Yes he is still undergoing his treatments with medications, but I feel like it's a good idea to cover management as well. Throughout my blog I have gone over everything he is currently getting but to keep it all contained here's this post!
Feeding: Through much of my research I've come to realize just how not so great grain is. Hay Is & always will be the most important aspect of your horses feeding. Some people are lucky & have those "easy keepers" that require no grain & just a vitamin & mineral balancer to get all the nutrients required. For Ben he is & always has been what many call a "hard keeper". I never thought much about grain & how much I fed honestly because he needed more than just hay & vitamins & minerals to keep good weight. Luckily these days there are so many different options you can choose from in order to add those extra calories without the added grain increase. For Ben he gets Cavalor Fiber Force which is grain free. It is also high fiber, low sugar & starch which is ideal for horses with any type of digestive issue including ulcers! The feed is unlike anything I have ever seen before & looks nothing like typical grain (especially since it isn't). It even has alfalfa hay pieces mixed into it! Ben loves this feed especially when it's got some warm water mixed in! He gets 1 scoop 3 times a day. He also gets Triple Crown Senior which yes is a grain but it's also beet pulp based & also lower in sugar & starch. He only gets 1/2 scoop of that 3 times a day mixed with the Fiber Force. The Vet at the hospital wanted him on Alfalfa either soaked cubes or hay. I tried soaked cubes for almost the first month & while he ate them as long as they were not too wet he wasn't super crazy about it. A good friend of mine mentioned a place where I could find some beautiful western Alfalfa hay. So off I went to pick up a bale & wow it is pretty beautiful & the aroma is amazing! Ben receives typically 1 flake in the evening. I will sometimes give him 2 flakes if the weather is supposed to be cold. He is head over heels in love with this hay. One bale lasts almost a month for him at the rate I'm feeding it & its worth seeing him so excited over it! What better way to help the ulcers heal than the best form of alfalfa which is hay. He also gets free choice grass hay available all the time which helps his weight a lot. He gets hay fed through his Nibblenets. That is the best way to feed any horse really because horses are natural grazers so they eat small amounts frequently to keep there digestive system in working order. Ben has 4 Nibblenets total in various places. I started using them in the first place because he had his choke issue over a year ago & it was recommended. I do allow him his alfalfa free from a net & whatever he doesn't finish goes into his baby nibblenet. That sums it up in regards to his feeding.
Supplements: The supplements Ben currently takes other than any medications are Assure, Assure Plus, Cosequin ASU Plus, & Stomach Happy. The Assure is a digestive supplement that is approved by the Dr at the hospital. Assure Plus is a sand removal supplement that has a few added bonuses for the digestive system. It is unlike your typical sand clear or rid. This product was highly recommended to Ben before he was even diagnosed with his ulcers & when he was diagnosed the vet did not want him off of it. The Cosequin ASU Plus is his joint supplement also recommended by his vet. The Stomach Happy is a Chinese herbal supplement you can only purchase through a vet that is for the aid in gastric ulcers. Once he is more healed I will be adding back his Vitamin C which is for his allergies & nose in the summer time. Ben is more prone to nosebleeds than other horses. He has weaker blood vessels in his nose & was scoped many times to get this diagnosis.
Living arrangements: I have been extremely lucky that my barn has agreed to allow Ben to be turned out day & night. He stays in his stall only if the weather is really bad. He has mellowed out so much with this new arrangement & his arthritis is much improved with it also. He will only tolerate a stall for a few hours at most or else he stall walks nonstop. He is an outdoor kinda guy clearly...as long as he can see another horse because he doesn't like being or feeling alone but horses are herd animals!
Medications: He gets Gastrogard, Sucralfate, Misoprostal, & Isoxsuprine. Gastrogard is for his gastric ulcers & he currently gets 1/2 tube daily. Sucralfate is also for his gastric ulcers & he currently gets it twice a day. Misoprostal is for his colonic ulcers at 8 tablets daily. Finally the Isoxsuprine is twice a day & for his healing bruised heel (increases circulation to feet). There will be changes based off of his next recheck which is next week!
I posted all of this because when your horse is diagnosed with ulcers there does need to be changes. This is the program that is currently working for us as of right now. Some may agree or disagree & that is perfectly fine! You do what you can with the resources you have available. I have nothing against grain but it does need to be monitored & the lower the sugar & starch & higher fiber the better. Hay should always be available. Turnout is key & so important. Medications should always be at the discretion of your veterinarian.
Ben has been doing good! His weight is improving slowly, he is now sound at every gait for a few days now as he displayed to me one evening when he saw his alfalfa flake! He is shedding like crazy as expected & looking like a shiny copper penny! The weather is warming up nicely so he is able to go naked throughout the day. He appears to be a happy camper so hopefully his recheck will prove that as well.
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