Ulcer scope

Aimzz

Aimzz

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Hiya,

Sorry I know this subject has probably been done to death and I tried to find a thread that might answer my question, but here I am!

I'm having my mare scoped on Tuesday. She's staying at home for this. She's usually bedded on straw, obviously I can't leave this in, she will definitely eat it. I do have some rubber mats down (not amazing, but they're fine). Should I leave her on just the mats - worried she won't wee?! - or try a different bedding? I'm worried she might try and eat shavings or the like, if she's hungry enough, she is a thoroughbred 🙄 ..

Any advice or previous experiences hugely appreciated.

I will be contacting my vet directly tomorrow for her advice, but thought I'd reach out here in the meantime. I'm quite anxious about the whole thing 😅
 
can you put all your straw in a tonne bag so it’s not wasted, and put a bale of shavings down for the night? then you can put the straw over the shavings too so it’s not a waste, but extra absorbency!
 
dottylottie said:
can you put all your straw in a tonne bag so it’s not wasted, and put a bale of shavings down for the night? then you can put the straw over the shavings too so it’s not a waste, but extra absorbency!
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Yeah I have a dumpy bag to put my straw in. I'm just not convinced she won't try to eat shavings 😬 I would like to have *something* down though because I'm worried she won't wee. Urgh, this is such a horrible thing to have to do.
 
Aimzz said:
Yeah I have a dumpy bag to put my straw in. I'm just not convinced she won't try to eat shavings 😬 I would like to have *something* down though because I'm worried she won't wee. Urgh, this is such a horrible thing to have to do.
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That's why I literally put a patch of about 1x1 metre square. I figured that once she had wee'd, she wouldn't want to eat it anyway. Her stomach was completely empty when she went for the scope. I was really worried about it, but it all turned out fine, so I am sure your mare will be too. 🤞
 
When pony is starved at the vets they put a muzzle on* and tape over the hole with duct tape.


*they put it on, she removed it, so they had to tie it to her headcollar, clearly they weren’t used to fat natives who have honed removing them.
 
If i was worried mine would eat anything while being starved for scoping (i would be too!) , i’d probably put down a sand patch for wee.
Even if i put mud in there to wee on they’d likely chew at it, as they like licking some mud. Peat too. They love proper ancient black peat. Its nutrient dense. That’s available in some parts of ireland for bedding, mainly for cows.
I’ve never seen them ever attempt to eat straight washed sand tho! 😂

There’s cardboard and paper bedding…surely they wouldnt touch that? Never say never with horses i guess!
 
P.s as she’s staying at home for this, do you have a cam you can pop in her stable to periodically check on your phone she’s leaving a small patch of shavings alone?
 
Put some shavings down and spray them with something nasty-tasting? My chopped straw has tea tree and eucalyptus on it, supposedly to put them off. Pony loves it! So you would have to be sure it's something she really can't stand.
 
Or... Stick some shavings in her usual wet patch, take them out when they've been wee'd on, dry them out and use them again. I very much doubt she would be hungry enough to eat dirty shavings, but I guess there's always one... Mine would probably start nibbling the rubber!
 
Thank you everyone for your responses. Vets recommended bedding out. I let her have a wee just before I had to remove her feed/forage. She actually coped remarkably well. She was very chill about it all.

She scoped positive. Lots of squamous ulcers, quite sore, some pretty high up, but luckily glandular/pyloric region clear.

Appreciate all the advice and being able to just get my worries heard! Hopefully this is the start of getting her happy and healthy :)
 
Hi I’ve just come across this post as I am also in the same situation with my mare. I am thinking it’s a good idea to remove her bedding but I don’t think I will be able to get her to have a wee. In fact in the two months I’ve owned her I’ve never seen her wee and when her sides are up in the stable for example she never wees on the mat! Also panicking about her as she is a very anxious mare. Can I ask what symptoms your mare had OP?
 
Hi I’ve just come across this post as I am also in the same situation with my mare. I am thinking it’s a good idea to remove her bedding but I don’t think I will be able to get her to have a wee. In fact in the two months I’ve owned her I’ve never seen her wee and when her sides are up in the stable for example she never wees on the mat! Also panicking about her as she is a very anxious mare. Can I ask what symptoms your mare had OP?
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Heya!

I took out all bedding and she was fine. Dealt with it really well. I was able to let her wee first, I'm lucky that she comes in and has a wee, every time. But perhaps you could just bring yours in as late as possible so she's at least had the opportunity? I would definitely recommend removing bedding though. My vet said if she doesn't wee all night, it isn't a massive deal, in the grand scheme of things!

Symptoms: extremely grumpy to girth (trying to bite, kick, tail swishing, moving away), grumpy to rug, lacking condition and difficult to put condition on, scurfy coat in places, little appetite, occasional mild colic symptoms..

I hope you manage to get yours sorted 🤞 Keep us posted! Mine has had two omeprazole injections so far. Two to go, then re-scope.
 
Aimzz said:
Heya!

I took out all bedding and she was fine. Dealt with it really well. I was able to let her wee first, I'm lucky that she comes in and has a wee, every time. But perhaps you could just bring yours in as late as possible so she's at least had the opportunity? I would definitely recommend removing bedding though. My vet said if she doesn't wee all night, it isn't a massive deal, in the grand scheme of things!

Symptoms: extremely grumpy to girth (trying to bite, kick, tail swishing, moving away), grumpy to rug, lacking condition and difficult to put condition on, scurfy coat in places, little appetite, occasional mild colic symptoms..

I hope you manage to get yours sorted 🤞 Keep us posted! Mine has had two omeprazole injections so far. Two to go, then re-scope.
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Just an update. The starving side she coped with rather well, actually. She was scoped and does have ulcers. Can I ask what maintenance schedule/programme in terms of feed and supplements etc you’ve been asked to follow?
 
Mambo83 said:
Just an update. The starving side she coped with rather well, actually. She was scoped and does have ulcers. Can I ask what maintenance schedule/programme in terms of feed and supplements etc you’ve been asked to follow?
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Poor thing. What treatment is she on?

I actually wasn't asked to change anything. I had been treating her as if she had ulcers anyway as I was convinced she did.

But I suppose what I do is ensure I feed her chaff before exercise (a decent amount!), low starch and sugar diet, as much turnout as possible, try to keep stress to a minimum, feed adlib forage (truly adlib, always feed more than she would ever actually eat), ensure she's not overworked. I have also used Acid Ease and the Ulsa-cool concentrated balancer by Blue Chip. If I could do anything else, I'd split her two feeds down to three, but unfortunately I just can't be at the yard three times a day. I have thought about trying marshmallow root and aloe, I've heard good things, but haven't tried them.


I can't think of anything else off the top of my head! If I do, I'll add another comment ☺️

Edit: They did suggest she may need an oral omeprazole during times of stress after treatment. For example, if I want to compete or travel her.
 
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