# Treating gastric ulcers naturally?



## Ellietotz (2 February 2017)

If you suspect a horse has ulcers, can you treat this naturally or with something you can purchase rather than go to the vet?


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## Goldenstar (2 February 2017)

No not IMO you can lessen the symptoms and perhaps reduce the severity of the ulcers with management changes and perhaps supplements but to heal ulcers you need to use drugs .
It's also my option that most horses in leisure and competition type homes have ulcers secondary to an other issue which is giving them pain so you have to find and sort that as well .
It used to be thought all ulcers would heal if the horse was turned away to graze but research proved although the ulcers lessened in severity they did not heal completely


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## Allover (2 February 2017)

I have had 2 vets (who have both worked in Australia) say that anecdotally slippery elm was as effective as omeprazole in treating ulcers. It would be my first port of call if I suspected my horse was suffering with them.


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## Ellietotz (2 February 2017)

Thank you.  Just looked it up now and there's  loads of different types, do you know if it would be a powder formular that would be best to try? Also, everywhere I read, it says it soothes the stomach, so does it actually get rid of them or just mask it?


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## Ellietotz (2 February 2017)

Allover said:



			I have had 2 vets (who have both worked in Australia) say that anecdotally slippery elm was as effective as omeprazole in treating ulcers. It would be my first port of call if I suspected my horse was suffering with them.
		
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Thank you.  Just looked it up now and there's  loads of different types, do you know if it would be a powder formular that would be best to try? Also, everywhere I read, it says it soothes the stomach, so does it actually get rid of them or just mask it?


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## Goldenstar (2 February 2017)

It's a herb ,no research ,no tested information on dosage no research into side effects or efficacy , no controls on how it or where it's grown you pay your money you take your chance .


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## lucylockett (3 February 2017)

Hi,
Have a look at this. It was in the news last week for winning an award.
http://www.sciencesupplements.co.uk/gastrokind.html#.WJSoWuSmlPY


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## JillA (3 February 2017)

https://equinenutritionnerd.com/201...tions-for-stomach-ulcer-treatment-prevention/


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## Allover (5 February 2017)

Goldenstar said:



			It's a herb ,no research ,no tested information on dosage no research into side effects or efficacy , no controls on how it or where it's grown you pay your money you take your chance .
		
Click to expand...

Actually there is.


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## Allover (5 February 2017)

Ellietotz said:



			Thank you.  Just looked it up now and there's  loads of different types, do you know if it would be a powder formular that would be best to try? Also, everywhere I read, it says it soothes the stomach, so does it actually get rid of them or just mask it?
		
Click to expand...

I would use the powder form


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## leggs (5 February 2017)

no, a horse unlike us, produces stomach acid 24/7 so any ulcers that are there will not heal unless you give him something with omeprazole which stops the acid production.  The only thing that can soothe is baking powder (sodium carbonate) but it will not cure!


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## tallyho! (5 February 2017)

Personally, I would change the diet completely before and after you have treated the ulcers with a course of whatever the vet recommends... the ulcers are the symptom that whatever is going in, isn't doing the gut any favours. The vets I've encountered have recommended no hard feed until course is completed for a variety of horses.

Saliva is the body's natural acid buffer so chewing is essential for horses so encourage it by ad-lib roughage at ALL times, reduce stress, and provide natural saliva and mucous membrane production like pectin, linseed etc. Remove anything that can be gulped down but is starchy, like grains, peas etc. I would recommend a course of probiotics. BioMOS, Yea SACC and herbs that soothe the gut lining but do your research which is most effective and sometimes, you do have to experiment with how your own horse reacts... it's nice to have tangible results from a study, however, numbers are always small, and results don't always reproduce themselves in your own circumstances due to a plethora of reasons... all you want to know really is if it helped and the horses didn't die. Anecdotes happily do that in the absence of large scale multicentre studies. Even omeprazole wasn't tested on horses before they became Rx widely, same as metformin.


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