Hind Gut Ulcers

[ohmt]

Any suggestions on hind gut ulcer treatment? This is after many weeks of ulcergaurd/zantec with no improvement.

Any diet recommendations? The horse is not an easy keeper-on purina equine senior with soaked alfalfa pellets and aloe vera juice right now (fed 5-6 times a day). He is also getting peptobismal about a half hour before getting his feed.

Symptoms: Stallion eats his meals and then drops to the ground in pain or does the pain 'stretching'. He is then fine until his next meal. Was not in any stressful situation when it first started happening.

Thank you for ANY help you can give.

Vet has been involved since the beginning.

 

[stormy]

Had one here some years ago that also did not respond to ulcer treatment and was wasting...finally at the vets recommendation tried Chloremphenicol as several infectious agents such as Lawsonia can cause hind gut ulcers. It did work and is easy to administer though the person handling it needs to take some precautions.

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

Many causes for colonic ulcers including infections and medications, be sure the cause can't be removed before you rely solely on ulcer treatment.

Diet of green grass is best (and some say is 100% curative), but hard this time of year, so an all pelleted diet can be used.

Colonic ulcers are not caused by stomach acid, so gastrogard won't help. Carafate can help and some think cimetidine might help.

Dr Taylor

 

[ohmt]

Thank you VERY much for the suggestions and knowledge Dr. Taylor and Stormy-I appreciate it!

 

[supaspot]

I was always told feed them what nature intended ....grass ...... but at this time of year its easier said than done

 

[targetsmom]

I would try the Carafate (actually, I did try it) that I got through my vet, but it was human meds. I would also suggest a slow hay feeder, as it can't hurt. The soaked alfalfa should also help, or at least not hurt. Good luck!

 

[JAX]

This sounds suspiciously like what I was dealing with last year. I bought a pregnant mare from an auction. Sweet beautiful mare. After about a month of her being here she started stretching out after eating her evening meal. I started GastroGard. She continued, always after her evening meal and the episode would last about 15-45 minutes then fine. Next feeding she would be fine until after the evening feeding. I decided she must be slipping the foal and the timing of these episodes must just be coincidence. I gave her banamine along with the continued GastroGard. Next day same deal. Off to vet we went. Fetus looked fine via ultrasound, no signs of impaction but I asked the vet to oil her because I would be leaving town for two days and did not want to leave a problem for the sitter. Four days later she started her episodes again except now she was doing the morning feedings instead of the evening! My vet then referred me to an equine specialty hospital. First they saw nothing wrong with her... They said sorry this looks like a healthy horse. I took her back home and then video taped her episodes. Bring her back. We did x-rays, more ultrasounds, scoped her and found nothing wrong. We would like to keep her overnight. Finally they got to see for themselves. After first night they asked if they could keep observe her another night. Next day I go to pick her up and see what they have to say. "She had a horrible night and we ended up oiling her and dont know what else to do but an exploratory surgery, and by the way she is now doing it for every feeding instead of everyother one." By the time we lesft she was on GastroGard, Sucralfate(?), Succeed(?), and something else I dont remember name of. Two weeks after I got her back home she was still going downhill, her episodes were getting worse and lasting longer. As a last ditch effort before I took her back for surgery, I decided to try something a little different. I took her off all grain. I fed her only soaked beetpulp and free choice soaked Alfalfa cubes and some hand grazing on grass. I also found out that her previous owners may not have wormed her... possibly ever...

. I had wormed her when I first got her but when I learned this I decided to to the 5 day purge worming. Day 4 of the worming was her last episode... Was it the meds? The diet change? The fact that she did end up slipping the pregnancy?Or the worming? So 8 months later I bred her again, day 30 she starts it right back up. So it must be a pregnancy problem right? Well I made an appiontment to abort the fetus because I was not going to make her go through this again, but before her appointment I decided to try something I repeated her old diet and tried the 5 day worming again. Once again the episodes stopped. So she is now on the same diet as the rest of my guys ( Purina Mini & Coastal Bermuda) but also gets daily wormer. She is now 7 months pregnant (knock on wood) and no episodes. I cannot tell you that I know what it was or is but I can only say that this mare has done something that sounds similar and so far now has stopped twice and the only things in common both times was the diet change and 5 day wormings.

I hope you find an answer for your guy, at least you know its not a fetus causing it!

 

[Marty]

Check the sugar content on purina equine food. I'd be removing any sign of sugar and change it up. Best wishes.

 

[joylee123]

Many causes for colonic ulcers including infections and medications, be sure the cause can't be removed before you rely solely on ulcer treatment.

Diet of green grass is best (and some say is 100% curative), but hard this time of year, so an all pelleted diet can be used.

Colonic ulcers are not caused by stomach acid, so gastrogard won't help. Carafate can help and some think cimetidine might help.

Dr Taylor

We've had good results adding Tucoprim with the Gastroguard.

Joy

 

[ohmt]

Thank you very much everyone! I appreciate all of the help

 

[mydaddysjag]

For hind gut ulcers we used Carafate along with pulling him off of grain, and feeding soaked alfalfa pellets with soaked beetpulp, and of course, good second cut hay in a busy snacker feeder.