So my horses are currenlty on Smart Gut…
I am curious about Bio Sponge by Platinum
As well as there are others out there like Succeed and I just noticed that Progressive has a Ulcer supplement…
Anything better than another?
My horse has done great on Gastro.
Gone from not finishing 3 lbs of grain twice a day to 12 lbs a day and wanting more.
But I see SmartPak’s new catalogue doesn’t have it anymore. I’ll have to search.
Smartgut is wonderful, but you can not show at USEF competitions on it. My horse just started U-Gard after a full course of ranitidine followed by a week of gastrgard. So far so good, and U-Gard is legal to show on. I will also give Ulcergard before shows, trailering, ect.
Bio sponge is not for ulers, it is for diahrrea caused by antibiotics and other things…So no comparrison to GG ot Ugard
1 Like
Starting Gate is great!
I’ve posted this before but we have seen a lot of success with Equishure by Kentucky Equine Research. It is designed for the hindgut not the stomach as an ulcer preventative though.
http://kerx.com/products/EquiShure/
Anyone use G.U.T by Uckele? I was comparing it to Smart GUT and has pretty much the same stuff but at very different dosages…
Anyone ever used FORCO?
I’ve been using the GUT pretty happily. I did a course of ulcergard, then had her on succeed for a very long time. The succeed was a very nice product, but expensive. I changed how I managed the horse, turnout, diet etc… keep her on the GUT and use the UG when something stressful is going on. They are all individuals, you may need to try a few things to get the right one for your horse.
…My horse does better on Starting Gate than Smartgut.
Forco is more of a probiotic. What are you looking for the supplement to do? Is it for a horse with ulcers or for basic digestive maintenance?
Well they are both OTTB’s and I am treating them with the assumption that they have ulcers so I am looking for something that does a bit of both.
I looked up that Starting Gate and it has Probiotics PLUS Calcium Carbonate which helps with acid build up. I am thinking of switching to that.
12 pounds of grain a day? 
I thought conventional wisdom was - less grain is better and none is best - for an ulcery prone horse.
My ulcer horse gets 1 ounce of Pro-CMC daily, and Gastrogard in 1/4 tube doses about 2 or 3 times per week. She’s also on Daily Start probiotic.
1 Like
If they are doing well on the SmartGut I would stick with that- it has the buffer along with pre and probiotics. Otherwise look at the SmartDigest Ultra, which has many of the same ingredients but is more targeted for digestive health rather than healing ulcers.
Can you feed too much in terms of Pro-biotics? I was thinking of adding the SMart Vite Performance - grass - and it also has Pro-Biotics - so can you over feed it?
I don’t think so- my horse was on the SmartGut in addition to probios. My vet never said it was harmful. I also feed triple crown, which has probiotics added to the feed, however I don’t feed the recommended weight- my horse only gets a few pounds as a topper to her beet-pulp.
"Smartgut is wonderful, but you can not show at USEF competitions on it. "
What ingredient is not allowed?
My gelding has been on GUT for a few years and I have been very happy with the consistent results. He has never had ulcers (since I’ve owned him at least) but was occasionally a finicky eater when I first got him which is why I started him on it initially.
At one point I switched him to just a digestive supplement and that was when he had his first and only mild colic. I put him right back on the GUT and everything has been normal since then. I highly recommend it. For the price it really can’t be beat.
[QUOTE=Mary in Area 1;4396120]
"Smartgut is wonderful, but you can not show at USEF competitions on it. "
What ingredient is not allowed?[/QUOTE]
Licorice. It is also in the SmartDigest Ultra. I contacted USEF and they said it is prohibited.
Auventera Two:
I know less grain is better. But this TB is complicated.
Had 3/4 of his large colon removed because of lipoma three years ago.
Held weight the first year. But last two has been quite thin.
He was also diagnosed with Lyme a year ago. Had 3 mos. Doxy, which didn’t help his tummy. His titer dropped from 400s to 300s, but now he’s being treated again with Doxy. Weight loss may relate to Lyme, too.
I couldn’t get him to clean up his grain.
With Gastro, he’s been eating great.
A month ago, vet recommended feeding him 15 to 18 lbs grain a day.
He’s out 24 hrs on five acres gorgeous pasture, gets all the alfalfa/grass hay he wants. Also gets multiple vits.
But he makes huge, well-formed poops. Vet agreed he’s not absorbing nutrients.
She’s the first vet to say that large colon resection can prevent nutrient absorption. Vet manuals state this is only a problem with small intestine resection.
Just wanted to bump this thread up and see if anyone had any recommendations that are slightly more up-to-date (thread is from 2009). Not exactly sure what OP was looking for, but I’m mostly looking for something for general digestive maintenance, as my horse is not having any issues, but I’d like to get out ahead of them if I can. TIA!
