Outlast vs. aliment

[shadesofbay3]

after my horse’s mild colic, i am putting her on a GI support, and these are my vet’s recommendations.

i really prefer a pellet, but don’t know if my barn would be okay feeding 3-4 times a day (she would be out, and they only feed 2x a day). i work full time and can’t do it every day. and i don’t think i can just double the dose

i worry she would stick her nose up at a liquid topping and reject her other food. she is already on prascend and didn’t like when i tried oil on her food.

anyone have experience with either of these? i wish there was a smartpak option

[Feathered_Feet]

Which GI support? Does it HAVE to be given 4 times a day? Or does it just say that would be ideal? Some liquids are tastier than others, so knowing exactly what you are considering would be helpful. As far as I know, there are a ton of smarkpak GI options. None of those would work for you?

[Obsidian_Fire]

SmartGut Ultra. It is kinda spendy, but when I used it I really did think it worked.

[JB]

@Feathered_Feet

Does it HAVE to be given 4 times a day? Or does it just say that would be ideal?

Outlast should be given in 4 servings a day to provide more full-time stomach support.

Alimend, Relyne, and Gut-X are very similar products (Gut-X is the cheapest of those) and used once a day, but some horses are put off by the gel-like consistency and/or smell/taste. The “liquid” also gets pretty thick when it’s cold, or at least the Gut-X does.

@shadesofbay3 there are a lot of SmartPack options. What is the current diet? Tweaking that might help as well.

[shadesofbay3]

i would love to go with smartpak, but would like to stay with what my vet recommended and she didn’t say anything about smartpak … i hate to bug her again as i’ve been having to talk to her a lot the past couple days

i see that some people do outlast 2x a day and that’s what my plan is. im going to stay away from alimend bc i think she will then she nose up at the gel

[JB]

keep in mind that in vet circles, they often only know what vets have created - Alimend, Relyne.

Alimend and Outlast are entirely different products.

Outlast works via contact with the stomach acid, which is why it only lasts for up to 6 hours, which is why full coverage requires 4 servings a day. It is a gastric support product, it won’t support the hind gut.

Alimend (and Relyne and Gut-X) is more systemic in nature, with the hyaluronic acid and beta glucan affecting the body to make “improvements” to the gut lining.

SmartGut Ultra uses ingredients that have valid research behind them, like slippery elm, licorice, glutamine, and will also work more systemically to support the whole tract.

[shadesofbay3]

outlast vs alimend were her recommendations (see title)… i would love to stick with smartpak, but she didn’t recommend or mention those. i don’t want to do a liquid/gel so that rules out alimend … i know my barn won’t do 4x/day for outlast, but it looks like the instructions for outlast say “flexible feeding” so i could get away with 2x/day. i just want to stick with something my vet recommends

[shadesofbay3]

so you think smart gut is better? if i can’t do outlast 4x/day?

[JB]

@shadesofbay3

i would love to stick with smartpak, but she didn’t recommend or mention those.

The actual issue is - vets recommend what they know, and what they have seen to work. Often, in cases of supplements, they don’t know why they work. Most vets aren’t regular readers of online catalogs to see what’s out there, so most really don’t know what feeds or supplements exist, much less how they are formulated, to even make suggestions.

Meaning - they can’t suggest what they don’t know about.

Which means doing what you’re doing - crowd-sourcing for alternatives that may still fit what you are looking for.

@shadesofbay3

i know my barn won’t do 4x/day for outlast, but it looks like the instructions for outlast say “flexible feeding” so i could get away with 2x/day.

If your goal is (near) 24 hour support for the stomach, then 2 doses of Outlast won’t do it
If your goal is support for the stomach AND the hind gut, or even just the hind gut, Outlast won’t do it.

@shadesofbay3

i just want to stick with something my vet recommends

But then why are you asking about alternatives from SmartPack?

@shadesofbay3

so you think smart gut is better? if i can’t do outlast 4x/day?

If you want to support the whole GI, don’t want a liquid/gel, then yes, I think SmartGut Ultra as a pellet is a perfectly viable option to try. The research supports its formulation, which is more than can be said about a lot of supplements.

The thing is - if you’re using this for prevention, you won’t know if any of these work if there wouldn’t be any issues if you weren’t using anything. 1 colic doesn’t mean there’s an underlying issue.

A series of colics may mean there’s an underlying issue that isn’t related to how he’s fed or managed, and that’s a much better situation to try for prevention.

[Feathered_Feet]

lol that makes so much more sense. Did not make the connection that those were the two your vet was recommending. Excuse me while I go have another cup of coffee

My poor reading comprehension aside, I agree with JB - Outlast is for targeted stomach pH alterations - the other one is just a GI support supplement. I wouldn’t put the two in the same bucket. Did the vet think the horse’s colic was ulcer- or pH-related? If not, I don’t think I would worry too much about either of these supplements. But if you wanted to do something preemptive, I would go the general GI support route (so something like Alimend, but as JB said, there are a few options in that category).

[shadesofbay3]

we think it was related to a long trip and/or sedation that occurred at a vet visit at the end of that trip. regardless my thought was that adding any sort of support would be a good thing, but apparently that might not be the case? im going to follow up w my vet on monday

[JB]

With that sort of known potential cause, I wouldn’t be too quick to add daily support.

Outlast before and during a potentially stressful situation would be more useful.

[EmilyM]

I use Alimend and my fussy eaters eat it. Anecdotally my friend groomed for a show barn w. Horse who had mild colics they thought related Tlingit ulcers. He stopped having episodes on alimend. When they took him off Alimend, they started again. They put him back on it and he was ok. I realize this is a sample size of one.

[four2farm]

Outlast is a great product and my gelding came to me with ulcers and has been on it since diagnosis. We scoped him again last month and he is totally clear. He gets grain w/ outlast 2x daily, free choice hay and his treat ball. I put 2 cups of Alfalfa/Timothy pellets, 3 Outlast treats and 1 peppermint in his overnight treat ball. He gets that at lights out. During the day he gets 3 Outlast treats around lunch when some one walks by his paddock. The Outlast treats are reasonable and it’s easy to find someone who will hand out three cookies at lunch, I also provide other treats in a waterproof bucket by the gate for his paddock mates… Funny that group is really easy to catch.

[amm2cd]

I feed Outlast 2x per day to my entire barn. My herd is also outside on grass pasture for 8-12 hours and lead an otherwise low stress life.
I like it. I didn’t notice a huge improvement when everyone started on it, but I definitely notice when someone has been taken off of it for a meal or two.
I do up the feeding when trailering, clinics, shows, etc to 4 times a day.