Have a horse that has had a few mild colic episodes immediately following grain. We are obviously working to determine the root cause but want to get him on a really good supplement to hopefully help buffer his stomach and hindgut and act as a preventative (he scoped clean, has finished a course of Misoprostol for the hindgut, and had access to high quality free choice hay). Cost is secondary to effectiveness. He was already on Outlast during these episodes so looking to try something besides that. He is currently on Assure Gaurd Gold but have not noticed a big difference with that either. I want something that will address both the stomach and hindgut. Would consider buying two separate supplements for each, but if it’s rolled into one, even better. Would also love something with probiotics as my vet mentioned there is some research suggesting they are beneficial to the hindgut. What is everyone’s go to? Any experiences with RiteTrac, Smart GI ultra, Protek GI, Purina systemiq or Succeed? TIA
I haven’t used it myself, but someone at my barn swears by Equine Elixirs Ulceraser for her horse who has a sensitive tummy.
Alimend all day, every day. I’ve had my horse on it for… three years? now and it’s served us very well. He’s a TB so notorious for a) being thin and b) having ulcers, but at this point my trainer and I have a running joke that he’s the fattest TB she’s ever seen (he’s a healthy weight, we just have zero trouble keeping weight on him), and our only run-in with ulcers occurred after he was on a month of stall rest where I didn’t think to double his Alimend dose to correspond to the increased stress he was under. 10/10 would recommend.
I have one on Abler pellets (beads? Idk what you call them) and she’s been doing very well. I will say that she had a massive lifestyle change mid gastrogard round, then we started the abler, so it’s hard to attribute her success to that, but they did come highly recommended from a few vets.
Pink Mash is worth trying. It has prebiotics and probiotics as well.
Honestly I use plain marshmallow root powder and licorice root powder as prevention and I give a tablespoon each.
My sensitive mare was on that combo only for an entire show year and scoped clean for ulcers. My gelding is on that combo and while I have not scoped him I have noticed he windsucks and cribs significantly less being on it.
I’ve tried so many gut supplements and I’ve really only noticed a positive difference with the powders… it’s also really affordable which is nice.
Gastrix. My friend who owns 5 horses had a vet recommend it to her, and she raved about it to me, so my mare has been on it for a couple of years. (She is trailered a few times a week, and moved across the country this year.) I had her scoped last month to make sure her mare-ish behavior was not related to ulcers, and she scoped clean. This vet was not familiar with Gastrix, but said, “What you’ve been doing is working, so keep doing it.”
It’s a liquid, fondly referred to at the barn as “the green goo.” My mare loves it. I get it here:
https://www.heartlandvetsupply.com/p-5529-gastrix.aspx.
I use Nutrient Buffer and it works fantastic for my ulcer prone guy. He had similar issues with colic like symptoms after pellet meals. Now we have several horses that use it for times of stress, before rides or other times as needed. For my horse it wetted his symptoms within five minutes. He gets it 2-3 times daily on a regular basis as prevention since he is also not a big eater to take advantage of his hay buffet…
I’ve tried Alimend, Relyne, Ulceraser, Assure Guard Gold, Outlast, and Smart Gi for my horses over the last 6 or so years. I live in Southern California, so I’m really limited with turnout, making it challenging to keep horses stomachs truly ulcer free. The most consistent results I’ve had have been with Protek-GI. I put a very very ulcer-ey mare on it towards the end of her treatment and she has been comfortable once she finished and stayed on it. It is expensive, so I think for horses that aren’t at clear risk, I think there are other choices that work well. But for ones who have a history, or are in less than ideal boarding situations, I’m a big fan.
Probiotic!!!
I have been told by several top vets, they are starting to think horses on pre/probiotics are less likely to have colic episodes.
My horse is on the aforementioned Ulcer Eraser and their Symbiotic which is a pre/probiotic.
My guy gets loose manure when not on a probiotic along with ulcer issues.
I love the symbiotic, but the Ramard Probiotic is good too.
Also make sure the horse is drinking plenty of water- a good electrolyte can be key as well.
I really like Ramard’s products. We use the Total Gut Health as a daily supplement for some of our ulcer prone horses.
I looooove DePaolo Excel!! I bought a horse that was on it, let it lapse, didn’t like the results (cinchy, kicky, had a scope which revealed 2 very small ulcers), and both of my horses are now on it. It’s a powder, smells nice, and they eat it no problem. I’ve had some people dismiss it because it’s not as expensive as a lot of the others.
Also, not sure if anyone else has suggested it, what kind of grain is being fed? Was there a change in the grain or how much hay your horse has been getting (new pasture mate, uptick in work, pen change)?
Random thought - have you had the horse allergy tested?
If you (for example) are feeding things he is allergic to, that isn’t going to help the digestive health.
My mare used to threaten to colic twice a year, like clockwork. We put her on Probios and haven’t had a single episode once (knock on wood). We’ve had her 7 years.
the hedgerow GI is what I use and LOVE it, the probiotics are micro encapsulated and offer 100 billion per serving in conjunction with the other gut support ingredients, helped cure my boys FFWS and it really is my favorite gut supplement. Also, Chia seeds might be a good look in for your boy, they are fabulous for all things digestion and ulcers as they release a mucilage that helps coat/protect the stomach lining and have the omega 3s, silicon, and natural protein too. I buy a 13lb bucket of Chia seeds from Equine Chia and it’s like $60. I would really recommend both options, but the Hedgerow GI is really tops and have had zero palatability issues. Its only roughly 1 TBSP serving size so I put up with the cost (and I tried everything under the sun when my horse had digestive problems, obviously not as serious as colic but just really great stuff) Hope this helps and wish you luck!
Succeed.
