What do you feed/how do you manage yours who has ulcers?

[Charmin]

She's on working nuts, dengie hi-fi and oats in the summer for an added sparkle. She's out 24/7 anyway and has access to haylage in the winter.

I'm completely new to this and not sure what to change her to. No cereal I understand, and little starch? But she holds her weight very well (perhaps a little too well) so nothing that would cause too much weight gain.

She gets a net of haylage before being ridden anyway.

Just not sure what to feed that won't break the bank. Any supplements that people would recommend?

 

[JillA]

If it ain't broke. don't fix it. If she is managing well on cereals/starches then she doesn't have a problem. If she does have an intolerance, metabolic issue etc, then there are lots of options on the market these days. Fast Fibre, unmollassed beet pulp, grass pellets, maybe with micronized linseed and a decent balancer (such as Top Spec) will provide a diet without too much sugars or starches.
As for supplements, other than a balancer only give what you need to address a problem such as joints, feet etc, and then there are a whole host to choose from

 

[exmoorponyprincess1]

Saracen Re-leve is cereal free if you want to go down that route, not the cheapest but won't break the bank. Worked wonders for two TBs with ulcers after their gastroguard courses. Recommended to us by our vet who specialises in ulcers - currently writing his phd thesis on the subject!

 

[mega spoilt ponies]

I give mine pure feeds pure easy (has pre/pro biotics in and is fibre rich, no molasses)
Micronised linseed and coligone liquid
Adlib hay

 

[Spotsrock]

Mine had a course of aloe vera from living health then I keep him with ad lib roughage,

I soak all his nuts so they dont aggravate his tummy and i feed him Protexin which really seems to help. Sucks less and keeps weight on well on soo much less feed than when not on it.

I never feed cereals as they seem to make him flare up. If I can't soak it to a mush he doesn't have it (apart from chaff), oh and low sugar.

He's forward and his magnesium supplement seems to help, less stressed so less tummy stress.

 

[JJS]

The best thing for my ulcer-prone mare was a simple diet of Dengie Healthy Tummy (Hi-Fi Lite could be used instead for a good doer) and Fast Fibre, plus constant access to forage.

 

[Fruitcake]

I spent ages researching after my horse was diagnosed! He now has Greengold as his chaff, Simple System balancer (which is basically linseed, seaweed and brewers' yeast) and Exegus supplement for ulcers. If he needs a little more energy or extra in the winter, he gets Simple System Top Nosh too.

If I were you, I might think about cutting out the oats. Not as bad as other cereals but still reasonably high in starch. Also, Hi-if original has straw in it. I try to steer clear of anything with straw content as it can be detrimental for ulcer prone horses: The chemicals used in its production can irritate the stomach lining.

Molasses also lurks in lots of chaffs. Even in the likes of Happy Hoof and Healthy Tummy so it's always worth checking the ingredients.

I also heard that hay was better than haylage for ulcers as haylage is acidic.

Supplement wise, I must have tried them all. Cheapest one that I would recommend is slippery elm- coats the stomach lining to form protective barrier. Now use Exegus from the vet. Bit more pricey but the science seems sound. Basically steer clear of anything that claims to alter the ph in the stomach as, apparently, any 'antacid' can only work for a few hours and the acid rebound effect when the ph lowers again a few hours later, can be worse than a constantly low ph.

Hope at least some of this is useful! Good luck with your horse.

 

[Laroxes]

My horse has ulcers, inflamation caused by a leaky hind gut. He's being treated by Donna Blinman (recommended from this forum) and she advises all ulcer prone horses should stay on Chlorella powder for the rest of their life. It's available from Amazin and works out at £20 per month, a lot cheaper than traditional ulcer supplements!!

Day to day he has Alfa A molasses free and fast fibre.

 

[CarolineJ]

My ulcer-prone one is, unfortunately, intolerant of alfalfa as well, so has had to come off Acid Ease since they switched their bulking ingredient from wheatbran to alfalfa meal. He now gets ad-lib hay, Coolstance copra, bicarbonate of soda, micronised linseed and Pro Balance+ and is doing really well on that combination.

 

[catembi]

Mine is doing well on Aloeride. His gut sounds have normalised (they were exceptionally loud) and he will now pass wind which he never used to do, & poos in his stable when having his dinner which he hardly ever did. So I think his whole gut is working more efficiently. He has put on weight & seems a lot happier. Still mega-slow, but I think there is something else going on.

T x

 

[biggingerpony]

Although my one hasn't been officially diagnosed he is an ex racer and there is a silly statistic like 90% of all ex racers have ulcers so I manage him as if he has them. He gets fed speedi beet, linseed, a mollases free balancer, pink powder and mint. Spread over 2 feeds. He also gets adlib hay when in the stable (like 2 hugeeeeee haynets at any one time) so there's no chance of him running out!