Pop Rocks Users Check In

[atr]

I get an Omeprazole/bismuth powder from my vet which I’m using instead of the pop rocks. I use about a third of a full dose a day, so the $125 pot lasts us for three months.

I assume the bismuth is sufficient of a buffer for the stuff to get where it is supposed to go.

Last week we had a cock-up on the ordering front and we had a few days of rather lean portions and then a couple of days completely out… Of course at the same time a cold front blew through and the barometric pressure went haywire.

Horsie blew up like a balloon. All the old colicky symptoms back again. Gassy, bloaty, swollen sheath, scary mucousy poop, and spooky as hell.

Back on it since Thursday, and now he’s a happy camper again.

[Serigraph]

[QUOTE=pokesaladannie;5860714]
Still waiting for my “replacement” order. Getting worried.[/QUOTE]

I contacted them and they are sending me a replacement order as well. Seems it got returned about 2 weeks after I ordered it due to bad address, but I have ordered from them before with the same address.

Anyway, I do like the product. No the service though.

[rcloisonne]

[QUOTE=Serigraph;5860291]
I do get annoyed with the shipping time though. The first time I ordered, I paid for priority and it took over a month to get. This time I did regular and it’s been 3 months and I still have not received my order.[/QUOTE]
Three months??? :dead: I just ordered some after reading all of the glowing reports from COTHers. This is the first I’ve heard of not getting product. Good grief!

Another thing I’ve not seen reported is I’ve been trying to order the “rocks” for a couple of weeks. I then get emails a week or so later saying payment didn’t go through. According to the pop rocks company, many credit card banks in the US deny payment because the company is in Asia (to prevent fraud). I specifically had to call the bank and allow payment to “MM STORES” (which they would only do for 24 hours). Anyone else have this issue? I’m getting very nervous about all of this.

Hope I get the product. We’re almost done with 30 days of full tube Ulcergard (new OTTB) and I want to continue treatment. Had I read about shipping and not receiving product problems before, I don’t think I would have ordered from this company. What recourse do you have if you don’t get your shipment? None, I’m betting.

[katarine]

I don’t feed them daily. I did a big show this weekend and in preparation he got two packets Th/Fr/Sat- we went to TN Sunday and showed Monday. Two packets each of those days, of course.

He was mellow, happy, forward, easy. No bit chewing in warm up or competition. No holding his breath with worry. So dialed in and easy I literally had tears stinging my eyes he was so good. He ate and drank well, perfect poops- despite torrential pounding rain on a huge stabling complex- he laid down and slept. He looked and is the picture of health.

So, no, he doesn’t get them every day as he doesn’t seem to need them. I use them preshow and prehauling if it’s a long haul. We’ll go to NC the end of Oct to trail ride and he’ll get them Sunday to Sunday for a trip that starts mid week. Works well for us!

[naters]

I’m a bit confused. Are people buying the granules or the tablets?

[deltawave]

I have always used the granules. My trainer has used the pills and not had a problem with horses just eating them, but I prefer the granules.

FWIW, I have made a total of 3 orders (the free trial, the follow up supply, and then another batch of 100) and in each case they’ve arrived trouble-free with consistent email updates in 12-17 days.

[naters]

I’m just so nervous (paranoid?) about handing over my CC number. I would so much rather use paypal.

The vet in NC uses a “compounding pharmacy” and we have been on that powder for a while, seems to work, but the science in me wonders HOW it works if its not coated??

[atr]

Naters, the label on my most recent pot of Omeprazole powder reads “omeprazole/bismuth” which I’m assuming is the buffering agent they use. Seems to work.

[deltawave]

I’m a little puzzled by the rationale of using bismuth as a buffer. Is this bismuth subsalicylate, aka Pepto Bismol? That is in no way, shape, or form a buffer. It simply coats existing ulcers and forms a temporary barrier. Unless there is another formulation that raises stomach pH, I would not expect it to be effective in protecting naked omeprazole through the stomach. Anyone with a chemistry background want to help me out here?

[naters]

I have a chemistry background. I am wondering if the powder is covering up his symptoms, instead of healing the ulcers…

[Frizzle]

I got two orders of the pop rocks and didn’t have any problems with payment or shipping either time. I got mine in about 10-12 days after payment.

I wasn’t sure if my horse had ulcers, but he had a 1,000+ mile trip to get to me (all alone on a huge semi), so I figured I would just give the pop rocks a try. I didn’t see a huge difference in my horse’s behavior like some have, so I’m guessing he didn’t have ulcers. But, hey, it didn’t hurt him any and it didn’t soct me much, so I’m happy. I would definitely use the company again if I ever needed omeprazole.

[rcloisonne]

I’m a chem eng but have very minimal education in biochem. My only experience with bismuth (other than getting extremely ill after taking a dose of Pepto Bismol many moons ago - just seeing that shade of pink makes me want to puke to this day :lol:) is the vanadate form used in coloring plastics.

I can’t imagine why compounding pharmacies are adding any bismuth compound as a “buffer” for omeprazole either. I do know of and have personally tried (on one of my horses) a version where a few grams of calcium carbonate were added. IMO, this method of protecting the drug is inadequate and THE main reason the vast majority of compounded versions of Gastrogard have been ineffective so far.

It sure would be interesting if someone were to run a one or two horse trial on the pop rocks (actual ulcers before and healed ulcers after - both conditions confirmed by gastroscope).

[deltawave]

You’d need a whole lot more than 2 horses to draw meaningful conclusions.

I think the important part of buffering or protecting the omeprazole is in the beginning of therapy, when presumably acid production is on “full go”. Once a number of doses of the drug have been delivered, acid production SHOULD be markedly diminished, making for safer passage (presumably) for the omeprazole. However, I haven’t seen any studies indicating hour-by-hour levels of gastric acid production/stomach pH with omeprazole in horses, who secrete acid non-stop, unlike humans.

That would be what I’d like to see. Ulcers heal no matter what, so visualizing a healed ulcer simply means time has passed and no new ones have formed. If I only had a few horses to study, I’d want to do hourly pH samples with various forms of omeprazole vs. a control over a few days.

Where’s a vet student who needs an easy project?

[rcloisonne]

[QUOTE=deltawave;5862988]
You’d need a whole lot more than 2 horses to draw meaningful conclusions. [/QUOTE]
Well, yes, Delta, I didn’t just fall off the pumpkin truck but am also aware that getting statistically meaningful numbers for a project like this are unlikely. My thought was if only a couple of people would test before and after 30 days of treatment with pop rocks we’d know more than we do now.

I would have done it myself but wound up paying far more than I had anticipated for my new boy and didn’t want to wait to get him started on ulcer treatment. Also had to find a new vet as I haven’t owned a horse in almost 5 years and my previous equine vet is now the state vet. He does have a scope on his truck purchased specifically to check for gastric ulcers in horses. He had scoped my last horse several times over the years. And yes, the old grey mare had ulcers from long term use of bute used to control ERU and chronic laminitis.

[OTTB_FTW]

I use the granules as well, which are bright blue and look like “pop rocks” thus the name on here. I think when the med was discussed on here early on, and a chemist tested it, he/she had also tested the tablets and other products. If interested, you could do a search.

I’ve ordered twice, and have had no problems with ordering, delivery, payment or customer service. I have not ordered it through expedited shipping. First time took 3 weeks, second took just 1 1/2. They probably hired more shipping employees after the forum converted so many people lol. The second time it didn’t come in a secret brown envelope with a handwritten return address. It looked a bit more official and professional lol. The packaging of the product itself, in the envelopes, has always appeared what I would call “normal” medication packaging.

[FormerShowHunter]

Anyone have extra packets they aren’t going to use? PM me if you do. They worked great for my guy after an injury and heavy NSAIDs. Now he is on NSAIDs again for another injury and I would like to have some on hand.

[horsepoor]

@OTTB FTW;5863963

I use the granules as well, which are bright blue and look like “pop rocks” thus the name on here. I think when the med was discussed on here early on, and a chemist tested it, he/she had also tested the tablets and other products. If interested, you could do a search.

If this is the thread you are thinking of about testing the pellets, this person only tested the enteric coating, not the actual drug. http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=293029

The blue pop rocks name never really caught on with me – I much prefer spray-painted kitty litter (was it deltawave that coined that phrase?).:lol:

[deltawave]

I do use the term “colored kitty litter” when I’m musing about getting rich producing and marketing some miracle supplement that contains nothing in particular, costs 5 cents to produce and sells for $100 a month! :lol: But I’ve been beaten to the punch by so many others . . . :rolleyes:

[pixie]

MP: your horse sounds like a good candidate for a product called Succeed…It helps alot with horses that are prone to gas colic.

[deltawave]

Yes, exactly. See my previous post. :lol: