How to Inexpensively Treat Horse Ulcers By Tracy Stevens
Disclaimer: The following are products and instructions on how we successfully treated a horse’s ulcers. These products may or may not work for your horse, but they did work for one of the horses living at our farm. People are amazed at the change in him, both with weight gain and his attitude.
Please know that I am not a licensed veterinarian, and I am not saying that anyone should not consult their veterinarian concerning their horse’s health. The following is what I did after consulting 3 equine veterinarians and being told that we would have to put the horse on a very expensive treatment, over $700.00 per month! NOTE: I highly suggest having your horse scoped by a licensed veterinarian to make sure that he or she actually does have ulcers before treating for them.
Because the horse did have an active case of ulcers and had lost over 100 lbs during the stressful time when the ulcers began, we started out with AbPrazole™ (Omeprazole). Omeprazole is the only drug made to heal gastric horse ulcers that is not outrageously expensive. You can also use some acid reducing medications, like Ranitidine, BUT RANITIDINE HAS RECENTLY BEEN FOUND TO MAY CAUSE CANCER, and it is uncertain if they heal ulcers or just reduce the acid so the horse is comfortable.
After a while, we weaned the horse off of Omeprazole and put him on 3 natural and inexpensive products. One of the vets that we consulted was so amazed at the difference, that he is now prescribing the medication we used, Omeprazole, for any horse that he suspects may have ulcers.
General recommendations I found when researching feeding horses with ulcers:
When I did research, I found that many people were recommending to only feed some kind of quality pelleted feed, not a molasses-based feed like sweet feed. If your ulcer horse is on a molasses-based feed, I would HIGHLY recommend slowly changing the feed to the non-molasses-based feed of your choice. I also read that many people were using alfalfa pellets and having success, but my horse did not readily eat them like he did regular pelleted feeds.
At the beginning of treating him with the products listed below, I used several bags of Alfalfa Pellets by mixing 1/2 scoop with 1/2 scoop of regular pellets at each feeding. He seemed to eat the alfalfa pellets better when they were mixed versus when they were not. I fed him 8 cups of Alfalfa Cubes mixed with 6 cups of Beet Pulp at each feeding. I soaked the mixture with twice as much water for two hours before feeding. In the Winter months, I used hot water to soak the feed, which gave him a nice warm meal for those really cold evenings in the NC mountains.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I usually change my horse very slowly to another feed as is standard with most horse feeding practices. It usually takes me two to three weeks to totally switch a horse over to another kind of feed, but then again I always do things on the safe side, since my horse has had issues with his digestion.
Along with the Beet Pulp and Alfalfa Cube mixture, I always gave quality grass hay or turnout on quality grazing pasture. To me the bottom line is that horses are grazing animals and are meant to graze from 16 to 18 hours a day.
UPDATE 1/2020: Since writing this article, I weaned my horse off of the products listed above, and I have been having great success with Purina Safe Choice which includes:
Nutrients that have controlled starch and fat levels for a balanced source of energy
Guaranteed amino acid levels to support muscle maintenance and development
Added prebiotics and probiotics to aid in digestion
Organic trace minerals for improved immune support and skin/coat/hoof health
I also have him on SmartDigest® Ultra Pellets from SmartPakEquine once a day, and he gets all the quality grass hay that he wants. I make sure that I have fecal checks done every few months for worms, and I have his teeth floated once a year. He is doing GREAT.
There is also a feed by Purina that is for equine ulcers. My trainers did a trial for a couple of horses that came to their facility with ulcers, and they gained weight and seem more relaxed. The feed is called Purina® Ultium® Gastric Care Horse Feed. If you decide to use this feed, remember to slowly shift over from your current feed. You can see more on Purina® Ultium® Gastric Care Horse Feed here:
I found AbPrazole™ to be the least expensive Omeprazole for the treatment and prevention of equine gastric ulcers. You can also get this without a prescription! It comes in in easy-to-measure, easy-to-feed once-a-day dosages of flavorless, blue, enteric coated granules, or you can get Omeprazole in a once a day tablet form. tablets go by weight, so for a 700 to 900 lb horse it is two tablets a day which is less than $3.00 a day, which is way less than the estimated $700.00 per month that Ulcer Guard would have cost me for my horse.
Omeprazole is from the family of proton pump inhibitors (PPI’s) that blocks secretion of acid and assists by reducing and neutralizing acid in the horse’s stomach allowing improved healing of existing ulcer damage. Click the following link to check out the best prices on I have found for Omeprazole specifically made for horses: INEXPENSIVE HORSE ULCER OMEPRAZOLE
NIBBLENET®SLOW FEED HAY BAG by Thin Air Canvas, Inc. And speaking of hay, another EXCELLENT hay saving product to use for ulcer horses is a Nibblenet. I was told by a vet who specializes in horse ulcer treatment to make sure to have a slow feeder hay bag in front of my horse all the time, This is because of the amount of acid produced in a horse’s stomach–up to 16 GALLONS a day! I purchased a slow feeder hay bag at Tractor Supply, but sadly within an hour my horse tore torn it in half! So I did some research to find the best and most indestructible hay bag for the money, and found that the NibbleNet is worth EVERY PENNY. I bought it on Amazon, and I also signed up for Amazon Smile so for everything I purchase, a donation is automatically sent from Amazon to one of the horse rescues our Bolero Gaited Horse Adoption Network works with, and I chose Spirit Run Equine Rescue. You can click on the link below to see more information on the Nibblenet I bought that is working great and slow feeds my horse all day: The Original NibbleNet® 12″XL deep w/ 1.5″ Slow Feed Hay Bag by Thin Air Canvas, Inc.
RANITIDINE NOW OFF THE MARKET:
The previous research I did for inexpensive medication for horse ulcers was using Ranitidine as a general acid reducer, BUT this drug has now been taken off the market because it may cause cancer in humans. This is the information I compiled from my research on dosing this drug in case anyone needs it in the future for a similar drug:
The healing dosage rate rate for horses is 6.6mg/kg every 8 hours. For my 750 LB horse, I gave 13 150 mg pills 3X a day 4 weeks. I started him on U-Gard at this time along with 13 Ranitidine pills 2X a day for 2 weeks, and then slowly weaned him off with a lesser dosage twice a day after that and put him on U-Gard, along with the Milk Thistle and ProBios. People were amazed at the difference this combination has made with my horse. During the first four weeks he gained over 50 lbs, and he is much more calmer and happy.
FROM THE HEALING BARN, Milk Thistle Plus: www.thehealingbarn.com This product was used to clear out the horse’s liver. He had been on a heavy dose of antibiotics because he had developed a open sore on his tongue from either a briar in the hay or, more than likely, some kind of acid reflux.
We ordered the Milk Thistle Plus 4 LB bag on July 5th, and it got to me around 4 days later, so I would say I started it approx 5 to 6 days after beginning Ranitidine around July 10th.
I went by the directions on the bag, and fed until it was gone. The 4 LB bag lasted over a month, and from what I’ve been told, this will not hurt a horse at all. I would recommend using this, as it is supportive for the liver and kidneys while you are using the Ranitidine.
FROM STATE LINE TACK, Pro BIOS: www.statelinetack.com/item/probios-feed-ganules Pro BIOS is a heavy duty probiotic, very important in helping the gut to maintain natural organisms for digestion. It contains Lactic Acid Bacteria (Enterococcus Faecium, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Lactobacillus Casei)
I ordered the Pro BIOS on July 5th, and it got to me around 7 days later, so I would say I started it approx 7 to 8 days after beginning Ranitidine around July 13th.
I went by the directions on the bag, and fed until it was gone. The bag is supposed to last for 160 days, but we fed 1 and a half times the dose, because we were loading his gut. From what I’ve been told, this will not hurt a horse at all. Just keep a watch on the manure, if it gets watery, cut back on this. Too much can give them diarrhea. NOTE: After I finished the Pro BIOS, I put my horse on Fast Track Pro Biotic PAC, which I already had quite a bit of it, but I will probably go back to the Pro BIOS when the Fast Trac is gone. I will be keeping him on some kind of probiotic for the rest of his life.
FROM STATE LINE TACK, CORTA-FLX® U-GARD: www.statelinetack.com I researched the best type of gastric ulcer supplement that wasn’t over-the-top expensive. From the excellent reviews on several different websites, I chose U-Gard Pellets and ordered a ten pound 80 day supply. From the product description:
Field trials show that U-GARD™ is highly effective on helping gastric ulcers that may be caused by the stress of training, competition, stall confinement and diets high in carbohydrates Contains Calcium and Magnesium – which aid in acid reduction Clinically proven to be effective in helping decrease the severity of gastric ulcers
To save on shipping, we ordered the U-Gard with the ProBios on July 5th. It got to us around 7 days later, but we didn’t start using it until 4 weeks later when we began weaning the horse off the Ranitidine.
We had been using Ranitidine 3 times a day, and went to twice a day along with the U-Gard and the ProBios and the Milk Thistle.
We went by the directions on the container, and fed the U-Gard until it was gone. The container lasted over 80 days.
Two More Natural Diets that help to heal ulcers:
DIET 1: Free choice grass hay 24/7
Medication: 1/4, 1/2, or full dose of generic Ranitidine or Omeprazole
Additional natural stomach healing foods, fed twice a day:
Pumpkin Seeds: 1/4 cup which are excellent for healing the stomach
Dried Cabbage: 1/4 cup of dried cabbage contains L-Glutamine which also heals the stomach
Oat Flour: 1/2 cup for 30 days and then 1/4 cup thereafter, which is great to heal the hind gut
Probiotics ProBios or Fast Track: 1 oz. which aids digestion
Ground Flax seeds: 1/2 cup
I mix the above products with:
4 cups of Standlee beet pulp pellets
8 cups of Alfalfa cubes
I soak the Beet Pulp pellets and Alfalfa Cubes together in water for 1 hour before mixing in the other ingredients and feeding. Follow manufacture’s instructions.
DIET 2: We began using the following combination of Aloe Vera and Slippery Elm approximately 2 to 3 weeks before the U-Gard ran out. We wanted to slowly wean him off the U-Gard and get him on something totally natural.
Slippery Elm helps to regulate bacteria in the intestine, and when combined with Aloe Juice it is also excellent for digestion in horses as well. These natural products can be used on most horses long-term with no negative effects. Both products are very inexpensive in comparison to other horse ulcer products.
The horse has continued to gain weight with this combination, along with a good probiotic, like ProBios, but if he ever starts loosing weight again, we will immediately put him back on U-Gard. If he really gets stressed and starts cribbing when he is eating, a sure sign that he is in pain in his gut, then we will temporarily put him back on Ranitidine for 2 to 3 weeks.
HOW TO USE THEM: Slippery Elm combined with Aloe Juice can be used as a natural treatment for horse ulcers. We use one to two teaspoons of Slippery Elm combined with two ounces of Aloe Juice, and put it in our horse’s feed two to three times daily
24 thoughts on “Inexpensive Treatment for Horse Ulcers”
Debbie G
interesting article, my vet started with the Ranitidine first, then went on to the ulcer guard/omeprazole series of treatment. i too bought those ‘natural’ herbs, although i couldn’t get my horse to eat the slippery elm. i got them from Holistic Horse-keeping. I bought the over the counter aloe vera juice, I’ve kept all my horses on Fastrack pro biotics ever since I’ve had my first horse, I swear it is the reason I don’t have colic issues. Good article.
I’ve seen where many people mention ‘cribbers or wind sucker horses’ probably have ulcers. Obviously that’s a probable, but iI have a wind sucker and i’ve treated him for ulcers just to be sure, and it didnt ‘appear’ to help. He is photosensitive, (of course no vices or health issues when i bought him). Keeping this type of horse away from grain helps too. If you give my mare a treat, pelleted feed or anything with a hint of sugar/molasses, she will IMMEDIATELY will turn and crib, otherwise she doesn’t do it. I know I’m getting off subject here, but from everything I’ve read a very high percentage of show horses to have ulcers. Makes sense, we do house horses in such unnatural settings. not saying all bad, just not what would be in the wild. I also gave Maalox to my horse when going thru the process of ulcers. He loved the cherry maalox, i bought it from Walmart. Horrible mess though lol.
Selena
So you used the ranitidine and omeprazole at the same time for 4 weeks, or the ranitidine 4 weeks after the omeprazole. Along with everything else.. I Was going to try.
Thanks
Tracy Stevens
Personally, I would have my horse examined and scoped by a vet, but if you want to try something without doing that, I would use the link to the Omeprzole.
Cindy
I have tried abprozole but just couldn’t afford a second round…so for the last three weeks I have been giving 12 /150 mg rantidine from the dollar store n Walmart brand (I get 220 in a bottle at Walmart for $9.98 ) he is doing amazing!!!! I’m gonna keep him on it for at least three months but I also give him a couple scoops of soaked alfalfa cubes with his grain at feeding time he gets his meds 2x a day with his meal I just pour some corn syrup on a piece of bread and put the pills in the syrup n fold it over and he eats it’s with no fuss…..the secret I think is, never miss a dose….
Lisa
Hello Cindy,
I have been researching Ulcer treatment for horses because I too have a mare that is a barrel horse that shows signs of ulcers. I have used the Ulcer Guard on her for a few days but just can’t afford to keep her on it, I have been trying to decide where to turn next and I see that u are getting the ranitidine pills from Walmart or the Dollar store. My question is how much does your horse weigh? My mare is about 1000 lbs so I was wondering how many pills to give her and how many a day? Any information will be GREATLY APPRECIATED.
Thanks,
Lisa
Tracy Stevens
Thanks for your comment, Cindy, and I sure understand how expensive ulcer treatments can be.
The least expensive place I found for Ranitidine was Sams Club. The healing dosage rate rate for horses on Ranitidine is 6.6mg/kg every 8 hours. For my 750 LB horse, I gave 13 150 mg pills 3X a day 4 weeks. I started him on U-Gard at this time along with 13 pills 2X a day for 2 weeks, and then slowly weaned him off with a lesser dosage twice a day after that and put him on U-Gard, along with the Milk Thistle and ProBios.
I now have him totally off all meds, and he I am feeding him Nutrena Safe Choice, which includes:
Nutrients that have controlled starch and fat levels for a balanced source of energy
Guaranteed amino acid levels to support muscle maintenance and development
Added prebiotics and probiotics to aid in digestion
Organic trace minerals for improved immune support and skin/coat/hoof health
I also have him on SmartDigest® Ultra Pellets from SmartPakEquine once a day, and he gets all the quality grass hay that he wants. I make sure that I have fecal checks done every few months for worms, and I have his teeth floated once a year. He is doing GREAT.
Tonia
I have been trying to find my clients a less expensive route than GastroGard at $32 a day (almost $1000 a month!) and I came along your post about AbProzole. THANK YOU, $400-500 a month savings makes a huge difference! (Side note: after the vet recommends Omeprazole for your horse, if you do use AbProzole as an option, please make sure to use their product calculator. Because my client’s 1400 lb Belgian needed more than the recommended 3 ‘packets’ a day and she wouldn’t have thought differently, except for stumbling upon the calculator when looking at different products on their site.)
Brooke
Has anyone found Abprozole on a different website? I tried calling them because I am not comfortable putting my routing number in to purchase this but their phones are off for USA.
Tracy Stevens
I don’t blame you about giving them your bank number, Brooke. I would not do that either.
I looked around online and I could not find Abprozole anywhere else. From what everyone says, the product is good, but the company is also not American, and a lot of people have said it takes forever and a day to get orders from them.
My trainers had a horse come in to their facility with ulcers. They put her on Purina® Ultium® Gastric Care Horse Feed, and the mare did great! She calmed down and started gaining weight like crazy.
Where can AbPrazole Plus be purchased where you do not have to give them your bank account number?
Tracy Stevens
Thanks for your question, Gail. I went out to the Abler website, but didn’t have a way to test the shopping cart to see if they requested my bank account number. I’d contact them and see if there is an alternative way to pay, because I would not want to give out my bank account number either. Here is the link to the contact page: https://www.abler.com/contacts/
Nance Gillihan
Is feeding a pelleted alfalfa during the process a requirement you feel? We do not feed any pelleted feed. Our horses are just on grass mix hay we feed 2 times a day but usually have left over from the previous feeding.. thanks
Nance Gillihan
Actually our horses are on Nutrena Safe Choice Special Care, have Equipride Lix tubes, zesterra in times of stress hauling and competing and a hemp oil, and I give the aloe that’s all currently. But I suspect a mare has ulcers..
Nance Gillihan
Also. Abprozole comes in a plus with the probiotic included would this be an option instead of buying two different products..
Nance Gillihan
The ranitidine is no longer available who it one of the other otc antacids work
Zadok
Thank-you for sharing your horse ulcer suggestions. You’re awesome!!
Kelly
Fantastic article! Thank you! I do many of these same things, and looking for a new/less expensive source of Omeprazole (Abler, as you mentioned) if I can’t get ranitidine.
Worth noting; I started with the Nibble Nets but discovered, along with MANY other people, they were wearing my horses’ front teeth, severely.
I have since switched and highly recommend Hay Chix marine nets. There are other similar products with netting that’s easier on the teeth.
Cheers!
Mireya
I spent over $4000 in vet bills because my horse had an abscess and he has history of ulcers to have been in control for three years the vet gave him too much Butte and doxycycline antibiotic and that messed up his ulcers and now I have to start all over again
Did you give your horse the Omiorazele for 28 days
I just ordered it from Abler but ordered the paste in the tube as the vet said it had to be given on an Empty stomach and wait at least an hour before giving any food
He’s also on sulcrafate pills 3 times a day
Tracy Stevens
I have heard about the bute problem many times. I did have my horse on omeprazole for over a month. Things have changed since I first wrote this information.
My trainers had a horse come in to their facility with ulcers. They put her on Purina® Ultium® Gastric Care Horse Feed, and the mare did great! She calmed down and started gaining weight like crazy.
What symptoms did your horses show ?
Mine acts sad and doesn’t want to eat hay not even graze when his ulcers are hurting
Tracy Stevens
My horse seemed depressed, lost weight and he was wind sucking. Sadly, his small intestine flipped over to the other side of his body four years ago, and he almost died. I had to have emergency surgery on him, which was very expensive, and I was so glad that I had insurance on him, but I still ended up paying over $7,000 that was not covered!
I now have him on Nutrena Safe Choice, with the Palomino on the bag, and my horse’s surgeon was on the study team for Smart Digest Ulra Pellets by Smart Pak. He said that it is one of the few things that actually works to help prevent colic, and Smart Pak has a ColiCare program that your horse may be eligible for if you order from them. You can see the Smart Digest here: https://www.smartpakequine.com/ps/smartdigest-ultra-pellets–12041
“Order SmartDigest Ultra Pellets in SmartPaks and you may be eligible for up to $10,000 of colic surgery reimbursement through our ColiCare program!”
Callia
My horse did a month treatment of ulcergard and is now on the abprazole. I was wondering if while he’s on the abprazole if he could also be on the preventative dose of gastrogard…1/4 tube a day.
Tracy Stevens
Thanks for commenting, Callia, and I am sorry to hear that your horse had ulcers. I am not sure if I would combine these medications, because I am not a vet and have no idea how the two drugs may interact with each other. Perhaps ask your vet about this?
Also, not sure if you read about the feed my trainers put a couple of horses on that came to their facility with ulcers. It really helped both of them after they went through the Ulcergard treatment. There is information on the feed here:
If you decide to do this, remember to slowly shift over from your current feed to the new feed.
Margaret Smith
Hi everyone. Love this forum. I put my horse on both the Sucralfate (really cheap from Valley vet) and the abprozole from Abler. She is a different horse. For the first time she is gaining weight and less anxious which means less spooking. She also quit crow hopping when I ride and nothing has changed but adding the meds. There is a theory that horses that spook a lot feel pain in their belly because they make even more stomach acid when they are stressed. They are prone to ulcers because they make stomach acid 24 hours a day as they are meant to eat constantly. I saw where people complained that the Abler products come in slowly. I DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH THEM. I GOT IT IN LESS THAN A WEEK. It did come from China. Supposedly the FDA has tried to stop them from selling it here because they have not gone through the FDA. So far they are still selling but for how long. One good note is the FDA checked their products a few years back and it did contain the amount of drug they claimed it had in it. I believe it had even more than it said it did. So much for my two cents of information hope it was helpful. THANK YOU ABLER.
TO HEAL EQUINE GASTRIC ULCERS YOU CAN USE OMEPRAZOLE
And speaking of hay, another EXCELLENT hay saving product to use for ulcer horses is a Nibblenet. I was told by a vet who specializes in horse ulcer treatment to make sure to have a slow feeder hay bag in front of my horse all the time, This is because of the amount of acid produced in a horse’s stomach–up to 16 GALLONS a day! I purchased a slow feeder hay bag at Tractor Supply, but sadly within an hour my horse tore torn it in half! So I did some research to find the best and most indestructible hay bag for the money, and found that the NibbleNet is worth EVERY PENNY. I bought it on Amazon, and I also signed up for Amazon Smile so for everything I purchase, a donation is automatically sent from Amazon to one of the horse rescues our Bolero Gaited Horse Adoption Network works with, and I chose Spirit Run Equine Rescue. You can click on the link below to see more information on the Nibblenet I bought that is working great and slow feeds my horse all day: The Original NibbleNet® 12″XL deep w/ 1.5″ Slow Feed Hay Bag by Thin Air Canvas, Inc.
FROM THE HEALING BARN, Milk Thistle Plus:
FROM STATE LINE TACK, Pro BIOS:
FROM STATE LINE TACK, CORTA-FLX® U-GARD:
FROM WALMART:
interesting article, my vet started with the Ranitidine first, then went on to the ulcer guard/omeprazole series of treatment. i too bought those ‘natural’ herbs, although i couldn’t get my horse to eat the slippery elm. i got them from Holistic Horse-keeping. I bought the over the counter aloe vera juice, I’ve kept all my horses on Fastrack pro biotics ever since I’ve had my first horse, I swear it is the reason I don’t have colic issues. Good article.
I’ve seen where many people mention ‘cribbers or wind sucker horses’ probably have ulcers. Obviously that’s a probable, but iI have a wind sucker and i’ve treated him for ulcers just to be sure, and it didnt ‘appear’ to help. He is photosensitive, (of course no vices or health issues when i bought him). Keeping this type of horse away from grain helps too. If you give my mare a treat, pelleted feed or anything with a hint of sugar/molasses, she will IMMEDIATELY will turn and crib, otherwise she doesn’t do it. I know I’m getting off subject here, but from everything I’ve read a very high percentage of show horses to have ulcers. Makes sense, we do house horses in such unnatural settings. not saying all bad, just not what would be in the wild. I also gave Maalox to my horse when going thru the process of ulcers. He loved the cherry maalox, i bought it from Walmart. Horrible mess though lol.
So you used the ranitidine and omeprazole at the same time for 4 weeks, or the ranitidine 4 weeks after the omeprazole. Along with everything else.. I Was going to try.
Thanks
Personally, I would have my horse examined and scoped by a vet, but if you want to try something without doing that, I would use the link to the Omeprzole.
I have tried abprozole but just couldn’t afford a second round…so for the last three weeks I have been giving 12 /150 mg rantidine from the dollar store n Walmart brand (I get 220 in a bottle at Walmart for $9.98 ) he is doing amazing!!!! I’m gonna keep him on it for at least three months but I also give him a couple scoops of soaked alfalfa cubes with his grain at feeding time he gets his meds 2x a day with his meal I just pour some corn syrup on a piece of bread and put the pills in the syrup n fold it over and he eats it’s with no fuss…..the secret I think is, never miss a dose….
Hello Cindy,
I have been researching Ulcer treatment for horses because I too have a mare that is a barrel horse that shows signs of ulcers. I have used the Ulcer Guard on her for a few days but just can’t afford to keep her on it, I have been trying to decide where to turn next and I see that u are getting the ranitidine pills from Walmart or the Dollar store. My question is how much does your horse weigh? My mare is about 1000 lbs so I was wondering how many pills to give her and how many a day? Any information will be GREATLY APPRECIATED.
Thanks,
Lisa
Thanks for your comment, Cindy, and I sure understand how expensive ulcer treatments can be.
The least expensive place I found for Ranitidine was Sams Club. The healing dosage rate rate for horses on Ranitidine is 6.6mg/kg every 8 hours. For my 750 LB horse, I gave 13 150 mg pills 3X a day 4 weeks. I started him on U-Gard at this time along with 13 pills 2X a day for 2 weeks, and then slowly weaned him off with a lesser dosage twice a day after that and put him on U-Gard, along with the Milk Thistle and ProBios.
I now have him totally off all meds, and he I am feeding him Nutrena Safe Choice, which includes:
Nutrients that have controlled starch and fat levels for a balanced source of energy
Guaranteed amino acid levels to support muscle maintenance and development
Added prebiotics and probiotics to aid in digestion
Organic trace minerals for improved immune support and skin/coat/hoof health
I also have him on SmartDigest® Ultra Pellets from SmartPakEquine once a day, and he gets all the quality grass hay that he wants. I make sure that I have fecal checks done every few months for worms, and I have his teeth floated once a year. He is doing GREAT.
I have been trying to find my clients a less expensive route than GastroGard at $32 a day (almost $1000 a month!) and I came along your post about AbProzole. THANK YOU, $400-500 a month savings makes a huge difference! (Side note: after the vet recommends Omeprazole for your horse, if you do use AbProzole as an option, please make sure to use their product calculator. Because my client’s 1400 lb Belgian needed more than the recommended 3 ‘packets’ a day and she wouldn’t have thought differently, except for stumbling upon the calculator when looking at different products on their site.)
Has anyone found Abprozole on a different website? I tried calling them because I am not comfortable putting my routing number in to purchase this but their phones are off for USA.
I don’t blame you about giving them your bank number, Brooke. I would not do that either.
I looked around online and I could not find Abprozole anywhere else. From what everyone says, the product is good, but the company is also not American, and a lot of people have said it takes forever and a day to get orders from them.
My trainers had a horse come in to their facility with ulcers. They put her on Purina® Ultium® Gastric Care Horse Feed, and the mare did great! She calmed down and started gaining weight like crazy.
Maybe see if you could give this feed a try for a month or two? If you decide to do this, remember to slowly shift over from your current feed to the new feed. You can see more on this feed that my trainers swear by here:
https://www.purinamills.com/horse-feed/products/detail/purina-ultium-gastric-care-horse-feed
Where can AbPrazole Plus be purchased where you do not have to give them your bank account number?
Thanks for your question, Gail. I went out to the Abler website, but didn’t have a way to test the shopping cart to see if they requested my bank account number. I’d contact them and see if there is an alternative way to pay, because I would not want to give out my bank account number either. Here is the link to the contact page: https://www.abler.com/contacts/
Is feeding a pelleted alfalfa during the process a requirement you feel? We do not feed any pelleted feed. Our horses are just on grass mix hay we feed 2 times a day but usually have left over from the previous feeding.. thanks
Actually our horses are on Nutrena Safe Choice Special Care, have Equipride Lix tubes, zesterra in times of stress hauling and competing and a hemp oil, and I give the aloe that’s all currently. But I suspect a mare has ulcers..
Also. Abprozole comes in a plus with the probiotic included would this be an option instead of buying two different products..
The ranitidine is no longer available who it one of the other otc antacids work
Thank-you for sharing your horse ulcer suggestions. You’re awesome!!
Fantastic article! Thank you! I do many of these same things, and looking for a new/less expensive source of Omeprazole (Abler, as you mentioned) if I can’t get ranitidine.
Worth noting; I started with the Nibble Nets but discovered, along with MANY other people, they were wearing my horses’ front teeth, severely.
I have since switched and highly recommend Hay Chix marine nets. There are other similar products with netting that’s easier on the teeth.
Cheers!
I spent over $4000 in vet bills because my horse had an abscess and he has history of ulcers to have been in control for three years the vet gave him too much Butte and doxycycline antibiotic and that messed up his ulcers and now I have to start all over again
Did you give your horse the Omiorazele for 28 days
I just ordered it from Abler but ordered the paste in the tube as the vet said it had to be given on an Empty stomach and wait at least an hour before giving any food
He’s also on sulcrafate pills 3 times a day
I have heard about the bute problem many times. I did have my horse on omeprazole for over a month. Things have changed since I first wrote this information.
My trainers had a horse come in to their facility with ulcers. They put her on Purina® Ultium® Gastric Care Horse Feed, and the mare did great! She calmed down and started gaining weight like crazy.
Maybe after you use the Omeprazole, see if you could give this feed a try for a month or two? If you decide to do this, remember to slowly shift over from your current feed to the new feed. You can see more on this feed that my trainers swear by here:
https://www.purinamills.com/horse-feed/products/detail/purina-ultium-gastric-care-horse-feed
What symptoms did your horses show ?
Mine acts sad and doesn’t want to eat hay not even graze when his ulcers are hurting
My horse seemed depressed, lost weight and he was wind sucking. Sadly, his small intestine flipped over to the other side of his body four years ago, and he almost died. I had to have emergency surgery on him, which was very expensive, and I was so glad that I had insurance on him, but I still ended up paying over $7,000 that was not covered!
I now have him on Nutrena Safe Choice, with the Palomino on the bag, and my horse’s surgeon was on the study team for Smart Digest Ulra Pellets by Smart Pak. He said that it is one of the few things that actually works to help prevent colic, and Smart Pak has a ColiCare program that your horse may be eligible for if you order from them. You can see the Smart Digest here: https://www.smartpakequine.com/ps/smartdigest-ultra-pellets–12041
More information on the Smart Pak ColiCare program: https://www.smartpakequine.com/content/colicare
“Order SmartDigest Ultra Pellets in SmartPaks and you may be eligible for up to $10,000 of colic surgery reimbursement through our ColiCare program!”
My horse did a month treatment of ulcergard and is now on the abprazole. I was wondering if while he’s on the abprazole if he could also be on the preventative dose of gastrogard…1/4 tube a day.
Thanks for commenting, Callia, and I am sorry to hear that your horse had ulcers. I am not sure if I would combine these medications, because I am not a vet and have no idea how the two drugs may interact with each other. Perhaps ask your vet about this?
Also, not sure if you read about the feed my trainers put a couple of horses on that came to their facility with ulcers. It really helped both of them after they went through the Ulcergard treatment. There is information on the feed here:
https://www.purinamills.com/horse-feed/products/detail/purina-ultium-gastric-care-horse-feed
If you decide to do this, remember to slowly shift over from your current feed to the new feed.
Hi everyone. Love this forum. I put my horse on both the Sucralfate (really cheap from Valley vet) and the abprozole from Abler. She is a different horse. For the first time she is gaining weight and less anxious which means less spooking. She also quit crow hopping when I ride and nothing has changed but adding the meds. There is a theory that horses that spook a lot feel pain in their belly because they make even more stomach acid when they are stressed. They are prone to ulcers because they make stomach acid 24 hours a day as they are meant to eat constantly. I saw where people complained that the Abler products come in slowly. I DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH THEM. I GOT IT IN LESS THAN A WEEK. It did come from China. Supposedly the FDA has tried to stop them from selling it here because they have not gone through the FDA. So far they are still selling but for how long. One good note is the FDA checked their products a few years back and it did contain the amount of drug they claimed it had in it. I believe it had even more than it said it did. So much for my two cents of information hope it was helpful. THANK YOU ABLER.