Menu

Stay in Touch
Sign up for ENews
Subscribe Now

Unlimited access >

Menu

General question: Abler and other alternative sources of omeprazole?

Horse Care
#1

Hi all –

I already have a thread for my easy keeping mare with ulcers, but want to start a more general thread about ulcer treatments. I’m possibly looking at maintaining her on a smaller dose of omeprazole long-term, and the cost of gastrogard is killing me. We went through one round, tapered it off, and as soon as she got down to what is supposed to be the maintenance dose of Ulcergard (1/4 tube), her symptoms came roaring back. We switched to the weekly shots (just as expensive); the first one was fine but she had a bad site reaction to the second one so she’s now back on Gastrogard for 2 weeks. But … I can’t keep doing this forever. Gastrogard is off patent now, but I’m not seeing any generics manufacturer stepping forward to make a generic version.

There’s an old thread about Abler “pop rocks” and other Abler omeprazole products, but it has kind of dried up. Other than one recent vote of support, the last posts were in 2016. Are people here using those products now, and are they working? A barn-mate sent me a very long article about best practices for treating ulcers, from a European point of view, and it recommended the “granules” as an alternative to Gastrogard paste.

Also, how does one convince a vet that going on with the “vet-recommended” option is rapidly becoming unfeasible?

1 Like
#2

I used Abler “pop rocks” for years with my ulcer horse. I think in general he did well on it but I probably had to treat with ulcerguard quarterly at least . Nothing else helped him at all (supplements, aloe, other natural treatments…) Also, my vet was not in favor of the pop rocks, was worried about quality control worried about effectiveness etc. I am certain they helped him and made my own decision to go forward with it because i am not a Rockefeller and couldn’t afford daily ulcerguard.

1 Like
#3

Check out this thread about Nexium - https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/horse-care/9650940-esomeprazole-nexium-for-equine-ulcers

1 Like
#4

Another user of Abler for omeprazole, sucralfate, probiotics and dewormer.
I have been using Abler for about 3 years now. I’m overall happy with my horses using their products.
The lower cost allows me to keep more horses on maintenance doses than if I had to give them gastrogard and I believe it works.
I can do a maintenance dose of omeprazole on my horses for about $2.25 per day. Treatment is roughly double.
They make it in pop rock, pull and also paste form. The paste is most expensive but still way cheaper than gastrogard.
have you tried getting the paste compounded by an equine pharmacy? Wedge wood and Doc Lanes both compound it I believe.

2 Likes
#5

I have used blue pop rocks for two different horses. I think it made a difference

#6

So I ordered the paste; my mare is getting 1/2 tube per day and has responded well - no “ulcery” behavior, and she’s feeling good. I may be able to drop it to 1/4 tube but am not ready to do that yet.

They sent 10 free sachets, but I am holding off on using those because it would require reworking her breakfast. So it’s easier for the barn manager to give her the paste. I may save them for trailering, as that is a known stressor for the mare.

I also switched from Equishure, which seemed to be doing nothing, to Visceral+ from Mad Barn. I’d have to take her off the omeprazole to see if it’s helping, though.

2 Likes
#7

Has anyone bought the Abler “pop rocks” recently? What is their shipping time averaging lately? I posted another thread because I am concerned that I will not have them in a month from now if I order now.

#8

Shipping time for the paste was about 10 days from Singapore. They threw in some pop rocks as freebies, which suggests it’s all coming from the same place.

#9

Uckele GUT for a while before and after treatment with Nexium did a tremendous job in helping my gelding who was fresh off the track and on stall rest for an injury… treating with Nexium cost a whopping $60. He gets aggressive and attacks my senior gelding when his tummy hurts. After treatment, he’s a puppy dog.

#10

I tried the Abler products twice, then went to Nexium. Much easier, pretty sure it worked. Now on Perfect Products Gastroease and KER Equishure. No longer chewing wood.

#11

@quietann Just wondering how the Visceral+ is working for you. My mare is being treated for ulcers with Omeprazole (under vet care), and my vet has recommended putting her on a product to sustain her between treatments. I am looking at Visceral+ and it has great reviews, seems to be well formulated and is Canadian…so easy for me to get. I had her on Equishure at one point, and found it hit and miss to get in my area.

Just wondering about yours and other’s experiences have been. Thanks and appreciated.

#12

For all of you having trouble, have you tried Purina Outlast, or Triple Crown Stress Free? Outlast has been proven to raise pH for up to about 4 hours with a serving

Also, not sure what the feeding programs are here, but the Triple Crown Gold line has a seaweed-derived calcium in it, which is the major player in Outlast, if any of those are options.

There are risks to long-term PPIs - a reduction in calcium absorption for sure, and maybe (probably) more beyond the studied 90 (I think) days.

#13

About a month and a half ago I got an order in under 2 weeks

#14

Luckily (knock on wood) none of my horses are very ulcer prone.
However my late mare was. She was quite picky and absolutely refused to eat the new purina outlast supplement. The abler pop rocks were able to be sorted through.
she ate the nexium no problem though. I do believe it helped. She only needed it during the winter as in the summer the grass seemed to treat her stomach symptoms better than any meds could.

During her necropsy I got to see in her stomach. It was perfect, not a single ulcer to be found.

#15

I think it was helping. But right around the time I ordered a larger bucket for long term use, my mare, who is normally not a picky eater, started trying to “eat around” it (not easy since her breakfast is soaked, but the Visceral+ pellets are high-fat, so they don’t break down as much.)

I would say it’s worth a try, but order the smallest size you can get. The company is great – very responsive.

#16

Hi –

Per my other thread, I switched my mare off ration balancer and onto a cup of Outlast twice a day, with one meal having the High Point Grass vitamins you recommended added. She really likes the Outlast, including the cookies, which are not that expensive.

I don’t want to keep her on a PPI forever, but weaning her off has so far been a failure. Also, she’s still ulcery… now that I am showing up at the barn early in the morning, it’s pretty clear that her hay has been gone for a while, and she’s uncomfortable. She cannot be on free choice hay, even in a small hole net, as she is an easy keeper and borderline IR. We are already using small hole nets, 1 inch, and they slow her down, but she still finishes off her hay faster than most horses. I am at a loss here.

For those using the Abler products – regular shipping time to the US is now about a MONTH (will not insert political rant, will not insert political rant) but they are offering priority shipping for $20, with a 5-10 day delivery window. Also, they’re out of the paste right now. I’m switching to the granules for a while, and would like to try her on one packet per day eventually.

#17

Thanks @quietann. Good advice.

#18

Abler’s website said a month when I ordered but it came much quicker

#19

@quietann I have an easy keeper, ulcer-prone mare, too. I feel like I’ve tried a lot of the different non-omeprazole products out there and nothing seemed to work and I always ended up putting her back on Nexium (which works for her, thank goodness, because the equivalent in gastroguard would have bankrupted me). Over the summer, my vet and I agreed that we would just keep her on a daily single pill of Nexium as that seems to be enough to keep her comfortable. I think she has chronic gastritis, so it makes sense that a low dose PPI works.

We recognize the potential side effects and have agreed that we will test her annually re the calcium issue.

We also are doing all of the right things in terms of slow feed hay nets, etc. Hasn’t helped. She hoovers through her hay even with the nets and is without hay a decent amount of the time.

My one last shot of getting her off the Nexium is that at the end of October I am lucky enough to be able to bring her to live at home with me. (Yay! Super excited!) I’m planning on giving her free choice hay with all of it being fed through slow feeders and am hoping that with hay in her tummy at all times maybe that will fix it. Of course, she’s a tad on the overweight side so am nervous about giving her even more hay, but I feel like I need to try it. I’m going to get it tested and will soak it if necessary. All of this is manageable at home, never could do at a boarding barn.

#20

Best of luck! I just am not set up to have a horse (or a small herd, really) at home. My mare did have free choice hay during the “Snowmageddon” winter of 2015, when she was living outside with a shed. And she did get a lot calmer about her hay once she realized that it would always be there. However, as the weather warmed up and she continued on free choice hay, she got very fat. I know that going for long periods with nothing in her stomach is bad for her, but have not come up with a solution.

Get your Digital Subscription here - only $21.95 / year

Subscribe here
See gift options

Sign up to our monthly newsletter!

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.

Copyright © 2023 The Chronicle of the Horse