Horse lovers are definitely becoming more educated about horse
ulcers. This growing awareness is wonderful because it means
great relief for horses who have suffered from ulcers, sometimes
for years.
Because of the expanding number of horse owners who are aware of
ulcers, I often get questions about how to prevent ulcers,
especially in specific situations. In this article I'm going to
answer three of the most prevalent questions.
People want to know how to prevent ulcers if their horse is:
- going on antibiotic therapy
- must be confined due to an injury or illness
- heading into training for the first time (especially young
horses)
These are all great questions, and each has a different answer.
#1: How to Prevent Horse Ulcers during Antibiotic Therapy
As much as I try to avoid it, sometimes antibiotic therapy is
necessary, especially with acute conditions or serious injuries.
As you probably already know, antibiotics kill off the "friendly
bacteria," or probiotics, that live in your horse's gut. These
friendly bacteria are an important part of your horse's
digestion, and form a first line of defense against foreign
invaders that cause illness. Acidophilus is the probiotic that
lives in your horse's small intestine while bifidus lives in the
large intestine.
A healthy population of these bacteria keeps your horse's food in
his gut, preventing food from leaking into the bloodstream, which
can ultimately cause allergies, food sensitivities, and a host of
other chronic conditions. As you can see, antibiotic therapy can
seriously affect a horse's health and the functioning of his
digestion. All of this can ultimately lead to horse ulcers.
The educated horse owner, knowing all this, then asks the
following:
a. Do you feed digestive support products like probiotics during
antibiotic therapy, or after the course of antibiotics is
complete?
b. Do you feed prebiotics, probiotics, or both to prevent horse
ulcers? (Prebiotics are substances that serve as "food" for the
probiotics in your horse's gut)
c. Which brands of prebiotics or probiotics are best?
These are all good questions about preventing horse ulcers, and
the answers are simple.
a. It never hurts to feed prebiotics and probiotics during the
course of antibiotics. Feeding probiotics after your horse
completes the course of antibiotics is a must.
b. To replenish your horse's population of probiotics and prevent
horse ulcers, I prefer products that include both prebiotics and
probiotics.
c. Fastrack is one popular brand that includes both
prebiotics
and probiotics, with the paste form being more powerful than the
powdered form. If your horse has only been on a short course of
antibiotics (one week or less), Fastrack may be strong enough to
replenish your horse's gut with probiotics. If you horse has been
on antibiotics for longer or has had digestive issues in the
past, the Simplexity Essentials are a better choice.
The Essentials are daily packs of supplements that include
not only acidophilus, bifidus, and enzymes, but also two forms
of blue-green algae. This special kind of blue-green algae acts
powerfully to heal any ulcers that may be forming.
#2: How to Prevent Horse Ulcers if Your Horse
Must be Confined
Depending on your horse's personality type, confinement can
either be restful or stressful. For instance, the
super-competitive Wood horse can easily develop ulcers from sheer
restlessness and boredom, while the laid back Earth horse may do
fine with confinement so long as plenty of food is present. Find
out more about each of the Five-Element horse personality types
at the Horse Harmony website and test your horse's personality
type at no cost at the Horse Harmony Test website.
Having said that each personality type responds differently to
confinement, there are three general guidelines you can follow to
prevent horse ulcers for any equine who has to be confined for an
extended length of time:
- cut back on grain-type feeds
- increase the amount of hay you feed
- feed herbal supplements like Relax Blend from Equilite or Omega
Sun blue-green algae from Simplexity
Cutting back on your horse's grain-type feeds will ensure that he
isn't bursting with excess energy that he has no way to release.
The extra hay will provide hours of entertainment since horses
were meant to eat all day long. In addition, the hay also forms a
fibrous mat in the upper part of your horse's stomach, which acts
as a buffer against the acid produced in the lower stomach. If
this buffer is not present because your horse isn't getting
enough hay, he could develop stomach ulcers if the acid from the
lower stomach contacts the upper stomach.
Finally, the Relax Blend from Equilite or the Omega Sun blue-green
algae from Simplexity will keep your horse in a relaxed and calm
state. When your horse is relaxed he is operating from his
parasympathetic nervous system, which is the nervous system
associated with relaxation, rejuvenation, and healing.
#3: How to Prevent Horse Ulcers if Your Horse is Going into
Training
Many horses going into a training program for the first time will
develop stomach ulcers because they are under stress. If this is
the case for your equine friend, the best way to prevent horse
ulcers is to keep him relaxed and to provide plenty of probiotic
support.
For calm horses, daily doses of Fastrack should provide enough
probiotic support to prevent ulcers. For horses with a more
intense or nervous personality, the Simplexity Essentials would
be more suitable. The Essentials are more nutrient-dense, and
provide more probiotics per serving than Fastrack. It's important
to provide probiotic support because probiotics are the bacteria
that produce B-vitamins in your horse's body. B-vitamins are
known to have a calming effect, which both reduces your horse's
stress level and helps prevent horse ulcers.
Finally, if you think your horse is going to be really stressed
by his training program, consider adding two capsules of Eleviv
to his daily regimen. Eleviv is an herbal product that helps keep
horses functioning from the parasympathetic, or calm, nervous
system. Eleviv can have a dramatic effect on certain horses for
whom probiotic support is not enough. You can learn more about
Eleviv here.
Horse Ulcers: Not the Same in Every Situation
As this article amply demonstrates, horses can be stressed by any
number of life situations. Horse ulcers are often the result of
that stress. I hope this article helps you navigate these
stressful situations more easily, and prevent horse ulcers in the
process. There is so much more that could be discussed about
horse ulcers, their prevention, and their treatment, so I'm sure
I'll be writing more about them in the future.
In the meantime, if you have a specific ulcer issue you want to
discuss or a general horse case you want to chat about, consider
joining the Horse Health Hotline. This online forum is filled
with horse lovers knowledgeable about holistic horse health care,
and a lifetime membership is only $40. I answer posts every 2-3
days, and others add their knowledge to the forum on a daily
basis. Learn more about this forum here.
About the Author
Madalyn Ward, DVM, owns Bear Creek Veterinary Clinic in Austin, Texas. She is certified in Veterinary Homeopathy and Equine Osteopathy. Memberships include American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners, American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, Texas Veterinay Medical Association and the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy. She has authored several books and publishes the monthly newsletter, “Holistic Horsekeeping.”
Contact
Madalyn Ward DVM
11608 FM 1826
Austin, TX 78737
303-575-1170
www.holistichorsekeeping.com
www.horseharmony.com
www.horseharmonytest.com
www.yourhorsebook.com
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