Apologies if this has already been posted-I searched the forums but did not see anything…
I went on the Abler site today to get more Omeprazole tubes and saw a notice that they have paused US shipments for now due to tarriffs. I’m using the product as a preventative for a horse that gets stressed when trailering. I’m looking for a possible alternative-horse has an uncanny ability to detect any non-grain substance so needs to be something that can be dosed. I can switch to Gastroguard if I really need to but its so expensive and horse is a pain to dose so hate to waste something that $$ if he spits it out!
Not looking for political/commentary about the tarriff situation-just something else I may be able to use to help my horse.
Thanks!
Horse PreRace. I know someone who has used their Omeprazole and been satisfied with it. But, I have read complaints about the quality and also that the tubes contain considerably less than the amount they are supposed to. I don’t know if this is a historic problem that has since been remedied or an ongoing issue.
While I was googling to confirm that I was remembering the name of Horse PreRace correctly, Google also offered me a company called “First Choice Equine,” which sells a generic Omeprazole paste. I know nothing about it and have never heard of it before, so 
.
I just received my latest Abler order a week or two ago. I hope they get this thing straightened out before I need more.
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You could try (generic) Nexium, even cheaper than Abler if you use the lower dose that many use (2-4 caps on top of food)
Gastro Gold III is a product that’s allegedly the same content of omeprazole, allegedly properly protected, but i don’t hear much about it so can’t speak to anecdotes
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Do you need something you can get without the vet?
The compounding pharmacies have various omeprazole options, if pinging your vet for a script isn’t untenable.
I’ve used nexium for years with success, though. It’s cheap and available and because it’s a human med, I feel a little more solid on the quality control aspect. There’s a long thread about it linked on my user card (just click my user name and it’ll pop up.)
The problem with the compounding pharmacies is that the omeprazole has to have an enteric coating/be formulated in some way so that the drug makes it through the stomach’s acid environment and is still in active form when it reaches the small intestine. Compounding pharmacies don’t/can’t do this effectively, AFAIK.
Both the name brand (Ulcergard, Gastrogard) and the Abler brand actually have published scientific studies demonstrating that they do. I don’t know that anyone else has. If anyone has any such studies from other manufacturers, I would be interested in the links.
People do have proven results with compounded omeprazole, at least from a few compounding pharmacies, including Wedgewood. Somehow they are actually protecting it. Whether they’ve produced test results on that I don’t know.
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It doesn’t need to be enterically coated. It can be buffered. Gastrogard isn’t an enterically coated product–it’s a buffered one.
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I use this supplement. There is research done and presented at a vet conference that it works.
It’s not as cheap as Nexium but still cheaper than Ulcerguard/Gastroguard. It does need to be feed longer like 60 days.
https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=52001dbe-a5e6-4aca-9327-d2bdd239fe4b
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Yes, that why I said:
Buffering is one of the ways in which it can “be formulated.”
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What makes you think a compounding pharmacy can’t or won’t buffer their product.
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I can definitely check in with my vet-that’s a great idea! I wish I could do the nexium but horse straight up will not eat it 
Horses, man. Geez. Always gotta find ways to be difficult 
Fwiw, I used to use a compounded product from Precision Pharmacy. My vet ran her own scoping study with it and found it equal to gastrogard. Every vet seems to have their own preference on compounding pharmacy, but if yours doesn’t have a go to, Precision might be a good choice for you.
Good luck!
For hiding Nexium:
Use a potato peeler tip and hollow out a little hole in a 1 inch
Pc. Of a fat carrot, put Nexium in the hole, plug hole w/ carrot pc.dug out- done.
I quickly follow up w/ more carrot pcs. Apple pcs. Work too.
Works everytime.
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FWIW Precision was bought out by Wedgewood. Old contact number still works.
I’m certainly out of the loop Good to know, thank you!
Did you actually read what I wrote?
and then I said:
So, to sum up, I did not declare unequivocally that compounding pharmacies can’t/don’t. I said, “AFAIK”. Saying “as far as I know” simply means that I personally am not familiar with any that do/can. And I indicated that I was interested in hearing information that would increase my knowledge.
I don’t know why you feel the need to respond in ways that come across as aggressive put downs.
I’m literally just asking a question.
Why is your default view that compounding pharmacies can’t or won’t buffer? It’s not hard or expensive. A black market pharmacy operating out of Vanuatu can do it, but as far as you know, not a single compounding pharmacy selling product via RX can or does? Why do you think that?
An OTC buffer can even be given before dosing a compounded product if this is a very serious concern. OTC buffers are myriad. It would still be so significantly cheaper than gastrogard.
I also shared that I had a vet who ran her own scoping studies with the product from Precision Pharmacy (ages ago) and found it equal to gastrogard. There’s at least check mark for a properly buffered product from a compounding pharmacy.
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