Ulcers-Preventative Measure Help

Hey guys,

Sky's been through a LOT these past 2 months and I'm worried that he may start to develop ulcers.

A few people on the forum suggested Tums and I really like that idea but I have a few questions.

Do I give him tums (15 crushed?) in with his grain for one day only or is it for a few days?

He isn't on any sort of supplement but I will fix that soon once money starts coming in.. but do you have any recommendations for good gut (ulcer preventative) and also if you recommend any joint supplements?

Thanks

Bumping this up

My mare is on Ugard and has been for at least a year with no hint of ulcers returning. Stateline has it for about $55 for a 10lb bucket that will last around 3 months, which was the cheapest I could find before I switched to smartpaks. I was recommended Ugard from other boarders who had their show horses on it as a preventative.

Pepto bismol also works for any sort of flare up before actual medication like Gastrogard. 60ccs of it every 6 hours or so.

My mare is on Neigh-lox right now

A diet that is Rich in Ca will be beneficial in nutralizing stomach acid. That's all the Tums are providing. Alfalfa and BP are both good choices as they both have 3 or more times the amount of Ca:P. A midday snack will offer about 8 hours of protection. You can also buy dicalcium phosphate from the feedmill that you could offer loose. The biggest thing is to just keep food infront of him so he doesn't go long periods without Feed.
Posted via Mobile Device

Thank you so much.. that explains and helps a lot!

They usually get hay 24/7 to munch on but it's shared within a large group. He gets fed grain twice a day and he just got put on a hoof supplement to help with his feet in the long run so I think he's good calcium wise. I just worry is all because he has had a lot of changes within the past 2 months and I know that can lead to ulcers if we aren't too careful.

He's been on Tums for 2 days now but I'll have a look at his diet and see if he has enough Ca.

Thanks :)

I have Cinny on SmartGut and it seems to be working fine. We are currently treating for ulcers (Ranitidine) but it would seem that while I was in CA for a week the BO didn't administer them correctly. It seems that despite this he is still relatively better because he WAS at least getting the SmartGut.

When we first thought Cin had problems I did some research and found this website.... there is a lot of very useful information on here.
stomach ulcers in horses and hind gut ulcers

The biggest thing I learned was that they are more comfortable with their tummys full as much of the day as you can, my vet confirmed it and told me to get a NibbleNet or other haynet with very very small holes so that it takes them much longer to eat. I also found that giving him a snack of alfalfa pellets (as suggested in the article at the link above) has helped our workouts considerably as Cinny is much more focused and on task instead of fussy and angry the whole time.

Thanks Cinny!!! That's a huge help, giving him some alfalfa pellets (or cubes) will be very possible.

And I was eyeing that Smartgut since it claims to "allow natural healing mechanisms in the stomach to take effect" which sounds really good.. and I used the supplement comparison chart and it seemed it be a nice find. So I may budget that into Sky's diet along with some sort of joint thing too.

Thanks again!

Would you consider using herbs?

If so we have Curly on a variety but for ulcers she is on Slippery Elm and Marshmallow Root and it works really well, she has gotten much happier with her feed after being on it.

Animal Health store - Animal Health Store - Slippery Elm Bark Powder dried herb by Country Park
Animal Health store - Animal Health Store - Marshmallow Root Powder dried herb by Country Park

Yes I am open to any suggestions. He just doesn't look right in the video I have of him. Part of it is the bit.. but I feel he may have ulcers and since I'm so far away I can't be too sure. But I want to help him either way.

I will research those two things and see if that will work for him.

Rethinking the alfalfa.. did some research and I'm not 100% on it so it's nice to have options.

Thanks Curly :)