As it turns out, horses are just as susceptible to ulcers as humans. This is due in large part to their stress levels and how they respond when things go wrong or change unexpectedly with them. The good news for horse owners who want treatment options that won’t cost an arm and a leg. GastroGard and UlcerGuard.
Ulcers cause a vast range of problems, such as irritability and weight loss. The symptoms also include bad behavior and poor coat performance. Recurrent colic is another sign of an ulcer-ridden horse.
Ulcer supplements like the increasingly popular Gastromend, has gained significant traction with many horse owners.
In today’s economy, a majority of horse owners want to try an inexpensive solution first. That means using OTCs such as sucralfate or ranitidine before moving on to more expensive procedures like video endoscopy and drugs that contain omeprazole (GastroGard and UlcerGuard).
Recommended Ulcer Treatment in Horses
Gastrogard – If your horse has stomach ulcers, this is the only FDA-approved product to use. When taken as directed and for how long it takes based on the weight of horses, you will see improvement within 28 days in most cases.
Gastrogard is used to treat existing stomach ulcers in horses. To make a diagnosis, your veterinarian may examine the horse by running an endoscopic camera through its nose and into the stomach if one isn’t available. The presumptive diagnosis will be based upon history and clinical signs like vomiting or colic that happen due to gastric irritation from acid refluxing back up from their digestive tract.
Ulcergard – This is used to prevent stomach ulcers that occur when a horse’s digestion system becomes stressed, such as during training or competition. Horses are prone to develop stomach ulcers during stressful times including training and competition as well as confinement (stall or paddock).
GastroGard and UlcerGuard – What’s the Difference
The two products have the same primary ingredient: omeprazole. They are both manufactured by Merial Ltd, and they’re both intended to treat horses with gastric ulcers.
The difference is that – Gastrogard requires a prescription before being administered on your horse while Ulcergard is an over-the-counter medication.
Ulcergard does not require a prescription and can either be sold by your veterinarian or purchased in retail outlets, making it easy for you to manage this condition before any digestive problems arise.
GastroGard
Ulcers are terrible for horses. Unfortunately, gastric ulcers in horses are common and often requires treatment with high doses of omeprazole for about 30 days to get rid of them completely
GastroGard provides your horse with large doses of highly concentrated omeprazole that will be used on an already existing stomach ulcer. The amount given at once allows the medication to work more quickly while still being delivered over time through daily administration via syringe orally or topically (on feed).
The only way to get a prescription from your equine doctor for Gastrogard is by having your horse checked with an endoscopy.
The uncomfortable process involves inserting a camera through their nose and mouth so they can see whether or not there are any gastric ulcers in its system.
GastroGard will then be prescribed to your horse for about one month, with the horse getting 1 tube of GastroGard daily. The technical dosage measurement per day for this treatment plan is 0.18 mg/pound that the horse weighs every day; however, most horses would only need 1 tube of GastroGuard each day.
UlcerGuard
[amazon box=”B000RI4FPQ” template=”horizontal”]
UlcerGard works differently than GastroGard because you don’t need a vet to prescribe Ulcergard if your horse has ulcers or other stomach problems. Instead of protecting the stomach lining from damage, UlcerGard has been specifically designed to aid in healing ulcers.
If you happen to need it, UlcerGard can be found in local tack stores and online equine shops.
UlcerGard is a bit easier for you to get your hands on so that you don’t have travel all around town checking out several different equine shops before finding it.
Final Thoughts
It is extremely important that when putting any product in your horse’s body, you should make sure to look at the label. The New Animal Drug Application (NADA) number and the statement “Approved by the FDA” should be on its packaging; these are signs that it was tested for safety and effectiveness before release.
