A couple of you have mentioned giving Izzy some U-gard to see if she has ulcers. I've mostly ignored that advice because I've always been able to pinpoint another reason for her acting up. I've been away thinking about her this whole weekend though, and I think it's time I actually looked into it. She has been a bit odd lately. Part of it I'm sure is moving and part is a lack of turnout (grrr), but I think both those things could easily contribute to a stressful situation for her. Tomrrow, I'll begin the hunt for the U gard.
Wish me luck.
Good Luck! I just ordered Denali a supplement for her gut! I don't know if she has ulcers for sure, but she sure has a stressful situation living in a stall 24/7. Lets hope it works for both our girls!
ReplyDeleteU-Gard is available in both pellets and powder. I've found the pellets a bit easier and less messy. When you start, you may want to use an increased dose for the first several days. Good luck, and hope it helps! If the ulcers (if any) are mild just U-Gard will do the trick, if they're bad you may have to go for the (very expensive) 30-day Gastrogard (or generic equivalent) - but I wouldn't do that without having her scoped to determine the extent of the ulcers because of the expense.
ReplyDeleteJust a suggestion, if you want to do a quick, cheap test to see if Izzy's tummy is bothering her, you can give her Maalox for 3 days (20cc, 2x per day). If her behavior/appetite/overall pleasantness changes, probably a pretty good sign she has ulcers. Cheaper than scoping, though obviously not as reliable, but it might be worthwhile before you invest the money on supplements/treatments. Longterm, maalox won't help her, but it will treat her symptoms for a few days so you can tell if that's what's bothering her. That's what I did with Tucker, which is why he's now on SmartGut. I'd also recommend checking out Smartpak's comparison chart to see the pros and cons of all the ulcer supps too. Hope you find a good solution for her!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely worth looking into.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Maalox trick works for a quick "AHA!" moment without having the vet or making an immediate, permanent change. I didn't want to scope Promise when she was acting weird back in January, because I think it is too invasive. As an alternative, the vet suggested Maalox, and said if it helped, even the tiniest bit, we would go from there and treat it as an ulcer.
It helped, so I got a supplement from SmartPak called G.U.T. (http://www.smartpakequine.com/ProductClass.aspx?productclassid=177&cm_vc=RecentPurchase) for ulcer/stomach ph maintenance, and a 5 day supply of GastroGuard from the vet.
The combo seems to have knocked it right out of her. And, I have kept her on the G.U.T. to prevent further ulcers.
Ulcers can be a royal PITA and cause a lot of the issues. Our one mare coliced, then a month later coliced again. She coliced HARD the second time around. We tested for sand, checked for impactions and ran the gamut of treatments before the vet decided it was ulcers.
ReplyDeleteMaalox and/or Prilosec only goes so far in treating things. U-gaurd, GUT and a lot of the others on the market are much easier to use and the dosages are marked for each. It's something worth considering.
BTW- loving the new format.
Ulcers suck....sorry u are dealing with that. I'm back and forth on if ulcers caused Laz's colic or if his fever/colic caused ulcers...whatever the case, the Gastroguard we did worked wonders and we phased him off slowly when came time...GUT didn't work for him, caused welts BUT that is probably due to his system being goofy from laminitis now. I generally really like Uckele's products and they honored a return from us when it caused Laz a reaction which I think says a lot about their care of their produts.
ReplyDeleteHope u find out what works for her!
Ulcergard (omeprazole) is the only treatment for ulcers that really cures them, as the drug stops the stomach acid for 24 hours, allowing the ulcers to heal. But testing with Maalox or other antacid certainly can give you a clue as to whether your horse has an ulcer issue. Trouble is, the Ulcergard/Gastrogard is very expensive and needs to be dosed daily for 28 days.
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the severity of the problem. My vet prescribed 5 days worth of GastroGuard and it worked just fine. But, yes, generally 28 days is recommended.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone! I'm hoping to have the stuff by next week.
ReplyDelete