currently feeding Triple Crown Senior, with added omeprazole, alfalfa pellets, and moore glo for fat. Senior horse. Unlimited hay.
Horse is still thin – lost weight during last ulcer flair up and can’t put it back on him.
Also, my omeprazole (abler abprazole plus) contains probiotics.
desperate for some help to put weight on him, he can’t go on like this.
I had good luck with Legends CarbCare Performance feed. It is a high fat/ high fiber, low sugar feed. Good on adding fat! I used rice bran oil. Also good job feeding alfalfa pellets . It helps act as an acid buffer. Does your local feed supplier have an equine nutritionist you can talk to? If not, your state’s ag. college should. You can also contact KER. Good luck to you!
Can you provide pounds of all feed given? How much (in weight) of hay is he consuming given its unlimited status? And what is the turnout situation? How old is this horse? Is it UTD on all vet care? Has it had a recent work up for other underlying conditions? How long has this horse been on omeprazole? When was the last flare up?
Omeprazole can cause as many problems as it solves. If the horse has to stay on omeprazole I would make sure that he’s on something to protect/help the hindgut…Succeed, Sucralfate, or something else to that effect.
As for long term support, my ulcer-prone horse lives on:
Free choice orchard grass
1 flake of alfalfa a day
SmartDigest Ultra
Platinum Performance
Apple Cider Vinegar (1 oz twice a day)
He used to be a hard keeper. The omeprazole turned that around, but then he colicked badly twice and we suspect it was the long-term omeprazole use. So once we rebounded from the colics I put him on the diet above. At shows I will add omeprazole back in and then also add a Chinese Herb called Stomach Happy.
I used to use the Abler products but I swear the last batch I had was no good. A horse I was treating for ulcers really went backwards. I ended up having him scoped and yes, ulcers were the problem. Switched to Ulcergard and he got better. If you feel like you’re not getting anywhere, try 2 weeks of Ulcergard or Gastrogard & see if it makes a difference. (I know … ka-ching. Tell me about it.)
We’ve had several horses treated for ulcers recently. All scoped positive first. Treatment was with both gastrogard and misoprostol. According to vet gastrogard doesn’t cure all ulcers, I think she said it works on foregut. Need misoprostol for hind gut. Once healed use ulcer guard when shipping or for high stress times.
Can you have your vet review your treatment and feed protocol?
Poulin’s Fibre-Max has very high fat, my ulcer guys does well on it…
I use Beet Pulp, molasses free, to keep bloom on my horses without adding sugars and energy they don’t need. I serve it as a slush with what little concentrates they get blended in and the horses eat it up.
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