Ulcers in Horses

We have a 19 yr old gelding. That has just come down with stomach ulcers.
We gave him UlcerGard and now giving some Malanta. He is eating a little better but not eating his feed very well. Has anyone had this problem and do you know of any other meds to help him besides the UlcerGard which is $32. a day. We have been out over $400. already would like to pull the cost down a little. Any ideal is appreciated.

The treatment with Ulcer Guard is 32 a day because you are using a whole tube as a treatment. When you do that it's the same as Gastroguard at a somewhat cheaper rate. After treatment then the UG for prevention is 1/4 tube daily. That is still rather high at $8 a day for a preventative. Omeprazole which is the active ingredient in UG is really the best product for quick treatment currently because of the length of time it works. Previous medications worked but required 2 hr feeding intervals.

There are quite a few products out now for prevention after treatment is completed, most are unproven with minimal research on the product itself, while a few do help. You will hear everything from MoM and Tums to Alfalfa as a treatment but while most can help they are not manufactured in a way that they stay in the stomach long enough to reduce the acids. So if you really want to try other methods consider being at the barn feeding them every 45 minutes to hour and a half.

There is a pretty decent webinar on thehorse.com. Also, feeding alfalfa has been shown to help in prevention because of calcium content and the length of time in the stomach due to constant eating provided they are kept with food in front of them. I wish I could reccomend a new product to you by Kentucky Equine Research called GastroShure but it's not available for sale to the public yet but should be soon. It combines the Equishure product used to address hind gut acidosis with the stomach conditioning ingredients used to prevent ulcers and research has shown it to be very effective.

I have a mini who has had diarria for two years! she was a rescue. I have tried everything. She also eats dirt. I have wormed her, Use sandclear and she cannot eat freash grass. I have recently started using Probiotic products and that seems to help. I just realized a couple days ago that perhaps she to has ulcers. So I have ordered some medicine that I hope will put an end to her constant belly problems. She also acts wobblely at times, and has gone down to her knees but then pops up like nothing ever happened. Has anyone ever heard of that? She is on mini pelleted feed, grass hay, minerial block, vitimins and probiotics. Any thoughts on this?

Deej have you had a fecal done on your mini?? I would start there and make sure there are no parasite issues. What kind of feed is she getting? Im not a fan of Platform mini feed. Way too high in starch etc. As to the dirt eating that is usually because they are lacking minerals. Does she have a mineral block?? And how old is she?

Kay

Deej,it's really hard to say specifically but if the probiotic is helping then we have a starting point. Most of the research in probiotic is in the yeast culture area with other bacteria added, there is not a lot of evidence stating many of the other additives in most manufactured probiotic are helpful.

I would consider looking into EquiShure by Kentucky Equine Research, it is a great product as a digestive aid in the hind gut and the only product out currently that is buffered to release in the hind gut. Take a look at this link to an article from thehorse.com, it's worth reading and can answer a lot od questions.
thehorse.com article

EquiShure

I wanted to add this but looks like I waited too long to edit. Diarrhea and loose stool is a classic sign of hind gut acidosis along with other gas colic type symptoms where the horse cannot process the feed once it passes from the stomach and into the hind gut. The going to her knees is a gas colic sign. This is where equishure can really help. While the problem can exist in all horses is often seen in horses feed high grain or high concentrate diets. Many feeds contain yeast cultures as the probiotic does but all do not.

Thankyou Weefoal, Cocoa is 3 years old . She does have a mineral block and I have had a fecal test done, and it was negative for parasites. I just bought a bag of mini feed thinking it would be better for her, but I guess not huh? Today she does seem alot better but is still gassey. But her poop is much more solid. I will give it a day or two and see how it goes. Thanks again! And thankyou to Aabgh, You sound very knowlagable. I have never heard of "Acidosis", and will look up information on it. You've both been great!

Slippery Elm Bark powder and Aloe Vera Juice mixed in with feed -- about 3 oz of juice and two tsp of powder twice a day for a week or two, then once a day. It worked for my horse and my vet was very impressed and surprised.

And NO grains. If you are feeding a pellet ask what the ingredients are.

This is a great formula for humans as well - I am glad to see you recommended it. I study herbal medicine and slippery elm and aloe were 2 botanicals I was thinking just thinking about!

Hind gut acidosis is a newer term, much like Equine Gastric Ulcers were years ago when we really didn't know a lot about them. I've been through quite a bit of gas colic episodes w/ my show horses including a gas colic that resulted in surgery. Frankly it wasn't until my wife started working for KER's research farm that I began hearing more about acids problems specifically in the hind gut. EGUS in the stomach is also an acid issue and Omeprazole (Gastrogard) is a pump inhibitor that shut down the stomach acid production in the stomach to help heal the ulceration.
If you think about it we have been using yeast cultures in feeds for years to help w/ digestion in the hind gut and taking that a step further the Equishure product contains a sodium bicarbonate that in capsulated to release in the hindgut and not in the stomach which was not possible until recently. Quite a few Vets are using the product and there has been a lot of positive feedback in addition to the research.

I'm here because I've taken an interest in this but am not the expert. :) If you need any info on Equishure feel free to call KER or email Anne there at aburton@ker.com Hopefully this didn't turn into too much of an advertisement but it's an interesting area and I didn't try to sell anything in the first post lol.