Gut supplement to compliment Equioxx

[Whoosh]

Hi all!

Wondering what your experiences have been with providing gut support to horses who are on (long-term) Equioxx? My mare started Equioxx in the spring. She’s 18 years old, in moderate work, and a very easy keeper. She also gets Prascend to help control her mild Cushings.

After starting the Equioxx, we observed some anorexia, increased girthiness, etc. She responded very well to the Nexium treatment. (I told my trainer “she acts like she got into a field of reefer,” haha). Now that I’m tapering her off of the Nexium, I want to keep her on a long-term gut supplement.

Aloe vera juice is very popular at my barn for ulcers, but some of the other big-name gut supplements contain calcium/magnesium and other antacid-type ingredients.

Are there any contraindications with combining aloe vera with Equioxx? What about antacids? Does it just come down to what your personal horse prefers or does better on? I just want to make sure I’m giving her something that improves her comfort. I am sure others out there have horses on Equioxx that get gut support, so I just wanted to know what’s worked for ya’ll. Thanks!

[sascha]

I can get away with about 2 weeks of Previcox before I need to start taking care of the belly/guts. I just put mine on once a day Sucralfate and continue that until a few days after the last dose of Previcox since I always keep Sucralfate on hand.

But, for extended use? Hmm, I might treat hard for a few weeks with full dose meds (sucralfate, nexium, whatever is the magic for your horse) to get everything right, and then change over to aloe to see if that alone is sufficient to keep pony guts happy.

[lenapesadie]

My horse had an extended regimen of Bute recently. He did well with Outlast for tummy support. And alfalfa hay.

[starrunner]

I think some of it is personal preference and what works for the individual horse. Could try the Constant Comfort (Outlast) or Aloe Vera and see how it goes.

Does she have a specific issue being treated with the Equioxx?

I know my vets really prefer not to use daily Equioxx unless absolutely necessary because they are seeing ulcers arising from the daily use and some horses still seem quite prone to ulcers while on it.

I just do short rounds of Equioxx (~10 days) to manage the days that seem the most difficult like farrier days or frozen midwest terrain for my senior mare, then go off of it again to give her gi tract a break.

[athelas]

My gelding does well on both Tribute’s Constant Comfort (same thing as Outlast) and Equithrive’s GUT.

[joiedevie99]

I’d try Outlast or aloe juice and see how she does. It’s trial and error unfortunately.

[Fruitarider]

You might look into Mad Barn’s Optimum Digestive Health. I’m very happy with the results I’ve seen feeding it to my two seniors.

[CindyCRNA]

I had to take my guy off previcox as I would have had to give him omeprazole daily to counter the effects. I now give it to him sporadically as needed for heavy work but mostly leave him off of it. He gets alfalfa (a lot!) and Outlast twice a day as it is.

[spacehorse]

My TB has done really well on GastroElm. He has been getting Equioxx mostly daily. He also does get a small amount of alfalfa daily.

Pretty economical and pretty effective.

[SolarFlare]

@sascha

I can get away with about 2 weeks of Previcox before I need to start taking care of the belly/guts. I just put mine on once a day Sucralfate and continue that until a few days after the last dose of Previcox since I always keep Sucralfate on hand.

@CindyCRNA

I had to take my guy off previcox as I would have had to give him omeprazole daily to counter the effects.

Mine’s the same - exactly 14 days without issues, then day 15 he’s an anxious mess. If I have him on omeprazole at the same time, he’s ok.

I chose to discontinue Previcox and treat his problems another way.

[sascha]

@SolarFlare

I chose to discontinue Previcox and treat his problems another way.

For me, for short to mid-term injuries it’s still the lesser of the gut evils. Banamine - zero doses without having to treat guts. Bute - 2 to 3 days without having to treat guts. But if I ever have to have mine on long-term pain relief again, I’ll be looking for something else. Recovery from laminitis meant months of Previcox and Sucralfate and many $$ flying out of my wallet. For a few days or up to a month, it’s worth it, but beyond that, ugh.

@SolarFlare what other options have you had success with?

[SolarFlare]

These were long-term chronic issues (arthritis) Vet wanted to try Previcox when we discovered lower hock arthritis, but after about 4 attempts and finally realizing that was causing the ulcer issues, we decided to inject them instead.

He had a soft tissue SI injury that we finally diagnosed and rehabbed in 2015, but his poor hind end has taken the toll. We had to inject his stifle last year, and he ended up with raging ulcers after that (were probably low-level but then I suspect the bit of steroid included in the injections pushed them over the edge).

I’ve now switched over to Noltrex for any joint injections and love it. Longer-lasting results with no risk of ulcers. More expensive than traditional HA but I don’t have to repeat as often.

ETA - mine seems to tolerate Bute and Banamine well, although I’ve never had to have him on either for any extended period of time.

[Whoosh]

She has an old stifle injury with some arthritis. She gets Prostride every spring along with a lameness evaluation. The vet who’s been seeing her for years recommended it to keep her more comfortable. She’s not been “lame” in years, just a little stiff or slow to warm up on occasion. She’s quite happy in work (flatting and low jumping 4-5 days a week).

How long of a break are most of you giving them between the 10-14 days of Equioxx? A week, a weekend…? It certainly wouldn’t be a problem to give her a week off every month or so and see what that does.

Outlast seems to be pretty popular for this! I’ll see if it’s available nearby. Certainly it doesn’t look any more expensive per dose than the other gut treatments on the market. I’d also considered keeping her on the 2 Nexium a day indefinitely, which might be cheaper, too, than a dedicated gut supplement. I just worry about the long-term affects of that a little more.

[CindyCRNA]

My guy is big so he gets 1.5 cups twice a day. I THINK a bag is about $45 and lasts at least 6 weeks so pretty cost effective. Now they do recommend if possible feed 3 times a day. Since I board we chose twice a day. Since I went grain free with him, the Outlast is a good carrier for his mineral supplement along with Succeed.

[WildGooseChase]

I’ve had the best luck with alfalfa hay/cubes/pellets, with a bag or two of Outlast or Constant Comfort.

My pretty easy keeper does well on her 5lbs of Kalm n EZ, 1lb Essential K, 20lbs grass hay fed on the ground, and 6-8lbs alfalfa heavy hay in a hay net to slow her down, per day, obviously split between multiple meals. I was able to move away from the Outlast/Constant Comfort with the alfalfa. She is in moderate work, lunged twice by staff, ridden/lunged by myself 2-3 other days of the week. She’s been ulcery from a bute trial this summer, the stress of showing, and a change in boarding facilities. Since supplementing her already decent diet with quality alfalfa, she’s really bloomed.

It’s a myth that it makes horses hot too.