Esomeprazole (Nexium) for equine ulcers

[Hampton_Bay]

@Simkie

That’s how most of us proceed, yep. My own goal is no gastro support, but I’ve used Uckele’s GUT and like it.

Looking at what you feed, that Safe Choice Perform is quite high on NSC. Some horses do very poorly and get ulcery on that much sugar. Swapping out for a low NSC grain might be useful.

Correct, but I live in a remote area with limited options. Add in an extremely picky horse… with the safe choice, I have gotten him to half SC and half alfalfa pellets. That brings down the nsc of the total meal significantly. The only other feed he will eat is ultium gastric care, which I can no longer get unless I am willing to feed year-old feed. He will not eat alfalfa pellets with it either. The local options I’ve not tried include sweet feeds that are 45% nsc and all stock. Not willing to stoop that low. He won’t eat any hay pellets or beet pulp alone.

So im trying to use the safe choice to work him into eating more alfalfa pellets. It’s a slow process with him. He is just very sensitive. He can hear the toilet flush inside the house from 75 yards away. If I open the blinds in the house he looks up at the window. He is just a bit extra.

[CindyCRNA]

@Hampton Bay

Correct, but I live in a remote area with limited options. Add in an extremely picky horse… with the safe choice, I have gotten him to half SC and half alfalfa pellets. That brings down the nsc of the total meal significantly. The only other feed he will eat is ultium gastric care, which I can no longer get unless I am willing to feed year-old feed. He will not eat alfalfa pellets with it either. The local options I’ve not tried include sweet feeds that are 45% nsc and all stock. Not willing to stoop that low. He won’t eat any hay pellets or beet pulp alone.

So im trying to use the safe choice to work him into eating more alfalfa pellets. It’s a slow process with him. He is just very sensitive. He can hear the toilet flush inside the house from 75 yards away. If I open the blinds in the house he looks up at the window. He is just a bit extra.

I’m taking that alfalfa hay is not an option for you. I have a horse with a sensitive gut and he gets 2 flakes of alfalfa hay on top of morning regular hay and soaked cubes/beet pulp/sweet feed in the evening. I have noticed he seems much more comfortable with the addition of the alfalfa hay.

[Hampton_Bay]

@CindyCRNA

I’m taking that alfalfa hay is not an option for you. I have a horse with a sensitive gut and he gets 2 flakes of alfalfa hay on top of morning regular hay and soaked cubes/beet pulp/sweet feed in the evening. I have noticed he seems much more comfortable with the addition of the alfalfa hay.

Nope. If we can get it, which is hit or miss, it’s $50 for a small bale. Which sounds insane, but that’s what we have been quoted by the guy who used to sell it. Otherwise it’s at least 4 hours each way to get some. And he will only eat about a flake and a half a day. Picks at it then walks away.

but he has eaten roughly 5qt of pellets with 4qt of safe choice and 2qt of rice bran for 4 meals now. And I’ve been able to add a bit of oil. He is at a good weight finally, but I hesitate to reduce the volume of feed before winter. He seems to not produce enough saliva, so he doesn’t pig on hay like my others do.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

Day 10 on the Nexium and he still continues to do well… I’m so excited about this. He has not put a mark on Boy in over 2 weeks. So I think a couple of things contributed to this total 180. The Nexium and getting the back field opened up to give them more room and more grass to eat.

I’m psyched… I was starting to go down the path of sending him back to his breeder if I couldn’t get this figured out.

I’m so glad I found this thread and I listened to my gut and not anyone else. Thanks @Simkie !!!

[Larbear]

My apologies in advance if the answer is buried somewhere in the 19 pages, but bumping this cuz I have a question!

After treating for ulcers and weaning off, are people using the Nexium capsules before stressful events such as trailering? Ie dosing the night before and (maybe?) day of the event and then back to the regular routine (no Nexium)?

[Highflyer]

@Larbear

My apologies in advance if the answer is buried somewhere in the 19 pages, but bumping this cuz I have a question!

After treating for ulcers and weaning off, are people using the Nexium capsules before stressful events such as trailering? Ie dosing the night before and (maybe?) day of the event and then back to the regular routine (no Nexium)?

Yes-- I try to do two pills the day of any time I jump/ lesson/ compete.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

Q is now down to 2 a day and will be down to 1 a day in a week. Still doing very well.

[StarPattern]

I’ve just read through 19 pages of this thread and I have to say… I might have to try Nexium for my older mare who just isn’t putting on weight as quickly as she should. She’s 23 years old, an ex-racer and has always been a picky eater. She has free choice hay all day, plus gets closed in with a 5-gallon bucket of hay cubes and about 4 pounds of senior feed in the morning and gets 3lbs (before soaking) beet pulp, 4 pounds of senior feed and about a pound of sweet feed (so she’ll eat the beet pulp) plus her cubes. By all logic, she should be putting on weight since she doesn’t get worked hard… but we’re not having much luck. Teeth were done mid-October.

If I read this thread correctly, the Nexium dose is 3 capsules per day for two weeks, wean to 2 capsules the 3rd week and to 1 the fourth? Is that right?

[leheath]

@StarPattern I followed a slightly longer dosing plan - 30 days at 3 pills/day, then 1 week of 2/day and 1 week of 1/day. However, if you are going to see improvement, you will probably see it within 1- 2 weeks and can then decide how long to treat.

[Simkie]

@StarPattern

If I read this thread correctly, the Nexium dose is 3 capsules per day for two weeks, wean to 2 capsules the 3rd week and to 1 the fourth? Is that right?

If you’re going for a full treatment, it’s four weeks at three pills, then your taper. :yes:

Good luck! Come back and post how it goes!

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[StarPattern]

Thanks! I’m going to aim for the longer dosing, now that I have clarification on how long it’s actually supposed to be.

[Lakeshore9]

Don’t know if anyone is still reading this thread, but I’ve had great luck using Nexium generic. I’ve found when treating for ulcers it makes a world of difference to use a hindgut buffer - I use Equishure and keep my horse on it year round.

[ABookworm]

I treated my Welsh, Cupid, with a month of Nexium (60mg) then weaned her off back in the spring and it made a world of difference. She still cribs but is much less touchy about her sides.

I am starting my new ASB, Foxy, on the Nexium this weekend after she’s gotten increasingly snappy with anything to do with her sides. Hopefully this, along with a visit from the vet, can resolve her sensitivity. It’s a bit difficult teaching someone how to blanket a horse when the horse gets upset over touching.

[CindyCRNA]

My TB injured himself and is on stall rest and Bute. We did a few days of UG and are starting 60 of generic Nexium . He is also getting Outlast twice a day. He does not have ulcers, that we know of, he is just on a lot of Bute and stall rest.

[BoyleHeightsKid]

Q has been done with treatment for a couple of months now, I kept him on the GUT and tried to wean him off of it only to have him take some hair off Boy. Put him back on the full dose then transferred him over to a 1/2 ts baking soda mixed in 1/4 cup of corn oil mixed in his beet pulp 2x’s a day and his behavior has not changed. I will most likely just keep him on that forever because it seems to work. He gained weight (before switching to the corn oil) without changing anything. He looks and feels great!

[sophie]

I give Nexium to my Tb mare when she seems to be stressed for whatever reason (change of turnout, etc). I know it works because I also take it myself: new job, high stress, with 1 Nexium a day my stomach ache is gone.

[RoahsGirl]

@Hampton Bay

Nope. If we can get it, which is hit or miss, it’s $50 for a small bale. Which sounds insane, but that’s what we have been quoted by the guy who used to sell it. Otherwise it’s at least 4 hours each way to get some. And he will only eat about a flake and a half a day. Picks at it then walks away.

but he has eaten roughly 5qt of pellets with 4qt of safe choice and 2qt of rice bran for 4 meals now. And I’ve been able to add a bit of oil. He is at a good weight finally, but I hesitate to reduce the volume of feed before winter. He seems to not produce enough saliva, so he doesn’t pig on hay like my others do.

Not to get off topic here, but I didn’t know if you were still looking for Alfalfa Hay or not. If you are and if you are open to using Standlee compressed bales, Chewy.com sells them for $18.00 or so for a 50lb compressed bale and if you order over $50.00 worth at a time, shipping is free. If you’ve never ordered from them before, they also give you 30% off your first order. I’ve ordered hay from them before when I couldn’t find a better source/price for the hay I was looking for at the time and the hay that I got was very nice and delivered straight to my door. Hope this is helpful!

[CindyCRNA]

@RoahsGirl

Not to get off topic here, but I didn’t know if you were still looking for Alfalfa Hay or not. If you are and if you are open to using Standlee compressed bales, Chewy.com sells them for $18.00 or so for a 50lb compressed bale and if you order over $50.00 worth at a time, shipping is free. If you’ve never ordered from them before, they also give you 30% off your first order. I’ve ordered hay from them before when I couldn’t find a better source/price for the hay I was looking for at the time and the hay that I got was very nice and delivered straight to my door. Hope this is helpful!

I ordered alfalfa pellets and beet pulp pellets from them. It is nice coming to the door.

[NaturalSelection]

10yo TB gelding, anxious type. Have treated for ulcers several times before and try to offer him low stress lifestyle with constant hay buffet. Vet scoped him last Friday (12/14) and found significant ulcers. Trying generic Nexium at 60 mg/day for five weeks (severe case based on scoping). Planning to rescope around January 20th. I’ll report back!

[Displaced_Yankee]

@Simkie , Do you think you could edit your very, very first post with an idea/snapshot of what the treatment is? How many pills for how many days (and how to taper)? I had success with my horse and have recommended a few people try Nexium for their horses, but I am forever scrolling through pages of this post to put the treatment together.

For reference, I purchased two of the bulk packages of generic Nexium at Costco, 84 pills. I think I did 3 pills once a day for 21 days, 2 pills once a day for 1 week and 1 pill once a day for 1 week. Does that sound right-ish? Or at least the general framework. I understand you may not want to vouch, but just a “This is what I did” or “This has been what people are typically doing”. Thanks, I am forever referring back to this thread!