Ulcers?

Bobbly

Bobbly

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My lad is grumpy, has been like it for a long time. Especially while rugging, grooming and tacking up. He will stamp his front feet when I've taken his rugs off and go to swap them for night rugs. Swishes his tail and leers at me with ears back. Being a conne he's in slightly too good a condition, fully clipped and stabled at night. He loves his grub to the point of being piggy and enjoys a good speedy hack and is always enthusiastic in his work.
I thought when ulcers occurred they lost condition? No sign of that! He gets a small breakfast meal before turnout then comes in at 5pm and has tea and then I go and feed hay later in the evening in the effort to make it last longer, he's on a 10lb small holed net, attached low down and fed from the floor. Anyone with similar experience please?
 
My connie x has recently started presenting with identical symptoms. I've changed her feed to simple systems and have started her on eugesin SLH. She seems far less grumpy to handle so hoping it's having the desired effect.
 
He's only fed on Hi-fi Lite, Readygrass, pony nuts and Speedybeet with a couple of carrots thrown in? Equates to about 1/3 bucket in total.
 
Yep. My horse had ulcers. He was in very good condition, maintained his weight too well and ate up. His only symptoms was the ears back and snapping whilst brushing, rugging and saddling up. He was okay to ride too.
 
Drop the speedibeet, you say your horse is a little too well anyway and ulcery stomach won't cope with the sugar.
If you do a search on here for "acidosis" and "ulcers" you should find posts from my battle with ulcers. I wish i had my girly scoped sooner.
 
Sounds like it, they can present themselves in a number of ways too, ie they don't always lose condition. Although my boy is now in much better condition than when I got him at the start of the year he IS a good doer when fed properly, he eats up and to look at you'd never think he had ulcers. The photo doesn't really do the 'before and after' justice (damn iPhone quality!) but you can still make out the difference.

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It's a good sign that he is still happy in his work, but I'd definitely suggest getting the vet out for a chat before he does start showing signs of pain under saddle. My boy hated his work for years, then after I got him and gave him a much needed holiday he came back into work super excited and eager to please... a few months later and he started trying to get me off and napping which was unlike him.

Given the background info I, and others, gave the vet on him, ulcers were confirmed.
 
pony&cow said:
Drop the speedibeet, you say your horse is a little too well anyway and ulcery stomach won't cope with the sugar.
If you do a search on here for "acidosis" and "ulcers" you should find posts from my battle with ulcers. I wish i had my girly scoped sooner.
Click to expand...
Speedibeet only has 5% sugar - less than either the Hi-fi Lite or Readygrass
 
NIce horse P87.

I have a connie X. He was in horsehospital last year with colic.
He is a good doer, nicely covered, didn't loose condition, not the type to think you would worry about ulcers nor was his management regime poor as far as ulcers go.. Horsehospital decided he was not worth scoping even though I offered to pay.

Conclusion I found was hind gut acidity and potential hind gut ulcers. You cannot scope for them anyway. I studied everything. Found copra and soaked alfalfa pellets helped, sugar beet hindered. The big step forward for me was KER equishure. Problem resolved. Horse sweet and lovely again.
 
Gloi said:
Speedibeet only has 5% sugar - less than either the Hi-fi Lite or Readygrass
Click to expand...

I don't think it is the actual sugar. For some reason it appears to be indigestibility in the hind gut. What most horses seem to cope fine with ulcer ones may find problematical and other more gut soothing feeds may help more.
 
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