Hey! Looking for a daily supplement for my OTTB. I’ve got a few in mind-
U-Guard
Ulc-R-Aid
SmartGut
G.U.T.
Anyone have experience with these? I’d love more suggestions or feedback before I try one!
I’ve just switched my OTTB from U Gard to GUT. U Gard is more buffering, with large quantities of calcium. GUT has a little more punch to it, with NO calcium. Smart Pak has a really neat comparison tool where you can see them and their ingredients side by side. It’s how I made my decision to swap to GUT for my horse’s needs.
!Disclaimer! I do work for the company that makes the following product:
Alimend is fantastic, especially if you’re looking to use a product on a daily basis. There are even studies done by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute that I can speak with you about. Private message me and I would be happy to talk with you about the science behind it. 
Thank you Courtneykell189, I literally have switched ALL of my supplements to AniMed so I am super curious about this one!
Actually, that’s a different company, haha. Our product is called ALIMEND. It’s different from the above products because it doesn’t work as an antacid. It can also have pro-joint health benefits as well, which is always a plus!
Bahaha awesome! I sent you a message about Animed BUT I’d like to know more about your real product, Alimend!!
I have been using GUT for several months. It has so many great ingredients and is inexpensive to feed. I bought a 10 pound pail from SLT with their ever-present 25% discount. It’s showing the price at $129.74. That’s about 320 scoops and I use 1-2 scoops per day.
http://www.statelinetack.com/item/uckele-gut/E004263/
If I need an actual buffer I will use generic TUMS. You get way more buffer for your buck compared to U-gard. I did the math once and I was shocked. One ounce of u-gard has 1700 mg calcium/magnesium. Two of these is 2,000 mg calcium carbonate:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-Ultra-Strength-Antacid-Chewable-Tablets-1000mg-160-count/21082592
Just a suggestion to the OP. While I don’t disagree with having to use an ulcer treatment protocol for an OTTB, I do believe that ulcer therapy should be on a temporary basis and not long term. Once treated and corrected, IMO, the best ulcer prevention protocol is a feed/supplementation program built around quality forage in the diet, as well as 24 hour access to forage.
If you are having to continually add a supplement or digestive aid to your horse’s diet to prevent an ulcer from reoccurring, you may want to reevaluate the current diet and feeding practices. JMO
Brian, I’m with you. I have a degree in Equine Science & Management and work in the industry. I’m definitely up on all of what you’re saying. I just got this horse and would like something the first month or so to ease the transition for him.
That’s what I like about GUT – its ingredients support healthy gut function versus an antacid or PPI that treat ulcers. Since it is not an antacid it doesn’t interfere with normal digestion.
[QUOTE=Brian;8546864]
Just a suggestion to the OP. While I don’t disagree with having to use an ulcer treatment protocol for an OTTB, I do believe that ulcer therapy should be on a temporary basis and not long term. Once treated and corrected, IMO, the best ulcer prevention protocol is a feed/supplementation program built around quality forage in the diet, as well as 24 hour access to forage.
If you are having to continually add a supplement or digestive aid to your horse’s diet to prevent an ulcer from reoccurring, you may want to reevaluate the current diet and feeding practices. JMO[/QUOTE]
While I don’t disagree, you have to remember that some horses just benefit from the great ingredients in more comprehensive gut supplements like G.U.T and the likes. My horse is on a 100% forage based diet with alfalfa, and free choice timothy/alfalfa/orchard blend hay, and receives a multivitamin to make up the difference in what the forage doesn’t offer. He still requires a supplement to regulate his stomach and hind gut and without either supplement would be very uncomfortable. He’s been treated for Ulcers, and these supplements support him in ways that his diet, as good as it is, cannot.
[QUOTE=LarkspurCO;8546906]
That’s what I like about GUT – its ingredients support healthy gut function versus an antacid or PPI that treat ulcers. Since it is not an antacid it doesn’t interfere with normal digestion.[/QUOTE]
This is what convinced me to make the switch to GUT! My horse was getting plenty of calcium, but lacked the other great ingredients that support stomach health. I was elated when I saw GUT and saw it didn’t contain obscene amounts of calcium, something I’m trying to cut down on since my horse eats a primarily alfalfa based diet.
Thank you! One Two Three and LarkspurCO, I’m going to go with GUT first! This is exactly the feedback I was hoping for.
[QUOTE=One Two Three;8546944]
While I don’t disagree, you have to remember that some horses just benefit from the great ingredients in more comprehensive gut supplements like G.U.T and the likes. My horse is on a 100% forage based diet with alfalfa, and free choice timothy/alfalfa/orchard blend hay, and receives a multivitamin to make up the difference in what the forage doesn’t offer. He still requires a supplement to regulate his stomach and hind gut and without either supplement would be very uncomfortable. He’s been treated for Ulcers, and these supplements support him in ways that his diet, as good as it is, cannot.[/QUOTE]
If I recall correctly, the alfalfa your horse is on is a pellet, is it not? About 14 lbs per day if memory serves me correctly. I don’t know your reasoning for this, but in most cases, the primary cause for supplementing with alfalfa pellets is to compensate for sub par hay. If your timothy/alfalfa/orchard blend was of high enough quality, there shouldn’t have been a need to supplement almost 50% of the forage intake with pellets. That’s precisely my point regarding building a diet around a quality forage. The diet you have your horse on may be based upon an all forage diet, but that’s not the same as being based upon a quality forage diet.
A horse chewing 14 lbs of alfalfa pellets is not going to produce the same amount of saliva as it would if it were chewing 14 lbs of high quality long stem alfalfa. Some people soak alfalfa pellets to make a mash. How many times do you think the horse will chew a mash before it swallows? I think sometimes, the importance of saliva production and what it does in the digestive process in the horse is grossly underestimated by horse owners. IMO, that could be the very difference between needing a gut supplement or not.
Sorry, I just don’t believe it makes sense to put together a feed program for a horse that requires a supplement to be added to prevent or fix a problem potentially caused by the feed program itself.
I’d be very interested in reading the scientific studies that support GUT’s claims.
Brian, I think you’re confusing me with someone else (unless youre referring to One Two Three) . My horses both receive 6-8 substantial flakes of a nice grass mix per day & when I need to supplement with alfalfa pellets or cubes, I don’t use a lot–maybe a few lbs at most. Both horses are also turned out on grass from 7am to 6pm, so they get plenty of forage.
I didn’t notice any improvement with G.U.T. I started Omeprazole (BPR) and that made a tremendous difference. When I wean her off the Omeprazole, I’ll likely go with one of the more expensive SmartPak ulcer supplements, which were effective with a previous horse.
YMMV
[QUOTE=chelzee22;8547155]
Brian, I think you’re confusing me with someone else (unless youre referring to One Two Three) . My horses both receive 6-8 substantial flakes of a nice grass mix per day & when I need to supplement with alfalfa pellets or cubes, I don’t use a lot–maybe a few lbs at most. Bo5th horses are also turned out on grass from 7am to 6pm, so they get plenty of forage.[/QUOTE]
I thought my post was directed at One Two Three. That was who I quoted.
I wouldn’t expect GUT to help much with an active case of ulcers. For that I use omeprazole.
[QUOTE=Brian;8547133]
Some people soak alfalfa pellets to make a mash. How many times do you think the horse will chew a mash before it swallows? I think sometimes, the importance of saliva production and what it does in the digestive process in the horse is grossly underestimated by horse owners. IMO, that could be the very difference between needing a gut supplement or not. [/QUOTE]
I doubt most people give it much thought at all, let alone underestimate it. I know some horses that just can’t chew hay anymore because their teeth are bad, but they seem to do fine on a pelleted diet. I guess it’s better than being emaciated (or dead).
Has anyone measured the difference in saliva production in a diet that includes a few pounds of soaked feed in addition to regular forage? Is there a significant difference?
If the horse produces enough saliva produced is sufficient to break down and swallow the soaked pellets, why would they contribute to ulcers?
[QUOTE=LarkspurCO;8546906]
That’s what I like about GUT – its ingredients support healthy gut function versus an antacid or PPI that treat ulcers. Since it is not an antacid it doesn’t interfere with normal digestion.[/QUOTE]
My horse has very mild ulcer-like symptoms due to Cushings. I like GUT because it’s like a conditioner for the stomach, not an ulcer treatment. If my horse had full-blown ulcers, I’d use standard treatments. Looking at reviews on SP, someone mentioned that sups like U-Guard contain aluminum; not sure why that is bad but a lot of them have it.
My horse’s NQR, very mild occasional colic-like episodes have not returned while using GUT.
