Possible Ulcer Treatment

[wildhorses]

I have a mare that I suspect may have an ulcer. My vets don't keep gastroguard on hand, sent me home with some pills (Sucralfate) to disolve in water to help with the possible ulcer.

Is there a "people" medicine that I can get over the counter at Walmart that would work for a possible ulcer? Seems to me that I have heard of things before...don't know if it was Prilosec or something like that...anyways if anyone knows and what the dosage would be, how you give it, etc. I would sure appreciate the help. Thanks!

 

[JourneysEnd]

You can get Ulcergard through most on-line supply houses and have it shipped within two days.

You can use tagamet, malox, and there's one other I can't remember the name of. Nothing works like Ulcergard (which is the exact same think as Gastrogard)

 

[Marty]

Is there a "people" medicine that I can get over the counter at Walmart that would work for a possible ulcer?

Yes there is

Cimetidine

don't remember the dosage though

 

[RobinRTrueJoy]

Ok, here's the scoop from personal experience having a mini with an ulcer and being the proud owner of my very own ulcer......

Sucralfate(carafate) is the medicine that will HEAL the ulcer. It is the medicine that forms a protective coating over the ulcer so that stomach acid doesn't irritate it more.

It is a people drug, and can be used on minis, the same dose as an adult human. You will most likely see improvement on how the mini feels in a day or so. Don't think things are fixed. They are NOT fixed YET. You must giver this medicine for 6 weeks or longer. A few days worth does NOTHING. If you get a prescription for it, the vet can call the pharmacy and the pharmacy will fill it for "pet horse" DO NOT get the liquid form of the medicine as it is much more expensive and not needed. The pill dissolves very easily in a teeny bit of warm water, and does the same job. I am sure that this must be given about an hour BEFORE feeding. It must coat the ulcer.

Now, you NEED something else besides the sucralfate(carafate)

You need something that will stop or slow the acid production in the stomach. The acid is what is causing the ulcer or gastritis.

Sam's club ( cheapest)or Walmart or any pharmacy will carry it. You can use Tagamet(cimetidine) in an adult dose. Follow the directions on the package. Keep using it, and use it for about 2 months, then get yourself the powdered UGARD ( for horses)which is like maalox. Add it to his feed twice a day after you finish the carafate and tagamet meds and keep it up for several more weeks.You can also use Prilosec, I did and followed the instructions for a human adult.

You MUST use both Carafate AND Tagamet or Prilosec. One slows the acid production, the other helps heal the other. You must use BOTH.

Now you will ask... why can't I just use maalox? Ok, maolox will ease the stomach discomfort at that moment, but it is not long acting enough to help.In Horses, regular maaolox just isn't strong enough to last long enough to help.

If one of the sypmtoms your mini is having is diarrhea. The carafate will stop the diarrhea. Watch for signs of constipation. It can happen.

A lot of people say that their mini has chronic ulcers, and it may be true, but it is my opinion that the mini just hasn't been treated properly or for long enough and the symptoms just keep coming back.Most people get tired of medicating their horse and stop, so the problems keep coming back.

Good Luck,

Robin

 

[pepperhill]

We had to treat a horse for pain once, and she developed an ulcer. Our vet told us to use Bepto Bismal. We gave her the adult dose 4 times a day for several weeks and it worked well for us. She's been fine for two years now. Best wishes!

 

[Margo_C-T]

I have had good results with the use of ranitidine(generic for "Zantac".) I bought the 75 ml. tabs at Sams club, dosed an approx. 225 lb. mini with 8 crushed tabs per dose, gave three doses/24 hours, at 8 hour intervals(mixed with a bit of very thin,watered-down, applesauce,or a bit of very watered-down molasses or pancake syrup-that stuff is BITTER in taste!-- in a dose syringe) daily for 45 days.

I also have another horse who had an ulcer episode;after a similar initial course of treatment, I now give him UGard every day.

Both horses have done fine every since their initial treatment w/ the ranitidine; it's been slightly over a year for the first one I described, several years for the one now on UGard. I've not heard of using the sucralfate; neither of my vets ever recommended it?

Oh, and Gastroguard and Ulcergard have the same main ingredient, but it is my understanding that the strength is NOT the same, and that while Gastroguard will cure ulcers, Ulcerguard works only as a preventative, not as a cure, so cannot act as a 'substitute' for Gastroguard.

Margo

 

[JourneysEnd]

I have had good results with the use of ranitidine(generic for "Zantac".) I bought the 75 ml. tabs at Sams club, dosed an approx. 225 lb. mini with 8 crushed tabs per dose, gave three doses/24 hours, at 8 hour intervals(mixed with a bit of very thin,watered-down, applesauce,or a bit of very watered-down molasses or pancake syrup-that stuff is BITTER in taste!-- in a dose syringe) daily for 45 days.
I also have another horse who had an ulcer episode;after a similar initial course of treatment, I now give him UGard every day.

Both horses have done fine every since their initial treatment w/ the ranitidine; it's been slightly over a year for the first one I described, several years for the one now on UGard. I've not heard of using the sucralfate; neither of my vets ever recommended it?

Oh, and Gastroguard and Ulcergard have the same main ingredient, but it is my understanding that the strength is NOT the same, and that while Gastroguard will cure ulcers, Ulcerguard works only as a preventative, not as a cure, so cannot act as a 'substitute' for Gastroguard.

Margo

Margo, I thought the same thing, but they are exactly the same. The difference is the instructions on the box. Ulcergard gives the daily dose for a large horse as 1/4 a syringe, Gastrogard dose is 1 syringe per day. So Gastrogard's box reads "Contains 1 Syringe ( 1 Dose) and Ulcergard's "Contains 1 Syringe ( 4 doses )

Had a vet tell me this. They're also the same price. It just boils down to manufacturer liability.

 

[bevann]

I have used Aloe Vera juice with great success.6cc in a syringe squirted in the mouth 2 or 3 times daily.Mini had ulcers after surgery and lots of bute.Makes sense since aloe is used on burns and open sores for healing.I even tried it myself for a bad case of indigestion and it worked.IMO it won't hurt and Walmart carries it and it is really cheap.good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Allure Ranch]

[SIZE=12pt]I've used Mylanta and had wonderful results when we didn't have Gastrogard available.[/SIZE]

 

[mightymiracles]

I second the Aloe Vera juice. It worked on my arab gelding and he still gets it but within less then 3 days I saw a huge improvement. I keep him on it due to the fact he is very old and is an arab so prone to stress in his enviroment and its cheap cheap cheap so why not.

 

[normajeanbaker]

We have a mare here who has had dealings with ulcers. We had great luck with Prilosec. We did the full treatment of Prilosec, and then put her on and have left her on the Ulcer supplement UGard. We have never had a problem since.

~Jen~

 

[turtlecreek]

My gelding had troubles with ulcers late last fall. Our vet put him on Omeprazole (generic Prilosec). He got 3 tabs twice a day. I melted them in water (just a little) and then syringed the liquid into him. He was on this for about 3 weeks and then I switched him Ranitidine ($4 at Walmart) for about a week. I also kept Maalox on hand for upset tummy. He came around after the Omeprazole. I used the Ranitidine as a preventative to "make sure". He's been fine since.