestimated how long this would take but will finish it :rolleyes: and it will be freely available for everyone who wants a copy. If anyone wants a copy when its finished let me know. I will post on here once I finally get the info in a usable and readable format.
 
Mine's doing well having constant access to forage, micronised linseed, yeasacc, calcium carbonate and lecithin.

I stopped the cal carb/lecithin mix a short while ago cos I ran out and I didn't really think it was making a difference. Turns out it was! He got grumpy/reactive and his poos went very loose. A course of biotics and back on the cal carb/lecithin and he's back to his normal self. Won;t be doing that again!

I've had success with Hilton Herbs Gastri X in the past too :)
 
Gastrogard only treats stomach ulcers. I've had fantastic results with RiteTrac post Gastrogard. RiteTrac treats gastro as well as hind gut ulcers. Not prescription. My vet who is a gastro expert recommended it as he said it was the only one he knew of that worked. He's on Fast Fibre, linseed. Handful of Alfa A Oil, YeaSacc and ad lib hay. If he looks to be colicky I give him syringed liquid Coligone. Which touch wood I have not had to since finishing the Gastrogard. Gastrogard didn't make him 100% right. Tried Coligone powder, then Feedmark ulcerCalm after GG but it was the RiteTrac where I finally saw HUGE change that my horse was getting back to normal. 48hrs later I was riding again after 8 weeks off and he was amazing. The best he'd ever gone.
 
Id really like to put him on rite track but it isnt covered under the insurance it its alot of money to spend out on, especially if it doesnt work :-(
 
Ali2 - I'll copy the ingredients for RiteTrac off the back of the tub tomorrow if I can.

OP RiteTrac isnt technically a medication its a supplement. I'm still getting good results being week3 on it.
It its however £90 for 30 days which is a lot. But I've tried other things that haven't worked.
 
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