There are also horses who still have severe ulcers after thirty days of Gastroguard. I have heard of a few that needed three months to scope clean, so hard to say if perhaps your horse would have been one of those that needed a longer treatment protocol anyway.
I wonder if the weird way you dosed them actually added to the problem and maybe even caused the ulcers in the process. Maybe not enough med to completely shut down the proton pumps but instead turned them somewhat off and then they rebounded daily?
Doubtful they would rebound daily. It can take 72 hours for the drug to no longer effect the system, and longer for it to completely clear it. More likely the drug just never reached the right level in the system to have enough of an impact.
I’m only going to comment because this subject is so current for me… If I understood correctly, OP did not scope AT ALL until after the not-quite-exactly-dosed BPR trial prevention. Horse had symptoms last summer, but not scoped or treated. Started the BPR this winter, showed symptoms, was scoped and found to have moderate ulcers. Who knows when those ulcers started? If they were present last summer, but not treated, then it’s not a surprise they were still around this past winter. The horse was never treated for ulcers until it was scoped and put on GG? Am I missing something?
And I am not being critical. I am one of those who is collecting all the anecdotes. So far, I have not seen any reports that clearly show a horse who had ulcers, that were not healed on abler, but were healed on GG/UG. Have seen plenty that were not helped by abler, that were also not helped by GG. Just trying to keep the details straight.
[QUOTE=Fox Wood Farm;7642643]
So far, I have not seen any reports that clearly show a horse who had ulcers, that were not healed on abler, but were healed on GG/UG. Have seen plenty that were not helped by abler, that were also not helped by GG. Just trying to keep the details straight.[/QUOTE]
There were some of these reports buried in past Abler discussions … but they tend to get knocked down by the Abler fans …
I’ve not noticed any reports where horse was scoped, moderate to severe ulcers diagnosed, treated with Abler BPR’s, re-scoped to show healing … not even Abler seems to have bothered to do these studies.
FWIW a local vet does offer an alternate protocol with a generic omeprazole that is reported to yield good results.
[QUOTE=alto;7642845]
There were some of these reports buried in past Abler discussions … but they tend to get knocked down by the Abler fans …
I’ve not noticed any reports where horse was scoped, moderate to severe ulcers diagnosed, treated with Abler BPR’s, re-scoped to show healing … not even Abler seems to have bothered to do these studies.
FWIW a local vet does offer an alternate protocol with a generic omeprazole that is reported to yield good results.[/QUOTE]
I don’t understand why Abler hasn’t done this research. It would NOT be that expensive and surely they would have the funds from the profits of sales.
Fox Wood Farm: I have used ulcergard for years as a preventative and treatment without scoping and did so last summer when he showed behaviors that could have been due to ulcers. Worked great but who knows if he had ulcers all along even though he didn’t act or look like he did. But the same goes for claims that the drug works to treat ulcers based on behaviors and not scoping. If folks don’t want to take behavior as evidence of ulcers or lack thereof, then no one can claim that the pop rocks work at all… Can’t have it both ways. 
FWIW, I’ve had great luck with ranitidine for preventing my horse’s ulcers from returning (well, ulcer symptoms). After the initial scope/treat/re-scope 2-3 years ago his symptoms kept returning on various supplements but stay away with ranitidine. I up the dose when trailering. Cost effective (and effective) option in my case for those not wanting to spend the $$ on UG/GG but not thrilled with Abler.
Probably for the same reason Wal Mart doesn’t do research to prove their generic acetaminophen cures headaches. Omeprazole is already known to treat ulcers. If they start doing all the research their prices are going to go up.
[QUOTE=LDavis104;7642915]
FWIW, I’ve had great luck with ranitidine for preventing my horse’s ulcers from returning (well, ulcer symptoms). After the initial scope/treat/re-scope 2-3 years ago his symptoms kept returning on various supplements but stay away with ranitidine. I up the dose when trailering. Cost effective (and effective) option in my case for those not wanting to spend the $$ on UG/GG but not thrilled with Abler.[/QUOTE]
Ditto this to a T. I believe we’ve discussed before that we practically own the same horse! 
[QUOTE=LDavis104;7642915]
FWIW, I’ve had great luck with ranitidine for preventing my horse’s ulcers from returning (well, ulcer symptoms). After the initial scope/treat/re-scope 2-3 years ago his symptoms kept returning on various supplements but stay away with ranitidine. I up the dose when trailering. Cost effective (and effective) option in my case for those not wanting to spend the $$ on UG/GG but not thrilled with Abler.[/QUOTE]
How do you get your horse to take ranitidine? It’s supposed to be dosed every 8 hours. I used to dissolve tablets and mix with molasses and dose with an oral syringe but he sees me coming with it and runs. He will NOT eat them.
[QUOTE=caryledee;7642997]
Probably for the same reason Wal Mart doesn’t do research to prove their generic acetaminophen cures headaches. Omeprazole is already known to treat ulcers. If they start doing all the research their prices are going to go up.[/QUOTE]
Omeprazole is worthless in treating ulcers unless it can actually get to the ulcers. The issue here is that the enteric coating has to work. Blue pop rocks are NOT the generic form of ulcergard. No way; no how.
I just want to see the research. I am pretty darned sure Abler makes a healthy profit off of the sale of the pop rocks. They aren’t cheap at all and if you are doing 3 packets a day for 90 days, that adds up to a considerable sum. As in close to $1,000? Compare to my 3 weeks of Gastrogard and…
[QUOTE=Winding Down;7643042]
I just want to see the research. I am pretty darned sure Abler makes a healthy profit off of the sale of the pop rocks. They aren’t cheap at all and if you are doing 3 packets a day for 90 days, that adds up to a considerable sum. As in close to $1,000? Compare to my 3 weeks of Gastrogard and…[/QUOTE]
If you’re just buying the Abprazole, not Abprazole Plus, 90 days of 3 packets per day would be just over $400.
[QUOTE=Kindred Spirit;7643052]
If you’re just buying the Abprazole, not Abprazole Plus, 90 days of 3 packets per day would be just over $400.[/QUOTE]
ooops! You are right. For some reason, I was thinking that they were more expensive… Nonetheless, the research for this would NOT be expensive and I suspect that it has already been done…
Omeprazole is worthless in treating ulcers unless it can actually get to the ulcers.
While I agree with your jist that omeprazole needs some coating to protect it to get where it needs to go - that location is not the ulcer itself. Omeprazole is absorbed in the small intestine. So, it doesn’t actually DO its work on the ulcer. It actually has to get beyond the ulcer/stomach.
[QUOTE=Pancakes;7643028]
How do you get your horse to take ranitidine? It’s supposed to be dosed every 8 hours. I used to dissolve tablets and mix with molasses and dose with an oral syringe but he sees me coming with it and runs. He will NOT eat them.[/QUOTE]
I can throw the 150mg tablets into his grain whole and he eats them right up. He won’t eat the 300 mg whole, nor will he eat ranitidine crushed. He got keen on those methods and protested. I know you are supposed to dose every 8 hours but mine does great on 2x day. He is 1350 lbs and gets 20 150mg tabs 2x day. 30 if trailering. Have been able to get it down to 14 tabs 2x day but now that he’s on Previcox I keep it higher. Try the 150 mg whole if you haven’t.
[QUOTE=SuckerForHorses;7643015]
Ditto this to a T. I believe we’ve discussed before that we practically own the same horse! :D[/QUOTE]
Yes we do! For all the ways my horse makes things difficult or complicated, ulcer maintainence is finally simple for him 
I get 300 mg tabs. Make into a powder using a coffee grinder.
Add them to a mash of ration balancer and beet pulp mash (for my mare, she hates alfalfa cubes and pellets - my gelding loves his alfalfa cube mash).
If they start to catch on, I add some molasses to the mash.
My super duper picky mare eats them this way.
My gelding eats whatever I put in his dish, LOL!
I haven’t had a problem feeding the ranitidine and I’ve used the human version pills from Costco as well as a powder that my vet provides. The cost is roughly the same. I keep forgetting that ranitidine is a proven ulcer preventative.
Rood & Riddle make an alfalfa flavored powdered Ranitidine as well as a liquid, for those picky horses who don’t like the pills or find omeprazole too bitter.
[QUOTE=candico;7643094]
Rood & Riddle make an alfalfa flavored powdered Ranitidine as well as a liquid, for those picky horses who don’t like the pills or find omeprazole too bitter.[/QUOTE]
So does Wedgewood and SmartPak
