Ulcers ?

[doodle]

Robin was scoped this morning and he has grade 2 ulcers. The line between the top and bottom stomach (I can’t remember the names) is ragged and bleeding. Whether they are enough to have been causing the issues we don’t quite know. So 28 days of treatment and he will go back then for a re scope. I am sad he has issues but also pleased that there is a reason and there is treatment.

 

[Roxylola]

Robin was scoped this morning and he has grade 2 ulcers. The line between the top and bottom stomach (I can’t remember the names) is ragged and bleeding. Whether they are enough to have been causing the issues we don’t quite know. So 28 days of treatment and he will go back then for a re scope. I am sad he has issues but also pleased that there is a reason and there is treatment.

Charlie was grade 2, and the vets were adamant they weren't bad enough to cause issues. Treatment was like night and day though, the vets may not have thought they were that bad but he very clearly did!

 

[dixie]

Poor boy.
Its bittersweet when they find them because you've got an answer (hopefully) for behaviour but then you have to deal with the ulcers.
Hopefully the medication will sort him out.
Presumably its some sort of omeprazole - is he taking sucralfate for the hind gut too?

 

[doodle]

Yes it’s just omeprazole. I asked about hind gut and he didn’t think so atm but it is something to explore if this dosnt help.

He did say some horses can be very badly affected by relatively mild ulcers and treatment helps a lot. He was suspicious of the area going in to the bowel but couldn’t see it properly.

 

[Abi90]

Yes some horses can have very mild ulcers and it affects their behaviour. I’ve heard of so many vets saying “they shouldn’t be bad enough to cause a problem” but in so many cases they are. I don’t think we’re in a position to comment unless we’ve had stomach ulcers ourselves and then been asked to run around!

Hopefully your horse will start to feel better soon, and there’s a reason the treatment is 28 days so don’t worry if there aren’t results immediately

 

[EventingMum]

I'm glad you have found an answer and have a treatment plan. I think every horse has a different tolerance for pain so what affects one horse's behaviour won't affect another. Hopefully, Robin will soon be feeling much happier.

 

[Splash2310]

I’m pleased you have an answer, and hopefully now Robin will be on the road to recovery.

 

[wren123]

Well on the positive side is something you can fix and you know why it happened.
I only had gastritis (inflammation of stomach), not ulcers but it was painful enough constantly to make me lose a shed load of weight very quickly. I felt unwell all the time. My gp had me scoped very quickly as he was concerned! Same treatment too!

 

[jkitten]

Yes some horses can have very mild ulcers and it affects their behaviour. I’ve heard of so many vets saying “they shouldn’t be bad enough to cause a problem” but in so many cases they are. I don’t think we’re in a position to comment unless we’ve had stomach ulcers ourselves and then been asked to run around!

Yeah I always raise an eyebrow to comments like that. Similar to how some doctors will react in the face of bad period pain or similar, insisting stoically that just because some people don't feel it much, the person doubled over whimpering in agony must obviously be exaggerating! Every person and horse is differently and should be treated for their individual level of pain, rather than by some arbitrary 'objective' benchmark IMO.

Hope Robin feels better soon!

 

[gemisastar]

Hi, a friends mare has suffered from ulcers on and off, when she has a flare up she buys omeprazole from abler in America which works out a lot cheaper (currently £78 for a months supply taking the exchange rate into account).

 

[doodle]

He is insured and no reason why they won’t pay and hopefully if it is due to his hocks and we have sorted them he will be ok once treated.