Ulcers that won’t go

[Domirati]

Will also post in veterinary. Any advice/ideas? So horse was diagnosed with ulcers early January some at the front of stomach and really bad, bleeding and sore at bottom of stomach. Was being lethargic and evil to tack up. Has now been scoped 4 times, had 12 Omprazole injections, 8 weeks of Sulcrafate and 4 weeks of cycotec tablets. The ulcers at the front of his stomach have gone but those at the bottom end have only improved by about 30%. I am now £900 over my insurance. Vet suggested we could try steroids. I am at a complete loss as what to do. Steroid treatment would be another £400 to £500 and I do not really have the money at the moment especially as it possibly won’t work. talking to vet again tomorrow, went away to think about what to do. He is still quite lethargic but not kicking and biting when he is tacked up. Probably another 4 weeks before he goes out for the summer which will, hopefully, improve things. Anyone had anything like this and what did you do? Feeling very despondent.

 

[greenbean10]

Ulcers are often caused by underlying pain. Has he had a workup? Fixing the underlying pain should cure the ulcers. If he has a lameness workup and the vet finds something I'd imagine you'd have a separate claim?

 

[Domirati]

He has been thoroughly checked over including full bloods run. Only thing we can think of is he had a bad colic in May which resulted in three days at Newmarket which may have triggered them. He is 13, I have had him for 8 years. Very stress free life, lives at home with his two mates, out every day and only gentle hacking for the last year. Looks well, not dropped weight, very shiny coat. Vets are specialist horse vets with a good reputation, they are at a loss too.

 

[Melody Grey]

My horse had a difficult case to shift- they did respond to omeprazole and sucralfate although not as much as the vets would have liked. Antibiotics (Karidox I think?) did make a difference. My horse had an ongoing lameness work up at the time so there were other issues potentially playing in to it. He’s been off meds for 4 months now and doing well on Gastrokind supplement as recommended by my vet.

Interestingly, my vet had referred the case to a specialist at Nottingham University Vet School- they suspect that there might be an underlying propensity to ulcers caused by a problem with blood flow to the stomach lining. I’d always been led to believe that ulcers were always the result of stress/ pain....not necessarily so apparently.

 

[Domirati]

Thankyou, that is interesting. Vet ringing this morning so I will mention it. Just very frustrating. They said there was a lot of ongoing research into ulcers as there is so much unknown in people as well as horses. Glad your horse is on the mend now, fingers crossed for you.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Maybe get a referral to a hospital for another lameness work up and x ray the back for kissing spine.

 

[Mildlander]

I've got a mare that has bad ulcers, one grade 4, although they improved with treatment and we went through all options, omeprazole injection, antibiotics the lot, they didn't completely clear. She is in a stable group with 24/7 turnout, low stress life so in theory shouldn't have them but does. She has subsequently been diagnosed with SI & hock arthritis which treatment for has reduced ulcer symptoms but not removed. I constantly manage her ulcers with Ron Fields powder and acid ease, chaff before riding etc. to try to keep her as comfortable as possible. The vets know if any new treatments come available then she is a candidate.
One correlation I have found is that they get worse after worming.

 

[Muddywellies]

You need to find the cause. It's no good spending a small fortune on meds if you don't find the cause. It's a myth that it's 'always' pain related. Often it s stress as was the problem with my horse. You must reduce stress as far as possible eg never leave the horse out in field alone when the others have come in, feed at the same time as the others, ensure horse isn't being bullied in the field, has peace and quiet in the stable etc etc. Does your yard suit your horse or is it too busy. Or does your horse prefer hustle and bustle and is yard too quiet. Does he have things to look at, or does his stable door face a brick wall? Even consider your rugging and clipping to ensure it suits the horse's needs. Then there's riding. Has all your tack been assessed by a professional and is fitting well? Do you ALWAYS feed chaff before you ride?? Are you working the horse according to its training and fitness level? Is the work varied? Does the horse get days off (ideally two consecutive days a week). Are you out travelling and competing too much to suit the horse?
Feed? You need to seek vets advice re diet and ENSURE almost constant access to forage absolutely never ever being left without forage for more than 4 hours (you'll go through a lot of hay!) Feeding an ulcer prone horse isn't straightforward, but luckily nowadays companies such as Agrobs and Thunderbrooks produce feeds specifically for ulcer prone horses.

As you can see, you need to break absolutely everything down to find a possible cause, and keep the horse in an 'ulcer friendly' fashion.