Thanks! He is on a gut supplement now (started DEC Excel just before the ulcergard), so maybe I will just taper off the Pop-rocks and see how it goes; Add them back in if I find he truly needs it
Picked up some Nexium last night, going to give it a try with my Arab mare.
Iāve used UlcerGard during specific times of stress in the past, and while on even the 1/4 tube per day, her weaving stops entirely, even in situations that cause her to weave 100% of the time otherwise.
I think itās safe to say that she likely has some gastic upset going on and the weaving is a symptom of her discomfort.
Iāll know how it works in comparison to the 1/4 tube of ulcergard at the very least! Stay tuned!
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My mare continues to do well on three pills a day and has not lost her appetite, while still on a fairly high dose of banamine (switched from bute).
I was at Walgreens tonight and found the new Nexium āclear miniā extended release capsules. They are even smaller than the regular Nexium capsules, and are filled with tiny enteric-coated granules. They cost a few dollars more, but are probably worth it for the additional āinsuranceā of passing through the stomach acid.
https://www.nexium24hr.com/us/clearminis
Picture:
https://www.nexium24hr.com/sites/defā¦?itok=KuLZ9I3Y
I canāt foresee ever buying the Abler pop rocks again.
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Add me to the list of those giving it a try. My guy never really settled at his last barn, and on top of somewhat surprise dental issues, really did not get enough roughage over the winter.
Heās at a new place with lots of grass and refreshed set of chompers, and is improving but hasnāt gotten over the hump to my satisfaction. He wired in the barn. Iām going to give this a try as UG and GG are far out of the budget.
Interesting!
The regular Nexium capsules are buffered or coated or something inside the capsuleāthe package insert says itās okay to open the capsule and take with applesauce or something if you canāt do pillsābut Iāve never actually opened one to see how theyāre protecting the med. I can see the smaller size here being handy, and if the regular pills use a buffer instead of a coating to protect the med, youāll get better bioavailability with these mini ones.
Keep us posted on how it goes!
Dove is done with her four full weeks of treatment and Iāll start tapering tonight. No complaints! This has worked so well for her. Wish I had the disposable funds to scope her just for giggles. But sadly, no. No disposable funds just for giggles. :lol:
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I will say that I read horribly for comprehension and started my gelding on the tablets instead of the capsules. Even so, there was a noticeable difference in the four days he was on them before I started with the regular capsule. He also had no issues eating the tablets either.
:lol:
Glad to know the tablets seem to work, too! 
I opened one of the regular capsules and the contents looked different ā finer granules. I didnāt get a good look because the capsule exploded and it all fell into the chow.
My mare has crunched a couple of regular capsules open and the contents looked like a coarse powder to me. But saliva may have caused that appearance, too.
Thought I would add a little update.
Iām in the process of weaning my OTTB off the 3 capsule dosage. I going to do 2 pills for 2 weeks then 1 for another 2 weeks. He seems to be doing well and no change in behaviorā¦ so iāve also quit giving him the GUT supplement. I still have him on Ulc R Aidā¦ but more for the magnesium which the chiro/accupuntion lady likes for his muscle and immune system.
But most interesting is I have started my 23 yr old gelding on a 2 pill dose. He is slighter build and not really showing signs of ulcers, other than he is picky, very slow eater. I also started him on the Ulc-r Aid. He has been cleaning up his grain like no tomorrow. .years ago he was scoped due to having had choke issues, and they found one healed ulcer, so i never really worried about him after thatā¦ as that was in the height of his show career. But I figured it couldnāt hurt to see if it would help himā¦ So far loving the results. Especially since it means he will eat the fat supplement which he hasnāt been interested in. I am thinking about starting the 24 yr old Cushings mare on it, but she seems to have bumped up her appetite just from adding the Ulc R-aidā¦ so for now I am just going keep the two geldings on it.
I was just about to throw in the towel, because although attitude had improved, the little bit of weight gain and coat shine that I was looking for just werenāt there. Coat shine returned from a morning to night about two weeks into the Nexium treatment.
Heās also on a big bale of (mostly) alfalfa, and his weight is coming right back on.
4 weeks is suggested for full dose, right? Then taper off after?
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Glad to hear of the successes!
4 week is the usual treatment timeline for gastrogard, so I think 4 weeks of nexium, then tapering down, is a safe way to go 
.
Still having good luck with the Nexium and the laminitic mare who is still on daily banamine. I did some more reading on the regular capsules vs. the āclear miniā and it states they are both enteric coated. It looks like the mini is just a smaller pill, so easier to swallow. I used up the minis and have been giving the regular capsules (only one a day for the past week) and the mare is still showing no sign at all of gastric upset.
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As we all know, the plural of anecdote does not equal data, but I do have a positive update to add to the thread. I started my 23 yo TB gelding on generic tablet esomeprazole two weeks ago. Heād had a rough winter, moved twice in six months, etc. etc. and was not settling to my satisfaction in his new home. He was showing some definite ulcer-y symptoms, and I found this thread right about the time I was fretting about bankrupting my young family with a monthās supply of Gastrogard.
Today was my mental make or break mark for this experiment. He was still a bit antsy coming into the grooming stall but much, much improved. His manure, while wet, was healthily so and well formed as opposed to the cow pats heād had even up until last week. He was shiny under last weekendās mud and much more comfortable being groomed. I also feel he has turned the corner putting weight back on; while the pasture has helped with that, I think the general improvement in his demeanor has helped just as much.
I an very grateful for Simkie starting this experiment and thread, as it has helped my horse immensely; I will keep up for two more weeks then wean him down for probably two more. I have been using generic 20mg tablets, which cost me less than $16 for two weeks. At this rate a month plus weaning will cost less than two tubes of Gastrogard. Thank you!
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Cool, WNT! Tell us about the generic you were able to findāI havenāt turned anything up but the Nexium! :yes:
Well, maybe I didnāt grab the right thing though it appears to be working, but Walmart has their store brand right with the Nexium and Prevacid. Of course I left the box and bottles in my trunk at the barn, but I can grab it next time I go out.
Soā¦has anyone tried this on their donkey? My BLM burro has basically been untouchable/uninterested/a little cranky since he arrived. I suspect heās just being a donkey, but heās also the stressed type.
Horses arenāt donks, so I donāt want to jump into this headlong without at least a thought from the COTH mind.
If there isnāt a reason to try it out on him, Iāll probably start throwing a single pill into his once daily handful of GroānāWin and see how that goes for a couple weeks.
So it turns out I had grabbed the regular omeprazole, not esomeprazole. However, I saw such a dramatic improvement in his attitude and weight, that I stuck it out with the generic omeprazole tablets and heās now on the draw down period.
Iāve been using Nexium on the ulcer queen once again for our move from Tennessee to Maryland. I started her on it a few days prior to shipping and she has handled the move much better than I could have ever anticipated. I donāt think itās a coincidence. She eats the caps like candyā¦ sheās been slurping them up out of my hand the past couple days. This mare wonāt even take most treats out of your hand.
Iām not sure youāll be able to get me to buy pop rocks or UG/GG again now!
I donāt really know much about donkeys, but if you use GastroGard on them like horses, I would think everything weāve talked about here would be transferable in the same way. Good luck, and let us know how it goes! :yes:
āāāāā
Glad to hear youāve seen improvement! I donāt know if thereās any data that suggests such a low dose of omeprazole is effective, like there is with the Nexium, but heyāif it works for you, it works for you
Wahoo!
And yeah, I feel the same way about the other options now. Effective, cheap, and readily available? Sign me up!
