I’m trying to determine the typical dosage of ranitidine to treat ulcer symptoms, not to cure an ulcer. I’d like to use it to determine whether the issues I am seeing are due to an ulcer (seems most likely) and not another issue.
Mare is roughly 1200lbs. I could tape her if necessary.
Also, I know it has to be fed every 8 hours. If there is a little leeway in there and it is fed with 7 hours in between or 9 hours in between, will that completely throw it off?
Thanks in advance.
JMHO!
Whatever dose your vet thinks you should use!!!
Mine recommended 3000 mg per dose (10 of the 300mg tablets)
And you can get away with twice a day as long as they are over 8 hrs apart. Just give with his twice/day feedings. The ideal thing would be to give it 1 hr before he’s fed but it’s not really necessary either.
If its to rule something else out? Of course, I’m wondering what that is but I’ve had success just giving 90-120 cc’s of generic white liquid antacids before feeding or riding when mares tummy is acting up. Or I THINK it is!!! ;)
Don’t even think you can use human ranitidine unless you buy & crush 3000mg worth!!! Not an option. And…you’d need to give it for several days for it to have optimal effect.
JMHO!
I do have a call into my vet, thanks 
I think it’s 3mg/lb. So 3000mg/1000lb. 1200lb horse should get 3600mg, or 12 300mg tabs. I think they should get it atleast twice a day.
Standard dose is 6.6 mg/kg, PO, q 8 h.
Roughly translated, 1200 lbs = 545.5 kg, so 3600mg/dose.
I use the 150mg pills, so that would be 24/meal. If you can’t do three times a day, there are people that see positive results with twice daily administration.
Thanks much
My 1,250 QH was getting 12 pills 3x a day for 4 weeks.
After that 2x a day for 4 more weeks-made life easier to feed at feeding time, but still did the pilling to make sure he got them.
After 4 weeks took him off and so far so good but I now have him on ugard.
So, then I started him I took him completely off grain and he gets 1 scoop (about 2 quarts) of alfalfa cubes. And he gets 3 flakes of hay.
My 1100 pound gelding was getting 15 tabs 3x per day (also 300 mg) to treat ulcers (he had stopped eating grain completely after being treated with Oxytet/Banamine injectable for high fever). We used Ranitidine with Sucralfate 2-3x per day. Within 48 hours he had started eating again, and was eating 100% normally within a week. I did this for 2 weeks and weeks 3 and 4 finished up with Ggard daily to really make sure we “got” the ulcers. But our vet was confident that the Ran./Sucralfate combo worked just as well as Ggard and was much cheaper…just a PITA to give all those pills!
My horse is not on any ulcer supps, still gets TC Senior and in winter Tim/Alf. cubes and he has been fine since with no recurrence (knock on wood!) Good luck!
So you’re using it as a diagnostic in other words? What does ranitidine actually do to treat ulcer symptoms?
[QUOTE=Androcles;4203089]
So you’re using it as a diagnostic in other words? What does ranitidine actually do to treat ulcer symptoms?[/QUOTE]
It’s a H2 receptor antagonist, and decreases the production of acid in the stomach.
I had my 1000lb gelding on 3000 mg twice a day for suspected ulcers, due to chronic mild colics. After two years with minor improvement, it turns out he did not have ulcers, he has ileal hypertrophy and ended up in colic surgery because of the impaction caused by the thickened small intestine walls, and hay.
I’m sharing this because if you suspect ulcers due to chronic mild colic episodes, it might not be ulcers.
My vet said that ranitidine can help if the problem is related to excess stomach acid.
Thanks so much everybody. Great information.
I got this mare a month ago. I’d worked with her 5-6 times prior to moving her to my barn and she was a doll, a very sweet, mellow mare. Since moving her to my barn and changing her diet(she was on 3lbs of rice bran a day!), her attitude has changed completely. She is sour, does not like attention, crabby, etc. Unpleasant in the crossties, and poops 2-3 times every time she is in the crossties. They are normally solid, though today her third time was solid + clear liquid. Her “situation” has not really changed-- she was turned out with another horse during the day, and in a 24x24 pipe at night, and now she is in a paddock nearly the same size as her turnout 24x7 and has plenty of buddies in adjoining paddocks.
I will be changing some things around with her diet, but yep, for the meantime, I am intending to use the ranitidine as a diagnostic.
I have many friends that feed Tums to their horses and have had good results doing that also. Just wanted to put it out there as an option.
Shannon, the move may have brought on ulcers…but I had another thought. She was on 3# of rice bran and you changed that I assume? Could she possibly just do better on a diet higher in fat? My horse absolutely does and I have often wondered if he was EPSM. He gets 2# rice bran per day, and when I upped it from 1 to 2, and put him on senior feed, he moved better, was happier…not as sour and crabby. He is older and arthritic and has a few other issues, but it’s a thought. I might try to put her back on the RB and see if she changes back? Perhaps ask your vet…good luck!
[QUOTE=MunchkinsMom;4203197]
I have many friends that feed Tums to their horses and have had good results doing that also. Just wanted to put it out there as an option.[/QUOTE]
That is interesting! Thanks for throwing that out there.
I did pull her completely off the rice bran, as she was quite a bit overweight. I certainly never considered that point, but it does seem that you could possibly be right.
She is currently getting mostly alfalfa hay (switched as alfalfa is easier on ulcerated digestive systems), 2lbs TC Lite, 3/4c whole flax, MSM and loose electrolites. Not much fat there at all.
Thanks My vet has yet to call me back!
The alfalfa is great for ulcers and her diet looks good for a horse w/ulcers…one thought is perhaps she is getting too much alfalfa, also possibly contributing to her sourness? It could be anything, but it’s a thought. My guy got tim/alf cubes soaked in winter. Right now he is not on any alfalfa and doing okay so far.
Post after you hear from the vet - I’m curious what he/she will say.
[QUOTE=tpup;4204749]
The alfalfa is great for ulcers and her diet looks good for a horse w/ulcers…one thought is perhaps she is getting too much alfalfa, also possibly contributing to her sourness? It could be anything, but it’s a thought. My guy got tim/alf cubes soaked in winter. Right now he is not on any alfalfa and doing okay so far.
Post after you hear from the vet - I’m curious what he/she will say.[/QUOTE]
The alfalfa is definitely a possibility, though until I try the ranitidine and treat for ulcers, I don’t want to pull her off of it. Being in Southern California, alfalfa is the most widely fed hay by a longshot, and feeding anything else is much pricier. She had been getting roughly half alfalfa, half oat with a little bit of orchard grass, though I switched it to 3/4 alfalfa and 1/4 oat as of yesterday. I did not realize how high in starch and sugars the oat hay is (roughly double that of alfalfa!) so it’s quite possible that even the oat hay is/was the culprit!
I should mention that she does not seem like the “alfalfa crazy” TBs(she is reg. Dutch but is almost 3/4 TB) I have dealt with in the past. She is not a huge bundle of energy GO GO GO chomping at the bit, just sour. I even tried to let her “burn her wheaties” yesterday seeing if that would help, but she really didn’t have that much wheaties to burn!
[QUOTE=wateryglen;4202026]
Don’t even think you can use human ranitidine unless you buy & crush 3000mg worth!!! Not an option. And…you’d need to give it for several days for it to have optimal effect.
JMHO![/QUOTE]
I have been using “human ranitidine” (and fyi, it’s the same drug) on my horse for 2 years with excellent results. I have not chrushed a single pill. At the same dosage, “optimal effect” timing is identical when excluding variables such as age of drug, ect. 3000mg worth is 20 pills of 150 mg and not really worth “!!!” in hardship… my horse is worth the extra 10 seconds per feeding :yes:.
[h=1]Effects of treatment with omeprazole or ranitidine on gastric squamous ulceration in racing Thoroughbreds.[/h] Lester GD1, Smith RL, Robertson ID. [h=3]Author information[/h] [h=3]Abstract[/h] [h=4]OBJECTIVE:[/h]
To compare the effects of oral administration of omeprazole and ranitidine on gastric squamous ulceration in Thoroughbreds in race training. [h=4]DESIGN:[/h]
Modified crossover study. [h=4]ANIMALS:[/h]
60 Thoroughbreds in race training with gastric squamous mucosal ulceration. [h=4]PROCEDURE:[/h]
Horses were randomly allocated into 3 groups. Group 1 received no treatment for 28 days followed by administration of omeprazole (4 mg/kg [1.8 mg/lb], PO, once daily) for 28 days; group 2 received omeprazole (4 mg/kg, PO, once daily) for 28 days followed by no treatment for 28 days; and group 3 received ranitidine (6.6 mg/kg [3.0 mg/lb], PO, q 8 h) for 28 days followed by administration of omeprazole (4 mg/kg, PO, once daily) for 28 days. Ulceration was assessed endoscopically at days 0, 28, 42, and 56. Lesions were scored from 0 (no ulceration) to 3 (severe ulceration). [h=4]RESULTS:[/h]
After the initial 28 days of treatment, the decrease in ulcer severity was significantly greater after omeprazole treatment than after ranitidine treatment. Ulcer severity decreased significantly in group 3 horses after 14 days of treatment with omeprazole. Discontinuation of omeprazole resulted in worsening of ulcer scores; however, ulcer scores at completion of the study were less than at day 0. Horses that received omeprazole after 28 days of ranitidine treatment had a further reduction in ulcer severity. [h=4]CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:[/h]
Omeprazole was more effective than ranitidine in healing gastric squamous ulcers in Thoroughbreds in race training. Improvement was detected by 14 days and persisted in most of the group 2 horses for at least 28 days after omeprazole treatment was discontinued.
test
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
