I know That most don’t want to use omeprazole long-term. However I know that there are some horses out there that get a low dose daily for prevention of ulcers. for those whom use daily Omeprazole do you use gastrogard or have you had any success with compounded Omeprazole for prevention?
Thanks in advance!
If you’re open to other options, there are products on the market that can be used daily and are a lot more friendly to your pocketbook.
Uckele’s G.U.T. has gotten a lot of good reviews, and I’ve had success with a product called Jeramiah’s ulcer remover.
I was honestly a bit skeptical about JUR, but figured it was worth a try. After all, 3-months of JUR was the price of 1-week on Omeprazole! ** I will note that I did not have my horse scoped so I have no veterinary proof that ulcers are healed/healing. My comments are just based on before/after observations of classic signs of ulcers in my horse, and is basically symptom-free after a month on JUR.
For what it is worth, I attended a presentation by UlcerGuard and this is my take away. Feeding Omeprazole in another format doesn’t have the same effect. I don’t remember the details, but the carriers in UlcerGuard are part of what makes it work. Once ulcers are cleared there are only a few preventatives (per the presentation) that are scientifically proven to prevent ulcers. One is Purina Outlast. That is what I have been using and all seems well. Prior to that I had been using aloe Vera juice which has no science behind it. Also shared at this presentation, Merial’s UlcerGuard and GastroGuard are the same product, but because of the different dosing, they had to be approved and labeled separately. This is what I remember from the presentation; hopefully my memory is working well.
Good takeaway, this is exactly what my vet described to me. After long discussion, we decided not to scope, but to treat. You are the third person I heard mention Outlast (including my vet), so I think I may try it.
Long term PPI use is contraindicated in humans - though that doesn’t stop many many people from being on PPIs long term, myself included :rolleyes: - so, while I don’t know whether there have been equine studies about long term use, I would tend to try to avoid it, though I know many people use omperazole/ulcerguard/gastroguard on a maintenance basis.I believe there is actual data on longterm use having a negative effect on the hindgut of the horse, but don’t have it at the tip of my fingers to reference.
The only successful approach I personally have found in managing an ulcery horse is to a) treat the ulcers with gastroguard, and b) make the necessary lifestyle changes to prevent the consistent flare up of ulcers. For my horse that’s less stall time, truly constant access to forage, NO sugar in the diet, and group turnout instead of individual. I’ve known others who improved with just better managing their forage access - slow feed nets in turnout/stall etc. Or a different turnout setup, etc. etc.
If ulcers are a recurrent problem, something in the management of the horse is not working.
Thanks my horse was scoped and treated but the internal medicine specialist who have seen him recommend a 1/4 daily for prevention. That’s also what the university said when they scoped him. I have kept him on 1/4 tube of gastrogard since 2017. I have very mixed feelings on the matter but to my vets and the internal medicine specialist That’s not a concern. I have also often wondered about hind gut ulcers. He holds his weight and has normal manure I am not sure if that’s an issue or not. My main concern is the cost of gastrogard. I know compounded are not considered effective but I also know one horse i’m healed whom successfully healed glandular ulcers using the compounded as confirmed by before and after scope. A Vet tech I know told me that every horse response to treatment a little differently.
I have tried many supplements. I live in Canada so cannot get Parina outlast or ulcer guard which really sucks.
Did he have a recurrence or did they recommend 1/4 tube daily after just one occurrence/treatment? Seems a tad excessive unless he had a recurrence of ulcers as soon as you took him off the gastrogard. My horse was scoped and treated and after we ended her treatment, the vet recommended 1/4 tube/day for 3 days around stressful events. So, if you go to a show, do 1/4 tube day before, day of, and day after.
The horse had been treated and scoped a year later showing ulcers. He had no clinical signs at the time of the scope though. I cannot definitively tell when he has ulcers or not. In fact he’s no different During a gastrogard treatment than he is after he scopes clean. He Did have some colics back in 2015 which were likely caused by ulcers.
Long term use can contribute to hind gut acidosis.
If you’re looking to use something proactively, I might suggest sucralfate or ranitidine. But the correct administration of those medications can be daunting (3x day, 8 hrs apart, 2 hrs after or 1 hr before any grain meal). Cheaper though.
You can speak with your vet about other supplements or additives. Like U7 from Finish Line, alfalfa (because of the higher calcium = soothing properties), or others…
Personally, I’m against treating with omeprazole much beyond the 30 day typical Rx.
There might be something else going on when the ulcers are reappearing with no obvious environmental cause. THAT would be where I’d start the talk with your vet 
The reason long term use of PPIs are not recommended in humans, is that it can lead to gastroparesis. This has not been studied in horses, and your vet may not even be aware of the risk in humans. Are the treatments being done before he is fed? PPIs aren’t as effective if not timed correctly. I have used U-Guard before, but it isn’t meant to treat ulcers, just to prevent them. Our vet has had some success with Summit’s compounded Omeprazole, so that may be a more cost effective “treatment”
Could you please explain what gastroparesis refers to ?
I picked up some Outlast the last time I went to the States, and it’s AMAZING stuff. Do you know anyone who may be crossing that could bring some back for you?
Do you ever get to Nanaimo or Duncan? I could give you some to try if you do!
Gastroparesis is when the muscles that move food out of the stomach stop working or slow down considerably. In humans it causes nausea, stomach pains, and vomiting. There is no cure, and it does not reverse once the medication stops.
@tatertots , how do you/did you use the JUR? Do you feed it every day, like long-term, or did you do 90 days and stop? Did your horse like eating it?
What exactly does this mean? Carriers are there to make sure the active ingredient makes it to where it needs to be, and no destroyed in the stomach. There are several mechanisms by which that can be accomplished, including encapsulating and buffering (and I don’t know how all that works LOL). Encapsulated Abprazole pellets, and buffered Abprazole paste, as well as encapsulated esomeprazole, all get the job done. No, those don’t work for all horses, but neither does GG/UG, and quite a few people have scoped to show that the alternatives did the job.
You can’t just take straight omeprazole (people can’t either), if that’s what they really meant.
@hillary again - 1 scoop with evening grain (scoop provided w/supp). I think the manufacturer says you can start 2x/day for the first week, but I didn’t. It supports both fore- and hind-gut health, which is not something you can find with omeprazole. My horse can be a bit finicky about supplements, so the grain & powder were mixed together with a sprinkle of water and that did that trick! Clean bucket every time.
I bought a 3-month supply and plan to feed until it runs out, then reassess if it’s needed on a daily basis or if it’s seasonal thing.
Gastrogard (and Ulcergard) are the only products that treat hind gut ulcers. And this is due to the carrier agent.
I’m to the point with my horses that I can just tell if they might benefit from omeprazole, and I will do 15-30 days of a generic paste or the compound.
I scope my horses pretty frequently because this is something I’m interested in, and my vet is always impressed with the gut condition of my horses. I have seen many scope videos of other horses and it’s fascinating what some horses stomachs look like!
omeprazole not only doesn’t treat hind gut issues at all, carrier agent or not, it can make hind gut issues worse.
I’ve scoped before and after… with results (ulcerations pretty much non existent after). 30 days Gastrogard, 1 tube per day.
I was told by many vets that it’s the only one that will treat hind gut ulcers.
What are your thoughts?
Scoping doesn’t see the hind gut.
I was told by many vets that it’s the only one that will treat hind gut ulcers.
What are your thoughts?
My thoughts are as per above, which are based on the science and facts of omeprazole. Omeprazole is a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) which causes the PPs for the stomach acid production to lower their production. That’s the stomach, aka gastric section of the GI system. The hind gut is way on back there, and the effect of lowering acid production up front, means more food gets less of a head-start on digestion up front, which makes the hind gut have to do more work, and it’s not designed to do some of that work (well). This is what can lead to hind gut issues.
I don’t know who is telling you this, but either they don’t know know what “hind gut ulcers” really means, or don’t at all understand how omeprazole works. Or both.
And if that really is "many vets’, that’s just one more reason I distrust most vets when it comes to things of this nature, until they prove to me they do know. And in a case like this, the labeling of Gastro/Ulcergard is full of mention of gastric acid and gastric lesions and healing of ulcers in the stomach.
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