Psyllium for hindgut ulcers?

[marisa_e]

My horse has been odd and reactive under saddle the last 4-5 rides, and while I wait until the saddle fitter comes out to cross that off the list, I’ve been coming up with every possible diagnosis (I don’t think it’s SI anymore, probably not lyme due to where I live, feet are good, etc).

This horse gets 7 days of psyllium every month because he’s fed hay on sandy soil, and he sometimes spills his grain everywhere and cleans it up from the dirt. He just finished the 7th day for this month today. The last couple weeks, he has been having multiple soft, sometimes liquidy poo starting when I crosstie him and lasting until the end of our ride. He’d go ~10-20 minutes between poos, and they would become more and more soft. He’s a nervous horse and still holds a lot of tension u/s (something we are always working on), so I chalked it up to that.

HOWEVER, when I lunged him today, he had one poo in the crossties and one small but very solid poo while working, and that was it. I usually have to clean up 3-4 piles from the arena, but I only had the one today. Makes me think it’s correlated with the psyllium.

I’ve suspected ulcers since this horse came to me. He’s on 1 scoop of UGard/day, but that wouldn’t do anything for hindgut ulcers. Have any of you heard of psyllium drastically improving hindgut ulcers (maybe due to the fiber)? Also would hindgut ulcers account for erratic but quite extreme discomfort while working? He is in excellent condition otherwise (holds weight, coat is glossy, etc)

[Fharoah]

U guard would help with the symptoms but I don’t think likely cure Ulcers.You may want to consider scoping to see if he does have any gastric ulcers.

[Obsidian_Fire]

Ulcers in the stomach, and ulcers in the hindgut, are 2 different things, and are treated differently. You could try a short course of Ulcerguard, and see if there’s any improvement. That’s the stomach. For the hindgut, treatment is much different.
Psyllium is a type of ‘bulking agent’ - what it does when wet is turn into a gelatinous mass. The theory is that it will pick up ‘debris’ in the stomach and pull it through the digestive tract and out the other end.

Hindgut ulcers, or right dorsal colitis: Recommended to pull all long stem forage and replace with a wet diet - soaked pellets (not even cubes) & a complete feed such as a senior feed. You want the gut to “rest” from all the long stem “scratchy” fiber coming thru, which allows the lesions to heal. Adding something like psyllium or chia seeds or ground flax - they all form a gelatinous mass - supposedly helps to coat the intestinal wall and protect it.
Diet needs to be followed roughly 6 weeks-ish (honestly I would consult with a vet!) and then gradually reintroduce hay.

[joiedevie99]

To add to the confusion, Gastroguard (for stomach ulcers) can make hindgut ulcers worse, and is much less effective against glandular and pyloric stomach ulcers and non-glandular stomach ulcers and ulcers on the margo.

For those reasons, I’d scope and come up with a real treatment plan for what the horse has rather than just trying things.

[cnd8]

My horse has hindgut ulcers and a dianosis of “maldigestion.” The specialists at the equine hospital put him on Assure Guard Gold, partly because of the included psyllium. Yes, it helps with the inflammation in the hindgut.

[greysfordays]

@joiedevie99

To add to the confusion, Gastroguard (for stomach ulcers) can make hindgut ulcers worse, and is much less effective against glandular and pyloric stomach ulcers and non-glandular stomach ulcers and ulcers on the margo.

For those reasons, I’d scope and come up with a real treatment plan for what the horse has rather than just trying things.

Exactly!!! Please scope!!! So much more effective than just treating with GG, bc you know exactly WHAT you need to treat and can get a much better sense for how long. Especially heading into the colder months when you’re wondering what could be causing the spooking.