Ulcer supplements, feeds and drugs

coffeeandabagel

coffeeandabagel

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My mare is off to be scoped next week so I am reading up on whats hot and what not in the world of equine ulcers. There are a lot of posts on HHO but I know things change, so even the ones from last year could be out of date, and I wondered whats getting good results now?

And..... where can I get dried cabbage in the UK?

thanks
 
Gastroguard & the cheaper Peptizole are usually what vets prescribe to treat stomach ulcers but they don't touch hind gut ulcers which more often than not are also present.

It's very important to slowly taper Gastroguard when you're nearing the end of the course and get your horse onto a maintenance product to try to help the ulcers rapidly returning. I use Feedmark's Gastric Comfort as a daily preventative to protect the stomach lining.

Most important is to ensure your horse has a high fibre diet, as fibre acts as a buffer to the acid splash and also the chewing involved produces saliva, which again buffers the acid. Try to encourage your horse to eat a scoop of chaff before being ridden plus ad lib access to hay. Try to avoid exposure to stressful situations.

For hindgut, I've found both Equishure and Ranitidine are effective. I tried Equine Science GastroPlus, which is often raved about on here, and found it a complete waste of £200 for a months supply. Didn't make the slightest difference and I was very disappointed.
 
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Thanks, for suggestions. I have always been aware of the need for ad-lib forage, and have been feeding her a scoop of chaff before riding or 30 mins at the haynet if just in from field.

She has had two yard moves in 8 months, first yard she was bullied and ended up on box rest so that was stressful and at new yard its livery so I am not in charge of feeds, forage, turnout times etc . Also she has been out to camp a few times and competitions / clinics etc. So all in all a bit exciting!

I would much prefer a simple feed regime so YO can manage it easily - although she does currently add supplmenets if I leave them in a pot - but the simpler it is the better.

Not sure when the scoping will happen could be end of the week so maybe I will get some equisure now - it wont do any harm to start her on it. I think we have possibly been overfeeding ehr to get the weight on - she has been on calm and condition with alfa a (molasses free until the YO changed her to the usual one 6 weeks ago without telling me!)

Drying ones own cabbage once a week could be done - but really I have better things to do with my time!
 
Quite agree about the cabbage, I only did it once! But don't think you can get it dried, they sel it in the US. You could feed fresh cabbage, though my horse wouldn't eat it.
 
We have our boy in alltech lifeforce formula or focus. Its really helped him eat more and settle his stomach after the gg.

Also what's with the dried cabbage?
 
coffeeandabagel said:
Thanks, for suggestions. I have always been aware of the need for ad-lib forage, and have been feeding her a scoop of chaff before riding or 30 mins at the haynet if just in from field.

She has had two yard moves in 8 months, first yard she was bullied and ended up on box rest so that was stressful and at new yard its livery so I am not in charge of feeds, forage, turnout times etc . Also she has been out to camp a few times and competitions / clinics etc. So all in all a bit exciting!

I would much prefer a simple feed regime so YO can manage it easily - although she does currently add supplmenets if I leave them in a pot - but the simpler it is the better.

Not sure when the scoping will happen could be end of the week so maybe I will get some equisure now - it wont do any harm to start her on it. I think we have possibly been overfeeding ehr to get the weight on - she has been on calm and condition with alfa a (molasses free until the YO changed her to the usual one 6 weeks ago without telling me!)

Drying ones own cabbage once a week could be done - but really I have better things to do with my time!
Click to expand...

I'm sorry - WHAT?!

As the owner of a horse who requires careful feeding due to a number of reasons, including suspected ulcers (never been scoped but girthy) and going completely off his trolley if fed molasses/sugar, I'd be spitting feathers if anyone responsible for his care changed his diet without telling me!

As for a simple diet, I keep my boy's feed extremely simple:

- Alfa A Molasses Free
- Dodson & Horrell ERS Pellets (high fibre/low starch balancer-type nut with no added sugar and high in oil - with some other goodies for competition horses - suitable for barefoot and ulcer-prone horses and for horses prone to tying up)
- Micronised linseed (supports joints/feet, etc. and high in oil)
- Ad Lib hay and haylage (fed from the floor) and a teensy bit of chaff before exercise if not had breakfast

The only supplements he gets are pure MSM (again to support joints - he's 16) and Magnesium (for his feet). That's it. Couldn't be easier. In the winter/when working really hard he also gets either Copra or Speedibeet.

P
 
Have just bought Re-leve and Equijewel this morning. Will introduce slowly while waiting for scoping. Also found out that horses don't get breakfast on day /s helpers do the morning turnout!!!!
Am looking for another yard if that's true. She really really like her breakfast band it would upset her not to get it.
 
As the owner of a horse that was scoped last week for ulcers, and found to have grade 4 and bleeding. I can tell you that the only thing that will clear then up is the medication that the vet prescribes. Either gastro gaurd, Peptizole or Ulcer gaurd. They all contain omeprazole which is the only proven drug to work.
After they finish the course and are scoped clear, then the Managment begins. A good hind gut balancer should be sufficient to keep them at bay. A fibre based diet is the best. My has, and always has been fed fast fibre, alfa a oil and 365 balancer. As well as ad lib hay, but not hhaylage. He is also now back on 24/7 turn out.
We suspect his ulcers were due to him moving yards, and routine etc. He hasn't coped well with it all, so I have moved him back to my old yard, where he can once again live out with a herd.
 
Well she has some grade 2 splash area and grade 1 glandluar ulcers. Not too bad as things go. She has a month's supply of Peptisol whichbi understand is cheaper version of gg.
I have moved to a yard with better grazing though still only 7 or so hours a day but with more hay and better feeding regimes.
She gas had 5 days worth and felt wrong over her back / lame yesterday at the end of the hack. Maybe it's too early or maybe its not the only problem she has.
I will her some more time off and see his she feels by end of the week.
Ho him.
 
Id just watch re-leve as I have had palatibilty issues with it, and the alfalfa pellets sometimes are so bitter they wont eat it- there is a reason its now "blackcurrant flavour"

Quick on the move tho well done!
 
Hind gut ulcers often make them look lame on their RH. Remember the gastroscope doesn't reach the hind gut so you won't know if she has both stomach and hind gut ulcers.
Peptizole/Gastroguard are both highly effective but do be careful not to just stop treating at the end of the course, otherwise the ulcers can rapidly return. Try to taper the dose towards the end and get her onto a maintenance product to protect the stomach lining.
If there are also hind gut ulcers present, you'll need additional product to treat them.
 
I did ask my vet about hind gut ones - after reading the advice on here. She said she felt it was unlikely Rio had them. I will ask to taper it, then have been reading about RiteTrak for continuing care. I have read some good stuff about it.


She is building up to nearly a full meal of releve and likes it so far - reccomended rate is 2.5kg a day though plus chaff and equijewel so might have to do three meals a day to get it all in, hopefully new yard can accomodate that. I love the blackcurrant smell!

Scatterbrain: Hopefully the move to the new yard will help prevent them reoccuring. Last yard was just about on the hard shoulder of the A1M and was so noisy - this one is v peaceful! And lots other changes for the better.
 
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OP, if he has gastric ulcers then there is a pretty high chance he'll have colonic (hind gut) too. As your vet to do a faecal blood test- this tests the levels of blood in their hind gut which is the most reliable (and only) way to test for this type of ulcer. It's also inexpensive as they literally just get a bit of poo, stick the testing paper in it and see where it comes up to on the levels. Think the kit costs about £20.

Mine was scoped for ulcers- had grade 2/3 but also had some of the highest levels of hind gut the vet had ever seen- sent the test paper off the scale!

Peptizol for the stomach and Equitop Pronutrin supplement for the hind gut and within 4 weeks (when re scoped and faecal blood test re done) she was completely clear.

That was in June and she is still on maintenance doses of both.

She also eats Dengie Healthy Tummy which is an Alpha based complete feed.

As someone said above, feeling odd behind can be connected to hind gut issues, especially right hind. My mare was much more stiff to the right and although never lame, felt less inclined to engage her right hind but not anymore.
 
Our 14.2 mare who is a good doer and on just a high fibre diet was diagnosed with stomach and hind gut ulcers a week and a half ago by having the succeed faecal test. Her only sign of potential ulcers was going disunited in canter on right rein when jumping, spooking and chomping on the bit. She had a 7 day course of succeed syringes am and pm and she is now on the succeed granules for the next 90 days.
 
coffeeandabagel said:
Have just bought Re-leve and Equijewel this morning. Will introduce slowly while waiting for scoping. Also found out that horses don't get breakfast on day /s helpers do the morning turnout!!!!
Am looking for another yard if that's true. She really really like her breakfast band it would upset her not to get it.
Click to expand...


I've got a an ex racer who had ulcers, did the course of gastrogard and is now fed Releve, alfa a and outshine (he wouldn't eat the equijewel). He looks amazing and a tried many different feeds before moving to Saracen. He also gets much less of this than he needed of other feeds to keep his weight on. He also has an lib haylage and a section of alfalfa hay each day.
 
Pure feeds may possibly something to try. The Happy tummy needs to be fed in large quantities to meet daily vit+min requirements.

I used a supplement called Aquacid on my horse who had ulcers - it certainly worked, backed up by scientific evidence, and does more than just help ulcers.
 
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