I’m moving my horse to a new barn this week, and want to give him some UlcerGuard in the hopes of preventing the development of ulcers as a result from this move. He’s always been a higher anxiety horse and I think this move is going to stress him out (he’s never shown any symptoms or been diagnosed, just preventative measures).
I’m thinking I give 1 tube morning of the move (he will be leaving mid afternoon), 1 tube on day 2, a 1/2 tube on day 3/4, and a 1/4 tube on day 5/6/7/8. Wondering if this makes sense? Does he need a tube the day before the move as well to ensure that it’s in his system? Anything you would do differently? He will be getting the UlcerGuard on an empty stomach at the new barn prior to breakfast, and I’ll do my best to limit what’s in his tummy prior to administering at the old barn but not sure how effective that will be.
That’s not how ulcergard works. I would dose it as directed on the tube which for most horses is 1/4 tube per day. I would start 3-4 days ahead of time though a week or two after he arrives
1 dose of Ulcerguard is 1/4 tube for a horse between 600 and 1200lbs.
See manufacturers label HERE
See manufacturer dosages HERE
I would start at least 3 days before your move, as Omeprazole works by decreasing acid production. It needs time to build and work. Because your horse is of the higher anxiety type, I would continue the regimen for a full 28 days from start date. That would ensure your horse has protection through those first weeks he is in his new environment.
I know the dosage on the tube is 4 doses per tube however everywhere I’ve worked has done the treatment dose (a full tube) for several days when moving and always a full tube for shows. I’ve worked at local barns through FEI. So I’m a little confused!
What the previous posters said - follow the instructions, regardless what an entire barn full of people think, in this instance:)
I recently acquired a 26 yr old retired show WB show jumper as a pasture mate. He traveled 1,500 miles and boy did his ulcers flare up. I kept him on UlcerGard, at 1/4 dose daily, for the required month.
Two weeks before the end of the UlcerGard treatment, I added in Succeed. His ulcers healed but he is still on Succeed as part of his daily supplement regimen. I plan on keeping him on the Succeed until???
Succeed and Egusin are both digestive supplements designed to help in the prevention of ulcers and the horse can stay on them indefinitely. That is not the purpose of UlcerGard:)
I agree with the suggestion to follow the instructions. Vets will tell you that the most common reason for a slow recovery in any situation is due to owners not following vet instructions. Since you can’t really tell whether or not the horse is developing ulcers, it’s hard to know if the common practice is working, or if the horses undergoing that treatment are just less prone to ulcers. Since you know your horse is hot, take extra precautions.
Nope. Ulcerguard/Gastrogard takes 4 days to reach full effectiveness. You need to start 4 days before travel. I personally would continue another week to cover nerves of settling in, but thats up to you.
Please do not give your horse and entire tube!
That would be overkill for 99% of horses, as it would be almost 2300mg of omeprazole. The recommended dose is 1mg/kg or .45mg/lb. A 1000lb horse should then get 450mg, hence the 1/4 tube. Giving them the whole 2300mg should be a last resort only when not seeing improvement of clinical signs of ulcers. In your case, you’re using as a preventative. Start with a single 1/4 tube dose. Assuming your horse weighs under 1200lbs, even half a tube would be too much.
There is evidence that lower doses are just as effective. Save your money!
1 tube/day as prevention for situations like this is not automatically overkill.
The study says (bold is mine)
The results of this study suggest that, under the conditions studied, where omeprazole is administered before exercise and following a brief fast, doses of omeprazole as low as 1 mg/kg bwt per os s.i.d. may be as effective as higher doses.
Not proof, it’s not a lot of horses (6), and it looked at healing rates vs lack of formation (which is very, very hard to study)
But ALSO:
Worsening of the glandular ulcer grade was observed in 36% of horses.
1/3 of the horses, under ideal administration conditions, got worse. So no, not “just as effective”. But omeprazole isn’t the choice anymore for glandular ulcers to begin with - misoprostol is.
