Im ??ing my vets recommended dosage

[LittleRibbie]

I have a call in to Merial but they will not be in untill A.M. so I thought I might get some of your thoughts 1st. I will try to explain the scenero and see what you all think.

I have 2 minis arriving this week...about 250Lbs. They they will be on the trailer for about 30/40 hrs but they have never really left their previous barn and this will be an all new experience for them. It was suggested that perhaps if I could get some Gastroguard when they arrived and give them alittle of that for a few days it would help in the prevention of Ulcers. I have never given ulcer meds to any of my horses but I called the vet and he suggested a product called ULCER GARD as he thinks its easier to dispense and easier on minis. O.K. Fine I got 2 tubes about $48.00 a tube...ouch. The product is a paste ( 1 syringe which contains 4 dosages for a 600Lb. horse.....each dose is for 600lb. ) So in my mind I figured w/a mini I would have 8 dosages per tube.. maybe even a little more... figuring neither mini even weights 300lbs.

Any way vet said to give the dosage for a 600lb horse ( maybe just a tad less ) BECAUSE now it is no longer a preventitive....explaining that the horses most likely are already developing tummy or gastric ulcers just leaving home and being on a big scary trailer for so long. So this would not be a preventtion dosage but an occuring ulcer dosage

After thinking about this I decided that it just didnt seem right so I figured I was just going to divide the tube up in 8ths and give them what I think is the right amt. Now Im ???ing my thoughts and am afraid if I dont give them enough whats the point of giving them any. Im so confused Im giving myself an ulcer...I swear!!

How forgiving is Ulcer medicine?? Can they colic on too much...say a dose for a 600 lb. horse. Please help with any info you can give me. I am a wreck!! I will call my vet back in the a.m. but was wondering what you all think, Thanks for any light you can shed!! Heidi

 

[minih]

I give ulcer guard to our horses all the time. You can either give it one full dose once a day, or you can split it in half and give it twice a day. I have done both and been fine. I have an under shetland yearling filly on it right now, and I am giving her one dose once a day. She is doing a lot better, and I am in the process after two tubes switching her over to some stuff my vet gave me called U Seven.

 

[LittleRibbie]

Teri, thank you. When you say 1 full dose...is that a dose for a 600Lb. horse??? thats what is getting me confused. As that is what he is telling me I should do.

He said I should give each 1 600lb dosage for 4 days...does that sound like an overdose waiting to happen??

Now I need Tums!! LOL

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Okay, first of all take a deep breath. I've become pretty familiar with this product over the last couple of years as my mini gelding seems to be an ulcer waiting to happen and has been on both the preventative dose and the treatment dose several times.

The vet gives me whichever tube it is that's divided into four doses as it's easier to measure for a mini, although I was told the tube was for a 1000lb horse. For a big horse the entire tube is given once a day to treat an ulcer, and a 1/4 of a tube is given daily to prevent an ulcer. That means that for a 250lb mini, one of those 1/4 doses is a treatment level dose and you give a tiny quarter of that to prevent ulcers. That means as a preventative there are 16 doses in one tube!

Obviously, it's a bit more cost-effective for a mini than a big horse.

(You should be able to buy a tube for about $37 dollars by the way- shop around.)

I made the mistake of giving a 1/2 dose (1/8th of a tube, which is in between the two types of dosages) for 30 days on my vet's advice the first time we used it and it turned out that not only did he have an ulcer, but that level of medication was not enough to completely cure it and the ulcer recurred when his 30 days was done. Oops! Now I had to pay twice as much to do the course all over again the right way.

If you are concerned that your new kids are going to be brewing ulcers, and they very well may, then do the whole dose (1/4 tube a day) for 30 days and be done with it. Otherwise give them the preventative dose (1/16th of a tube) starting a couple days before they travel and continuing until they are well settled-in and see how they do.

It will do no harm to give them 1/8th of a tube (1/2 of one of those four marked doses) as a preventative, it just wasn't enough for a horse who already had an ulcer to get it healed. 1/16th is a tiny, tiny amount which seems to get mostly on their lips so personally I give 1/2 a marked dose when I'm worried!

The good news is the stuff tastes and smells like cinnamon so the horses take it really easily and then it's also easier to slip their next dose of dewormer into them as they're expecting the good stuff.

Bonus!

Good luck with your new guys, and there is no way I'd give them the entire tube at once. I think your vet meant to give them the marked preventative dose for a 600lb horse, which is the full treatment dose for a miniature. It's the same med for both, just a different amount.

Leia

 

[LittleRibbie]

Leia, thank you for breaking it down in little stages for this old lady to understand.

I was getting confused on the preventative vs treatment and it was not making sense and was afraid I would do more harm than good.

He said 4 or 5 days should be fine....thoughts???......maybe a few more days to be sure.....30 days just seems like such a long time and expensive....

Heidi

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Four or five days of treatment with the full treatment dose is sort of odd. According to the studies my vet cited it really does take a 30 day treatment cycle to get rid of a full-blown ulcer and doing less than that, as I discovered, brings the horse temporary relief but doesn't solve the problem. The second time I was so paranoid we actually tapered it off after the 30 days, reducing him to half a dose for another week and then the preventative mini dose for another week and then using the preventative before, during and after all shows that year! It's kind of pointless to do the full treatment for less than a week; if they've got ulcers, that won't cure it. If they don't, that's more than they need to calm their tummies and prevent them. Half the time these days that's how vets test a horse for ulcers- you put them on the meds and if their behavior and appetite improves after a week you know they've got an ulcer and you keep treating them for another three weeks!

Now I know the signs on my boy so if he starts showing those symptoms despite being put on the preventive dose I up it immediately and that seems to keep it from developing into a full-blown ulcer again.

For your little ones, the vet has no way of knowing if they have ulcers as he hasn't seen them yet. The best thing you could do is pay for their current owner to buy a tube and start them on maybe a 1/2 dose before they leave and start getting stressed, continue that while they travel and then for a week after they settle in. Unless they already had ulcers from home that should be enough to prevent them from getting any and you can stop once they stop being stressed. If they're already on the trailer and it's too late, see how they act when they get to you and put them on the 1/4 preventative dose while they settle in. If they seem fine you can quit after a few days, if they start fussing over their hay and seem listless or have any other ulcer symptoms you'll need to move to the full treatment level (1 marked dose, 1/4 of a tube) and stay there preferably until 30 days is up just to be sure. Remember the hard lesson I learned- it's MORE expensive in the end to stop too soon or dose too lightly!

I am not a vet myself and normally my first words would be to ask your own equine professional, but sadly many vets are not well-acquainted with ulcers in minis and sometimes have some screwy advice. I'm lucky- my local veterinarians are quite experienced with smaller equines and have put a lot of study into the ulcer thing. My advice is forwarded directly from what they told me! Use your judgment and watch your animals for signs of discomfort. Horses survived fine without Ulcergard and Gastrogard for years, but now that we have it it's a great idea to put them on it when you know you're going to be stressing them.

Leia

 

[mydaddysjag]

When I had domingo hauled home The seller gave it for 4 days prior to the trip, the hauler gave it while on the trip, and I gave it for 4 days after he got home. When used as a preventative it needs to be used BEFORE the stress, such as a long haul. My vet told me that the preventative dose was 1/8 of the tube, and I believe that's what Merial told me as well.

If you are treating ulcers that are already there, you need to do the entire 30 day treatment, or they will come back. Had this happen to my old big horse, and trust me, After spending almost $1000 for a month of treatment, you want to be sure to do it right the first time, as it dosent save pennies in the end to scrimp.

 

[LittleRibbie]

Thanks again. Unfortunately we were unable to start preventitive treatment prior to trip...just completely forgot but will start them on 1/2 dose when they arrive and continue for a month...watching closely. Perhaps tapering down to an 1/8 . Thanks again. Hopefully I'm overracting and they will be cool as cucumbers when they arrive....and stay that way!! Heidi

 

[MinisOutWest]

do you see the notches on the side of the plunger, I give 2 clicks, or two notches once a day. but if your horses are not showing signs, do not give it to them. I haul all over the country and mine are fine. just keep an eye on them, give hay and water as soon as they get there and just keep an eye on them