I know there are tons of ulcer threads but I wanted to see if anyone has ever used this for ulcers? I have a 6 year old OTTB that has been off the track for a little over a year and I feel like I’m losing the battle with ulcers. He had a weeks worth of Gastro Guard followed by a generic omeprazole paste that is made in SC for a month. ( I cant remember the name) He seemed to improve quite a bit but since he now that he no longer gets it he seems to be getting worse. I know he should of slowly been weaned off of it … He seems to be biting at his sides quite a bit, pins his ears when grooming, girthy, cant use a lot of leg on him or he kicks out and pins his ears. I havent had him scoped but considering his backround and symptoms I wanted to try a full treatment that his known to be effective and continue a maintenance dose before looking into other problems. I cant afford to pay for Gastro Guard currently but I have a read a few things about slippery elm but havent found anything about dosing, i know that Omeprazole is the only effective way of healing ulcers but I would like to relieve him of some pain. I have also been considering the blue pop rocks everyone has been talking about but I feel like convicing my trainer of something that has not been mentioned by a vet may not seem easy.
What do you feed and how often? What are his living conditions like?
Isn’t it your horse? Treat him with whatever you choose. I’d think it pretty odd to choose an untested remedy over a pharmaceutical with known effects, side effects, safety profile, etc.
If omeprazole is not in the budget, ranitidine is quite inexpensive, a proven remedy with very well-described safety and efficacy data, and quite effective.
Omeprazole is NOT the only way to heal ulcers. Ulcers heal if the pH of the stomach is kept high enough and things that injure the stomach are eliminated. This can be accomplished in many ways, including keeping hay in front of the horse, the use of antacids, minimizing grain, avoiding NSAIDs, feeding alfalfa and corn oil (small studies show benefits of both in horses with ulcers) and using pharmaceuticals, including omeprazole but also ranitidine, sucralfate, and others.
Well, slippery elm is a longstanding treatment for GI irritataion, and does have a demulcent effect.
I wouldn’t call it unproven, per se.
Have you tried Gastra FX (Omega Alpha)? It has Slippery Elm in it along with a few other ingredients. Heard nothing but good things about it.
i have not tried slippery elm but here is a lot of things i have done that have made a huge difference in my show horse:
-freedom feeder restricted free choice hay net - mimicks pasture grazing, extremely easy to use, and safe (fb page below for more info)
-compounded buffered omeprazole from precision pharmacy (blue pop rocks work very similarly)
-1/4 scoop alfalfa pellets before riding to absorb acid and keep it from splashing in the stomach in the unlined part of the stomach
-low starch feed
-gastrogard or ranitidine before deworming - infact, just do fecals and don’t deworm if not necessary
I have gone through a lot of rounds of 28d gastrogard…i finally spent about a year researching and this is the best plan i have come up with and my horse is on a full show schedule and has been healthy for over a year now since changing his diet and the way he eats hay
This product contains slippery Elm, as well as other good stuff, but not the metals most ulcer meds have.
http://www.depaoloequineconcepts.com/product/excel.aspx
I use this for my horse after doing the gastroguard. I also eliminated grain, feed alfalfa pellets instead, added MagRestore, more turn out, and small hole hay bags for constant hay nibbling. His symptoms (cinchy, crabby & poor canter) have not returned.
With my experience, the Ranitidine helped but every time I tried taking him off of them, his symptoms returned 
So I went with the full month of Omeprazole (pop rocks) and slowly weaned him off of those, and started maintenance. I reduced his grain and made sure he had hay before I rode him, and added Slippery Elmer to his Probiotics. Also gave him alfalfa cubes soaked with warm water the days I’m there (5 days/week+) He has been good (totally back to himself) for almost a month, but is starting to act ulcery again. I ordered the EXCEL ^^^ link up above, it should be here tomorrow. Hoping all the added stuff in it will help. It’s about the same cost as straight slippery elm and is dosed out, which is nice. I plan on putting him back on pop-rocks during competition season, but was hoping to do maintenance with a more natural approach…I’ll let you know how the EXCEL goes… Definitely recommend the BLUE POP ROCKS. What a difference!
two places for ulcers?
it is my understanding that ulcers can occur in the front part of the stomach and also in the part of the colon that scoping can’t reach. i think some horses get treated for front end ulcers through the use of gastrogard, but that medicine doesn’t reach the hind end. agree? disagree? thanks!
I have used straight slippery elm, and I have had success with it but extremely subtle on very subtle cases on my horses (ie poop looks a little dry, perhaps tummy thing) nothing nearly as extreme as biting at the sides, or girthiness or ear pinning.
If he improved so much with the GG then do that or consider the pop rocks, don’t waste your or his time fooling with a lesser product. And I agree, if its your horse then what you choose to treat him with is ultimately your decision not your trainers.
I went the other way around and started experimenting with slippery elm for my cribbing 14yo OTTB. Supplements like OmegaAlpha and Smartpak didn’t appear to have much slippery elm in them. I opted for the straight powder (from the health food store) so that I would know what he was getting.
I saw recommendations anywhere from 1 tsp to 1 Tb - I just added 1 Tb to his feed daily. He was starting to eat “around” it after a week or two, but his cribbing decreased enough that I decided to take the plunge with a 4-week course of omeprazole. His cribbing improved immensely, and I’m inclined to continue with 1 tsp or so of slippery elm, with an eye to re-running the omeprazole course if things worsen.
My trainer thought it was silly, but it can’t hurt and might help - the only downside I see is that it isn’t as potent as the omeprazole.
I use this one.
1 tbs at each feeding.
http://www.vitadigest.com/groc-089836006585.html
and I use Horsetech products.
Amiquell is for the tummy.
here is the product label.
http://horsetech.com/PDF-Labels/Amiquell-label-for-PDF.pdf
http://www.smartpakequine.com/pdfs/smartsupplements/SmartGut_Pellets_28.pdf
http://www.finishlinehorse.com/product/u7.asp
http://www.omegaalphaequine.com/products-gastra-fx.php
http://www.uckeleequine.com/buy/gut10/
http://horsegold.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=46
I am battling ulcers in my 10 year old TB now as well. I can’t afford to do a round of GastroGuard right now, so I have been doing slippery elm (1 tablespoon 2x/day) and aloe vera juice (1/2 cup 2x/day). I saw an immediate and huge difference with adding the aloe vera juice, not as much with the slippery elm, though I’m continuing to feed it. The aloe vera juice supposedly simulates the protective mucus in their gut. I liked that I saw immediate results from that, and I think it costs me less than $40 a month. I buy a gallon of aloe vera juice from the health food store and mix it with my horse’s grain. The slippery elm I ordered from herbalcom.com. I ordered a bag about 6 weeks ago and still have about a third left! Both treatments are very cost effective, but I don’t think they will cure ulcers on their own. They will just help control the symptoms and make the horse more comfortable. I am adding Succeed to my horse’s diet in hopes it will lead to even better results. I’ve also heard excellent things about ABC’s (Advanced Biological Concepts) Pre-Bio for digestive issues. It is basically the same thing as KAM Animal Services’ KLPP, it is only one ingredient different and about half the price. It’s also good for treating colic, but that’s another thread 
Good luck with your horse!
GastriX contains both aloe juice and slippery elm. I don’t know about obtaining it from a supply house. We got it from our vet. It worked well for us. I believe we used 1 cup poured over the feed once a day. Good luck with your horse!
I have a gorgeous Mare. OTT. Ive Had her since xmas. She had Symptoms of an Ulcer. Very touchy at girth, I could not touch her there at all and when i touched her girth area or tummy she twitched really bad and would turn to bite me. My first attempt to touch her tummy she Bit me so hard and threw me on the ground and gave me a hematoma. It was Very painful, im still healing. I didnt believe she meant to hurt me so took notice of her daily symptoms and moods. She was uncomfortable under the saddle, bit at her tummy alot and also grinded her teeth. Yes i had a dentist come out she drank water after every mouthful of food and seemed a bit depressed. Now She is very spoilt and looked after. She lives at home in my yard and gets constant love and attention. Shes my Angel xx Well i did alot of research and decided to try the Slippery elm powder. I give 1 small TBS every morning mixed in her wet feed. Within 2 weeks shes absolutely amazing. A huge difference. I can touch her tummy, theres no biting at all when i do her girth up and she no longer grinds her teeth or drinks water after every mouthful of food. Shes great under ssddle and now lets me lay down with her. I highly recommend Slippery Elm Powder. It has many benefits. I dont suggest any dosage as im unsure as every horse is diffetent. But i give her 1 small heeped TBS every morning. Which works well and wow shes so Happy Highly recommend slippery elm xx
FWIW I have a history of severe gastrits/ulcers and taking slippery elm has made a huge difference.
