After all the painful struggle i went through i have to share…my horse suffers from chronic hind gut ulcers… we have tried him on all sorts of things… I did so much research and so many trials on all types of supplements and medications but ultimately broke it down to my scientific understanding of hindgut ulcers and how they are formed… hind gut ulcers form after the occurrence of hindgut acidosis, a build up of lactic acid in the hind gut, causing the pH to drop and the environment to become acidic, the acidic environment allows the development of harmful bacteria and hinders the growth of good microbes… after trying the ever pricey “solutions” that never ended up working I ended up putting my guy on a dose of pre and prebiotic AM and PM (specifically smart gut from smartpak PM and sure gut from omega AM) along with equishure from KER… equishure is important in keeping the environment basic and allowing the pre and prebiotics to work on building a healthy environment with good microbes… my guy hasn’t been happier he is back out competing and sound after years of struggle! I needed to share after all the research I did with claimed “cures” this is what really helped! My horses previous owner had spent over 100k trying to solve his issues with the vet, I have had him on all types of medications but now he is truly happy and healthy, he’s now confirmed 3rd level dressage and also jumps! This condition caused us so much heart ache, I hope this can help others! If you have questions about other “cures” ask, I may have tried them… I currently monitor my guys fecal pH when traveling with a pH meter and have done research with other equine counterparts.
If you don’t feed a grain based diet won’t have trouble with hindgut acidosis. Feed a forage based diet and won’t have issues with hindgut ulcers if there’s such a thing…which there is no hard proof of. Blood in manure could come from anywhere in digestive tract.
If hindgut ulcers really do occur show scientific proof, not something from succeed or ker equishure who are both trying to sell a product. Of course they will tell you horses get hindgut ulcers they want you to buy their product. Until i see real proof i don’t buy it.
I am starting to think soy causes colon problems too. I have always fed forage based diet with TC Sr and lots of hay. And I still have hindgut problems.
There is plenty of scientific evidence (hard proof, tazycat’s terms) for the existence of colonic (hindgut) ulcers in horses but they are all based on necropsies. Unfortunately, there is no really reliable way of diagnosing or evaluating them in a living horse, thus making treatment efficacy evaluation and cause determination significantly more difficult. Diagnosis and treatment evaluation can only be based on behavioural observation, which is obviously less reliable than direct observation, but most horse owners aren’t willing to sacrifice their horse for science! Doesn’t mean colonic/hindgut ulcers don’t exist. I have had at least two horses fed a forage based diet with apparent hind gut issues. Acidosis from high grain-based diets may be one cause of hind gut issues, but I doubt they are the only one.
Ugh!! Succeed didn’t work for you?!? :(((( I just put my horse on it…
tazycat, just because there isn’t a direct test for something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
also, grain is not the only cause.
my horse is currently on an almost entirely hay cube/hay diet, just gets a handful of TC senior in the morning (eats hay cubes too slow). he had been fine on this diet with equishure, but lately is having looser/wetter stool again. have added biosponge, but haven’t gotten full resolution and may have to do another course of misoprostol soon (he had that last winter along with all the other meds he was getting for gastric ulcers, it’s really expensive but had a miraculous effect on his long-standing diarrhea). management has not been easy for me…
Wow great post! In regards to lactic acidosis, the lactic acid produced from the beneficial bacteria naturally occurring in the intestines is produced in two forms L and D… D-lactic acidosis is the dangerous kind that causes founder( laminitis) and ulcers. I have only found one probiotic that takes this into consideration and that is HealthyGut from Equa Holistics. Smartpak probiotics are definitely better than Probios, but there is a far superior one available! I do formulating and manufacturing of human probiotics and enzymes…so tomato tamato lol
4horseshan~ not sure how you figure smartpak probiotics are better the probios when smartpaks probiotics only have 750 million CFU. Probios has 10 million CFU.
You contradict yourself in another post you said smartpaks probiotics the pelleting process kills most of the good stuff in it. Then here you turn around and say smartpaks better then probios. When in fact probios is better more CFU per serving.
[QUOTE=tazycat;8998769]
4horseshan~ not sure how you figure smartpak probiotics are better the probios when smartpaks probiotics only have 750 million CFU. Probios has 10 million CFU.
You contradict yourself in another post you said smartpaks probiotics the pelleting process kills most of the good stuff in it. Then here you turn around and say smartpaks better then probios. When in fact probios is better more CFU per serving.[/QUOTE]
Hey Tazy cat. I am happy to clarify! 
750 million cfu>10 million cfu… or am I missing something?
but regardless, horses need billions. 1 billion = 1,000 million
We are debating which is better for your health, coke or pepsi.
Yes, pelleting kills MOST of the probiotics but not all. But it is still superior to Probios(comparing all ingredients in the product and my own insider knowledge). If I gave them a grade Probios would be F and SmartPak would be D–
Keep in mind this is my opinion, everyone has free choice to what they purchase and feed by what works for them and their horse!
