Ulcers blamed for everything, turmeric the cure for everything ?

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sjward

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Is it just me or are 'Ulcers' and 'Turmeric' the new blame all/cure all things???

It doesn't seem to matter what issue/problem/niggle I have with my new mare someone will always say 'ooh sounds like ulcers' and then then something else will happen and someone utters the words 'have you tried turmeric'. On various websites, forums, chatrooms etc to do with horses ulcers and turmeric come up over and over again.

This is just a light hearted observation. I'm an old bird still hacking about and just noticed over the years that new things regularly come up and disappear just as fast but cause quite a stir while they are around.
 
I can highly recommend turmeric as a fly repellent! I tried it with my arthritic one and it did nothing for his aches and pains, but he smelt disgusting.....
 
I know what you mean, however I do think Turmeric can work well depending on horse and what you are treating my 42 year old TB is sound and off danlion since being on Turmeric
 
sjward said:
Crikey 42year old !!!! Something is obviously working !
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Credit to a dedicated owner, that must be one of the oldest horses alive in UK ?

I think all the fads/potions and 'must tries' have a place as long as there is some science behind them. My go to 'cure' in the first instance is more work and discipline for a naughty horse. The skill is knowing difference between naughty and poorly. That is a science all by itself !
 
AdorableAlice said:
Credit to a dedicated owner, that must be one of the oldest horses alive in UK ?

I think all the fads/potions and 'must tries' have a place as long as there is some science behind them. My go to 'cure' in the first instance is more work and discipline for a naughty horse. The skill is knowing difference between naughty and poorly. That is a science all by itself !
Click to expand...

Agreed x
 
Yes turmeric does work for some my old girl is sound as long as she has it and the old retiree came to me for a while before being PTS he has had a new lease of life on it could barely walk round the field, after a month was cantering down for feed after 2 months can now roll and get up something he hasnt been able to do for years. but I must admit the blame of ulcers seems to be a huge fashion I am a real sceptic about most things but very open minded and will try anything for a while to see if it works or not
 
I think ulcers and hind gut are often raised in posts about behaviour etc because those of us who eventually chose to get ours scoped have seen the ulcers and seen the difference that treatment has made to performance and behaviour and want others to at least consider the possibility. In ‘the good old days’ the same horses would have been given a good wallop and told to get on with it, ignorant to the possibility of pain.
 
It wasn't that long ago that kissing spines was the answer to everything. I'm sure we'll move on to something else in a few years. We should start a sweepstake.

In the meantime, horses that once would have been, as KatPT said, given a good wallop are getting veterinary treatment. (And vets/Gastrogard are making money from anxious owners who want the best for their naughty horses.)
 
The thing with the ulcer and kissing spine bashing is that both conditions are very common and fairly easy to diagnose, so they are highly likely to be present both in "naughty" and well-behaved horses, even if they may not be the cause of all the problems it doesn't make them any less present.
 
I don't think being able to diagnose kissing spines or ulcers is "faddy". There are just better diagnostic techniques available now.
 
I have dealt with ulcers & seen the difference treatment made, but he was still a quirky lad - & don't spout remembered pain, it was who he was. But even though I know the problems they can cause it still drives me mad when people start spouting that they're sure their horse has ulcers because of how it acts & then you see them handle or ride it & are fairly sure that anything other than a rocking horse would retaliate. But oh no, it has to be something wrong with the horse not them.
 
It will be a sad day if we dismiss a horse's way of expressing pain. The older I get, the more I find that there is always a reason for 'behaviour' (or more than one reason) and it is up to us as owners to find out what the root cause is.
 
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