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Stomach Ulcers; Help me understand
Topic Started: Mar 6 2007, 11:42 AM (3,649 Views)
bellboots
Mama the Llama
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I have a 7 yo gelding who I highly suspect has ulcers. I have only had him for about a year and he had these same symptons when I first got him. The time of year is the same, he is grossly grumpy when tacking up and has decided he doesn't like beet pulp anymore (he is still eating sweet feed and hay with no problems). His weight is good, but he does seems kinda blah sometimes (like I do on Mondays).

That being said - last year we treated him with Ranitidine and had good results.

I would like to go that route again, but I need to better understand what the preventatives are - like is there another type of feed that works better with horses like this and has anyone had good results using a daily supplement.

I am waiting on a return call from my vet, but I am seeking real life experiences.
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Addison
Schooling
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One supplement highly recommended by the Horse Journal for daily maintenance (once the ulcers have been treated) is "G.U.T.".

G.U.T. is not an antacid and is safe to use long term.

Maximum turn out and access to good quality forage are very helpful in reducing stress and its' effects on the gut.

There is a ton of info to sift through on the net and I would recommend reading the Horse Journal article.
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La Gringa
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Starving Artist
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I had a mare that had them. We put her on a month of omeprazole (Gastroguard or Prilosec) It worked she was cured. We crushed up a box of pills a day and gave them to her. It healed them and she never had problems again.

When I got her she got frequent colics, mild spasmotic colics. She had been a jumper and had been overfaced quite badly. She tried her heart out but it gave her ulcers. She was kind of a nervous type to begin with.

One thing that can aggrevate them is Paprika supplements. A lady at my barn has a mare with them and was giving her paprika to darken her coat. It made the ulcers worse. When she stopped the paprika (which is a pepper like spice) they improved.

Anyway.. They can be cured with the right medication.

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LaBonnieBon
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Thomas H. Cruise!
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My horse has battled fairly bad stomach ulcers since 2005 when she got really sick.

What I did to get her through them was GastroGard (she was on full dose for 90 days then gradually went down in dosage - yes, they were that bad!). If you want to try what you used last year that worked, that is good, but you will need to modify the horse's diet as well. What I found worked well for my horse was the Equi-Jewel Rice Bran Pellets and alfalfa forage.

Last I heard, sweet feed was not good for ulcers but I guess your horse (as well as others) will still eating it because it's sugary.

My horse is now off of alfalfa and rice bran pellets, but she also only eats bagged grass forage and some suppliments.

If you want to PM me I am happy to talk to you further and help you with any specifics. I also know of a good source of generic omeprazole powder and paste if you are interested.
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LaBonnieBon
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Thomas H. Cruise!
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AND putting your horse on a daily wormer (strongid) is a good idea as well!
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Sable
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Schooling
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My horse has them - when we initially found out he was treated for 2 months with Gastroguard and that worked really well. We also changed his food to low starch, high protein pellets. Before a show or any kind of travel (he gets nervous in the trailer) I give him Ulcerguard for a few days leading up to the show and then the entire time at the show. It works for us.
Like your horse, when my horse's ulcers flare up, it almost always presents symtoms in his back so he is nasty when tacking up and jumping. He also throws tantrums (usually right in the middle of a line in a hunter class or standing at the in gate) - so we are always very clear on when he is having a flare up!
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bellboots
Mama the Llama
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Thanks for all this information.

It seems from what I have read that sweet feed is an irritant for ulcer. My barn feeds Purina products. Can someone recommend a low starch feed that Purina makes?
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Black Tack
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You're BANNED!
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Hey bellboots, I'm going through the same problems with my guy right now and am on a VERY steep learning curve :psycho:

I am also asking for advice over in the Feed Room, however there's a few things I have learned so far.

Sweet feed can certainly be an irritant but there can also be a fairly large amount of sugar (often molasses) in pelletted feeds as well, so you need to find out the sugar and starch in the feeds. Of course this is not easily done as they are usually not marked on the bag. It is impossible to tell from the nutruitional analysis from what I can see. You need to call them to find out the lowest starch and sugar content. We had a great discussion about Aloe Vera juice helping with ulcers, but I can't find it now?

Something that was recommended to me was feeding alfalfa cubes ( my hay is mostly grassy) as they are high in calcium (like Tums) and can help settle the stomach. Hay in front of them as much as possible, and I find it important for him to eat hay before I ride, he's obviously happier, especially grooming and tacking up.

Now, I've got one feed company recommending a very high protein feed (32%)and one a regular (12%) so I'm trying to figure all that out. I don't want to help one problem and start a different one :psycho:

And I have had great success with Omneprazole as well but also want to find a good maintaining feed. Have you looked at Ultium?
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Anyplace Farm
Shunnnnn the unbeliever. Shunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.
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bellboots
Mar 8 2007, 07:33 AM
Thanks for all this information.

It seems from what I have read that sweet feed is an irritant for ulcer. My barn feeds Purina products. Can someone recommend a low starch feed that Purina makes?

Ultium. A lot of people w/ulcer horses feed it.
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Sable
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Schooling
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I forgot to mention that we wet down my horse's feed with warm water and that seems to help too. He dunks his hay in water which the vet said many ulcer horses do so we figured he would like his food wet too - he loves it!
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bellboots
Mama the Llama
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Black Tack,

I'm in there with you - I feel like I'm spinning around and can't find a starting place with this thing!

I haven't really started looking into feeds yet - this thing really came to the surface just this week. So, with the help of the super people on this board, this is as far as I've gotten. I have mostly heard that sweet feed is bad and hay is good, but I need more than that. I need a lot of hand holding and finger pointing in the right direction!

My local vet is good, don't get me wrong. But they are a "general" practice and where they can recommend treatments, they don't see this condition enough to actually say "do this, do that." There just aren't that many stressed out horses in my area!

My trainer is contacting a vet who "specializes" in ulcers - she rides and is a horse vet and a few of her horses have ulcers. I'm hoping that I will get good info from her - I will share everything with this board for sure!

I haven't looked at Ultium yet, but I will.
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LaBonnieBon
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Thomas H. Cruise!
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It's always good to get personal expierences from others as not every vet can be completely versed in everything.

A friend of mine's horse was "not right" last year and the vet checked this and that.... still just was "not right". This went on for a bit and then I finally stepped out and questioned if the vet had considered ulcers because the horse was showing some of the same signs I had seen in my horse....

DING-DING-DING... we have a winner! I'm not tooting my horn or anything like that, but after living through bad ulcers for a year I thought it was ulcers from the start but did not mention it because it was under care of her vet. (See, I really can keep my mouth shut.... :teehee: ) Sometimes we just have personal expierences that can help others out or aid the vet in coming to a diagnosis.

P.S. I'll PM you that generic info now...
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mbj
We're on a bridge, Chaaaaaaaaarlie!
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LBB, would you mind posting your info as well for the rest of us?
Many thanks!
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YankeeTurnedHillbilly
Schooling
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A new pony came into my barn in the fall with suspected ulcers - eating pounds of sweet feed. I immediately switched her over to beet pulp and started experimenting with low sugar grains. Ended up with her on Ultium and Beet pulp, and about as much hay as she will tolerate. Seems to be working. Her weight is finally coming up, her cribbing has slowed, and she seems much more comfortable.

Good luck! :P
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Anyplace Farm
Shunnnnn the unbeliever. Shunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.
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Addison
Mar 6 2007, 11:22 AM
One supplement highly recommended by the Horse Journal for daily maintenance (once the ulcers have been treated) is "G.U.T.".

G.U.T. is not an antacid and is safe to use long term.

Maximum turn out and access to good quality forage are very helpful in reducing stress and its' effects on the gut.

There is a ton of info to sift through on the net and I would recommend reading the Horse Journal article.

Addison - any chance you could post a link to that Horse Journal article? Is it around online?
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