Realizing Responsibility
Jun 30th, 2009 by Carolyn Resnick Method
More people are taking a new turn for themselves in regards to their relationship with horses. Less people are prone to want a horse to serve them in some way. People are beginning to want a horse to have a relationship with them instead of looking at a horse as an object that is dispensable, that they can get rid of, when their child goes off to college for example.
All of this is such good news and as things are changing more people are realizing that a horse is something you need to care for all his life and if we are going to own one we should keep it to the end if we can. I just had a horse at my ranch get an ulcer and the bill is really very high. He was in the hospital for two days and now he has been put on medicine that costs US$45.00 a day. He needs to be on it for 30 days. I should have had insurance but I did not.
The point of this message is that horses can be expensive and we need to be able to handle the costs as they occur. The horse’s name is Cat. The horse was imported from Germany and was supposed to be a dressage horse. He has some training issues that made him unmanageable for dressage. His owners were wealthy people but saw no point in keeping him if he was not useful. Now I am his mom and he has a home with me and all he has to do here at this ranch is what he chooses.
If anyone as any advice on alternative medication that is natural and that would do a better job than the GastroGard, medicine he now has to take, I would love to hear about it. He is also a nervous horse by nature and I would love to get some kind of herbs to put him on for his initial recovery. I use alternative remedies for myself but do not know about alternative medicines for horses that have a level 2 ulcer.
Stina made another YouTube called Horses and Resources. I am sure that most people will enjoy her short film. Her horses are looking really well and she has a strong message to share.
Horses and Resources with Stina
Enjoy your week!
Carolyn
No related posts.
Hi Carolyn,
After recommendation from our group–I have researched VitaRoyal..and am transitioning my horses to this program.
The program was developed by a Biochemist–her name is Linsey McClean. She has been helping horses and humans for over 30 years.
Harry developed a shiver in his right hind and Linsey knew right away what the issue was.
So even with a minimal shift in his diet, he has improved.
I really like her feeding program…she is also very communicative and straight forward.
Consultation is free.
I hope Cat is doing better at this point as I am posting later.
Thank you for your nice comments to the video clip.
Sun and Wind
Stina in St. Vincent
Stina, Thank you for the wonderful film, your horses are looking so healthy and happy. The needless breeding of more horses when so many are in need of a good life is also a subject that is of importance to me. I try not to let it get me down, but try to make a little bit of difference here and there. You and Caroline are an inspiration and are helping people to see horses in a better light. Good luck Caroline with your new horse, I have found the resources in Natural Horse magazine to be useful and of interest.
http://www.holistichorsekeeping.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=399 article from Maryln ward on flax seed
Hi Carolyn
Aloe Vera gel/juice which is organic/no additives 100%pure will also heal ulcers in horses. You can feed 1 cup a day. It works for humans too. Horses seem to like the taste and/or mix it with ground flax seed. That & apple cider vinegar because the vinegar helps with the ph levels. Of course stress levels need to be taken into account and changes made to make the animal less stressed. Examine what you are feeding because certain feeds and even hays may not be agreeing with this particular horse. Grass hays, no alfalfa are usually best. Homeopathic remedies work incredibly well and are cheap as Robina has stated, but you need to work with the animals constitution and Robina sounds like she knows her stuff.
My mare developed ulcers as a result of impaction surgery. Was barely picking at her alfalfa & timothy after surgery and this is a mustang who never found a blade of grassthat didn’t have her name on it! She was on rimitidine (sp?) for over10 days post surgery in the hospital and 4 days at home. Still in pain and very sad and still picking at her hay. Her manure was still sticky and tarry like a newborns too. Not good.
I decided to give her some Stomach Balance herbs I bought beforehand. (@$34 and $5 shipping for 4 lbs which lasts for @ 3 months). http://www.herbnhorse.com/store.php3?list=cats&spec=caps&session=8f92cfeefe6dca8a4bb8a5c0b0a5e32c.
I gave her only 1/2 dose (because she just had major surgery) in the evening with her vitamins, and the next morning. Her morning manure was so improved. By the 3rd dose that night her manure was totally normal! When she smelled the bucket containing a handful of wet pellets and the powdered herbs, she couldn’t get to it and eat it fast enough! (And did so for the next 3 months). The best part was that she started to eat, oh boy did she ever! Picked up 50 lbs in 2 weeks, vet increased her handwalking to 2 hrs/day. Her pain was gone. She improved so much that the surgeon allowed her to come home from the layup in only 60 days instead of 90 days. I continue to use the herbs a few times a month as a tonic, treat and preventative measure.
Bottom line, nothing helped her in 15 days of medicine. Only 3 half doses of the herbs helped her turn the corner.
Good luck,
Sharon
Great advice I have found that rice bran is heavily pesticed, horse do not do well on it, very acidic
not only is rice bran heavily pestisized it being mostly grown in old cotton fields) is also heavy in arsnic, I do understand that alifornia rice brand does not contain the arsnic.
Carolyn,
I am a physician and surgeon now semi-retired. I, too, have little funds for care, but have studied extensively alternative medicine. I had an TB rescue last year with an impaction on tope of a large ulcer that the vet gave up on. I had no money to hospitalize her.
Being of tough will, I decided to treat her myself. I worked homeopathically and with a few products, dosing her about 4-6 times a day. She survivied, even moving herself up to #2 in her herd of 5 mares.
Please feel free to detail me via e mail for conversation . Or, if you wish, we can talk by phone if you would like. I just need to know when to phone you.
Don’t despair. There are many things to try.
I am having meaningful relationship at this stage of my life with my charges and appreciate your work.
Respectfully, Bonnie
Wow what a wonderful place Stina has. The video conveys the important question of responsibility and yes thousands of racehorses are slaughtered in Australia too. I am taking note of all the information regarding ulcers and healing options.
I had a magical day – it began with the exploration of an earlier experiment. Several months ago I was grooming Andre and he was quite sensitive so I decided to try something different. I wondered if I could scan any of his energy fields off the body. I held my palms like antennae dishes and moving slowly away began to scan. At about 2 feet I felt my hands bouncing against an energy sleeve, I asked permission to enter. Andre turned to me at that moment and then came over and put his head against me. Today Andre seemed flat and I decided to try the experiment again. This time it was different though still at the same distance the energy was very strong my hands were buzzing I explored and played with the cadence. Andre started to shift and yawn and he behaved as though he was getting a hands on treatment. Then Andre turned and came close to me. He was brighter and happy. I previously had not had an interest in off the body healing. I am going to continue with these energy explorations. Later in the morning I explored moving in a different way to encourage Andre to move in response to my body language. I had been feeling that I had to change myself in relation to Andre. This week I had been exploring the breath, Feldenkrais and movement patterns influenced by various sources. I was feeling very grounded and soft and fluid in the upper body. I started to invite Andre to move in various directions with minimal gesture. It became the most magical meditation, light and subtle. Horses are extraordinarily sensitive. Andre would respond to the gesture of one finger. It made me realise how uncouth I had been. If Andre and I are to dance together I must truly dance and I also must be able to choreograph the flow and I must be open and aware of the horse doing the same.
All the best with Cat Carolyn
Wow, this is great.. all this information on horse health…I am adding all of it to my personal list. Thank you to everyone.
Stephani, I have a question about Vita Royal.
I investigated it earlier in the program to see if it might fit with my drafts…it looks pretty good, but it seemed the cost would be prohibitive for me. But you say it costs $52.90 per month..I could swing that. So I will check into it again.
My goal is to get my guys off of processed feed, and onto whole foods I put together myself.
So far, I have come up with a successful mix….
raw oats, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, seaweed and a gut powder my feedguy makes himself (he’s an equine nutrionist). We also give them apple cider vinegar every other day and a liver flush every 2-3 months or when they seem to need it again.
My horses are tricky. Breezy and Harry both developed scratches…with the nodules.
We have been able to control them with the use of apple cider vinegar in their diet, the liver flush and flaxseeds.
Shots and wormer are a major detriment to their health…the shots are the main factor their immune systems have been compromised. We have found the scratches/nodules are an immune disorder, which can be irritated by the evironment and other outside factors. We have found it important to maintain their PH level up to.
The only thing I’m not sure about with the Vita Royal program, is the use of rice bran—I’ve used it before with them..mostly in the winter..it was iffy with the scratches, but that was before I had them on this main diet..I was close to it, but they were still getting some processed feed.
I also believe the use of GE grains is going to be a major problem–does anyone have a source for organic oats, flaxseed etc.
We live in Ohio—funny, I thought they would be better off up here vs Georgia where we lived for awhile….but have since concluded, the natural vegetation there, was better for them..it was rougher with less grasses and the sandy soil was much better for their feet…fungus is a big issue up here.
Anyway…thanks again to everyone on their posts.
Kim
Hi Carolyn, Good luck with Cat!
I too have a horse that was “no good” because of stress related issues resulting from her former work and training..(racing) I have made a promise to keep her for her life – EVEN IF SHE GETS BETTER! Funnily enough, this “even if she gets better” part of the promise seemed to have some really profound effect on her health status.. I don’t know whether it helped me to change the way I thought, or her to change the way she thought, but she is now a pretty healthy stress free horse, so long as she gets the special care she needs.
She had an ulcer which was exacerbating her condition and creating a vicious cycle of pain, stress and ill health , and I had considered putting her on the gastrogard program.. also looked into VitaRoyal but the cost of getting the ingredients here was prohibitive.
In the end, I talked to Dr Thomas http://www.forloveofthehorse.com/index.php and put her on a three month program of their herbal solutions. “Chinese medical herbology and pharmacology with the science of Equine Pathophysiology.”
She took the Gastric Ulcers Solution, Total Immune Health and Liver Support. (All very delicious!) Within three months, her ulcer symptoms had disappeared, her coat was shiny and black and she’d come back to a normal weight.
We decided to keep her on the Ulcer Solution at lower dose for another six months. That was almost three years ago, and aside from making sure her lifestyle stays really stress free, we haven’t had to give her any special feeding that the other horses don’t get, except for a higher dose of magnesium.
What I really like about the Herbal Solutions is that for most conditions, the treatment is finite, helping the horse to correct whatever imbalance exists at it’s base, and “normalise”.
Regards! Sue
Carolyn, I also recommend the Vita Royal program. My horse and I are both following protocols tuned to our individual needs and doing very well.
Kathy
Cat is a lucky horse to have gotten you for his mom. I wish more people I knew in the dressage world had your attitude of a lifetime commitment – but sadly I see lots of horses being sold so people can move up the levels in dressage and win ribbons. Good luck with the ulcer issue!
You have a beautiful herd, Stina.
I also forgot to add that the nervousness will dissipate after a few months on the nutrient buffer as well as touchiness – such as the horse’s skin flinching a little when touched by the hand. Also, you might want to take morning temps to make sure you are not dealing with a thyroid issue, anything below 99.6 will tell you that the thyroid is not functioning correctly and you will need to do an environmental cleanup including water filter and clean feed free of toxins such as wheat middlings, soy hulls, oat hulls, beet pulp, and especially alfafla as it has 5 enzymes that inhibit the thyroid from proper function….
Hello, wow lots of advice for your horse , that is great…and here is what I do…
I am on the VitaRoyal Nutrition Program. It is basically an environmental cleanup to allow your horse the best possible chance of healing itself from the inside out. I had horses with leaky gut issues and others with EPM issues. This is an organic feed with human grade minerals added on the basis of what type of water your horse is drinking. The gut is coated with a product called Nutrient Buffer – which does not disturb the acidity of the stomach but allows it to heal – and quickly. It costs 52.90 a month and you give it am and pm with the feed. the feed is not cooked or baked but raw and you add water to it to make a mash. this way the minerals are not destroyed. This nutrition program is phenomenal…all EPM and gut issues are resolved within months as well as cushing issues. Here is website – http://www.vitaroyal.com/
Best luck to you
stephani
Hi all the video is great and very poignant I really value the work and efforts to commumnicate these very important messages for all by you Carolyn and Stina and am sure the horses even moreso great stuff
i can recommend trying homeopathic remedies as they are very gentle and safe to use with regularmedicationand or herbs – do not work if using aromatherapy at the same time- Phosphorous remedy as an acute remedy may be worth a try -it is strongly indicated for gastric ulcers and for very sensitive creatures and the essence of the remedy id about being estranged from one’s family and seeking the emotional care and support of others -which I am sure is now happening but the transition may have had a physical consequence -especially if he has left a beloved paddock mate behind- also very strobgly reommended for redheads and blondes which may sound straneg but is partofthe suble indications in choosing a particular remedy cnstitutionally there are great on line animal homeopathic services available -it ischeap and safe and oftern works beautifully -you can try the basic 30ccpotency and just add the remedy tothe watertrough when indicated and then stop once healing crisis resolved cheers thanks for all the great work and inspiration Robina
Bless you Carolyn and Stina and all of you who love the way you do. After a life of searching with horses at my side, I am finding rolemodels, mentors and Heros really, in you. I feel very good about my new understanding of life and my place in it. My mare Liberty is pleased too.
Peace and Prosperity to you~
Jen Joy Middleton.
Salt Spring Island, B.C. Canada
Hi all….not one person has mentioned this product! SmartPak Equine has an excellent product called SmartGut. My colt is on it due to the stress of being stalled from an injury. He’s magic…..check out the comparison chart at http://www.smartpakequine.com/charts/ulcersuppcompare.html
Again great advice but if you want something to work easy and low cost the clay works Dynamite or any good grade benonite clay- Alfalfa killed my horse so I would never give for ulcers. Remember less is more
Find Robert McDowell on the internet. He is the foremost horse herbalist in the world. He is in Australia, but can give you a consultation and will take all kinds of factors in to account in prescribing a herbal formula for your horse. He also has some prepared formulas for sale on his website.
You can start by putting your horse on Chamomile tea 2x per day. Buy the bulk flowers and make a tea, (about 1/3 cu flowers to a quart of H2O) or even buy tea bags at the grocery store (organic). Give him about 1/4 cu am and pm on feed, or give directly in the mouth by syringe .
You can start right away giving him slippery elm paste. Mix the slippery elm powder with your chamomile tea to form a gooey paste and mix this with food. It is fine to experiment with the proportions of chamomile and slippery elm till you get a consistency he’ll eat. Use this paste for about a week. Then go to the chamomile tea and continue with that for several weeks.
Penny
Carolyn – I am a subscriber to Dr. Madalyn Ward’s HolisticHorsekeepingforum and services. She is a well published vet so you may have heard of her. She balances western and holistic approaches. This is her newsletter which came out today if you wish to check it out…..
July 2009
Horse Health Care:
Palliation, Suppression, and Cure
Holistic Horsekeeping
How to have a healthy happy horse.
Volume 13, Number 7
http://www.holistichorsekeeping.com
Carolyn,
My horse Gabby who I purchased off the race track 15 yrs ago had ulcers so bad they were causing her to have gas colics on a bi-weekly basis. After trying every option out there with no improvments I had her stomach scoped and discovered just how bad here ulcers were, they were HORRIBLE. Like you I had to give her Gastro Guard for 30 days, which cost around $1,300 for the 30 day treatment. Anyway, the results were nothing less than amazing as we re-scoped her stomach after the 30 day treatment and it was completely healed. Of couse I could not afford to spend that much on her every month and started researching other options and this is what I have learned:
I tried several herbal options which Gabby would not eat. I tried different feeds which she wouldn’t eat. I tried Probiotics, didn’t really help. After much research I found out about Succeed which is a PRE-Biotic and can be purchased at http://www.Valleyvet.com. It isn’t cheap but is MUCH less expensive than Gastro Guard. After the first 60 days I cut the dose down to 1/2 scoop and Gabby is doing very well. At age 20 she is in better condition than she has ever been. She eats EVERYTHING and she used to not eat or leave most of her grain so keeping weight on her was difficult. Her hooves are better than ever. Overall her entire health has greatly improved. In addition to the Succeed, I came up with my own grain mix which contains NO SUGAR, MOLASSES, ETC., and the mix ratio consists of 4 scoops steamed crimped oats, 1 scoop alfalfa pellets (make sure they don’t have animal perseratives – some do & they smell gross), 1 scoop Caliber Complete (by Livengood Feeds here in Texas – mostly forage products), and 1/2 Black Oil Sunflower Seeds. I mix it all together it sort of looks like granola. If you have a horse that needs extra calories you can add 2 scoops of barley to the mix (I no longer add barley as all my horses are FAT). Gabby gets 1 scoop of this mixture in the a.m. & p.m. and also gets 1 scoop of One & Only which is a free choice feed by Wendlands. I give my horses liquid minerals that I purchase through Parelli Collection, free choice salt & minerals blocks, free choice pasture and a couple flakes of coastal/grass hay daily as needed. I have had people call me up to find out about my grain mix because their horses are tying-up (Gabby used to do that as well). After switching to my mix they have had no more episodes of tying up. Some people worry that there isn’t enough protein in the feed for really active horses and I can assure you my horses are VERY active and CHip and Kiss get less than 1/4 scoop of the mix because they were getting to fat. The people who have switched to this mix have also seen their horses weight improve. Hopes this helps. If you would like any more information on this please let me know.
I know many people who have had very good results with the Silver Lining Herbs. There must be a GREAT alternative Vet in your area…after all you live in CA! I am very lucky to have my vet, who is a DVM, but has gone over to the dark side!
Whenever I think about moving somewhere, I always wonder if I can bring her along…I don’t know what I would do with out her. On the Essential Oil side of things some lavendar is always good to soothe. I would recommend you learn how to Muscle Test, both yourself and your companions. It is invaluable.
Hello Carolyn! I’ve heard great things about a product called Natural Plan Stomach Soother. The website that you can find more info on it is stomachsoother.com. It is a papaya based product and is readily consumed by horses. It’s great to see everyone’s ideas on alternative therapies shared here. Keep us posted on what you end up doing for your horse and what has worked for him. Thanks, Steph
Hi Carolyn,
Having the blood work analyzed by a naturopathic veterinarian may provide biological clues to underlying causes. Dr. Robert N. Oglesby DMV (horseadvice.com ) – has a section on alternative medications.
Cat has found a good home and you have a new challenge. I hope that you will share stories of his recovery and transformation.
Jan
I just watched the video. Very beautiful expression!
That is just lovely Stina.
You create beautiful and so moving work…I get choked everytime.
Thank you for all you do…just awesome!
Kim
Tha as just lovely Stina.
You create beautiful and so moving work…I get choked everytime.
Thank you for all you do…just awesome!
Kim
Hi Carolyn,
Bach flower remedies posted by Carol are excellent, they help raise our frequency (vibration)…the higher we vibrate, the better our health.
Another source for flower essence is FlorAlive. They use uncut flowers so the essence is alive.
http://www.floralive.com/how-work-floralive-flower-essences.htm
Vibesup has a fabulous product…it’s called a Divine Mat. It isn’t advertised on their website yet as each one is hand made, so they can only make a few at a time. It contains liquid crystal and flower essences in a squishy base. Several horse people are using them as therapuetic pads for therapuetic riding and on a horse’s back. It calms and rebalances the body system of both.
Contact Kaitlyn, she might be able to help you with Cat also.
KaitlynKeyt@aol.com
She is located in Folsom, CA.
I use products from all of the above and love them. I highly recommend all.
Loving blessings for to you both.
Kim
This months ‘The Horse Journal’ non-biased review of products) magazine has a wonderful article/review on ulcers using both natural and western treatments. I would love to send you a copy or give you a summary over the phone; its too much to type though! The magazine is not sold in stores. I believe you can subscribe online at http://www.horse-journal.com/cs. Good luck!
A lot of research I have done suggests that Aloe Vera juice and Slippery Elm are very good. Here is an article on that http://www.holistichorsekeeping.com/resources/articles/natural_ulcer.html
The following website is a personal story of what a woman has done to help her horse’s with ulcers. Which includes cheaper ways to find a drug with the same action as Ulcer Guard. http://www.lunatunesfreestyles.com/horse_ulcers.htm
Hi Carolyn,
I’ve been reading Margrit Coates books—I would contact her and find out first what is bothering him emotionally….as most ulcers are caused by pent up emotions.
He may need some kind of emotional reassurance about his life’s path.
From there you can determine what alternative healing program would be best for him. Ask Cat what would be best for him.
If you can post his picture, I know someone who is a medical intuitive–they can determine if he has any pathogens that are aggravating the situation. Many pathogens are not detectable by ‘modern’ science.
This is how I keep my horses healthy and happy.
hope this helps
Kim
I have 2 horses over 30 that I have ha since they were 4 years old. The big Thoroughbred has been plagued with ulcers his entire life. He, too was on Gastroguard as an acute treatment, and Neighlox every day. Two winters ago he almost died — the ulcer pain starts a situation where he won’t drink, and that brings on the colic- and then he had a torsion (we think)… He lost 30% of his weight. A relatively inexpensive ($ 3 a day) completely natural supplement called Succeed saved his life. Two years later, he is a completely new horse — and so far completely ulcer free.
Maybe this would work for you.
Bonnie
Save your money herbs are great but not for healing a ulcer .
You need benonite clay, you can get from mountainroseherbs or theholistichorse.com
give 20z mixed with water before feeding, if his ulcer is bleeding then add cayanne pepper 1 tlb spoon per day for 5 days. do for 30 days . email.naturalhorselb.ws if you have any more questions.
I have been helping horses for over 10 years mostly race horses with ulcers and one trainer spent ton’s of $$$ on ulcer medication till he met me, he only spent $20 of clay for 3 months and his horse gained weight in two weeks. He ended up yelling at his vet how I helped him and they did not.
Hi Carolyn,
my way round is a bit different. In the research of Dr Batmangelidj – Foundation for the Simple in Medicine one learns that the GI tract requires water and salt to fully hydrate (fluff up) the mucosal lining. If there is insufficient uptake or it is irregular then the hydrochloric acid etc used to prepare food for uptake in the intestines will automatically damage the lining of the GI tract. Unless Cat was born in the open fresh air and had clean water (water without amonia dissolved in it – as found in stalls, barns and stables) you can guarantee that his GI tract has been damaged from his birth to x degree. A horse born in a stall automatically takes up less water than a free living horse. The next thing about the GI tract in horses is that the stomach is designed to always be two thirds full. Most conventionally kept horses operate on a more empty stomach – which means that the walls anywhere along the GI tract, whether hydrated or not, will begin to digest themselves. Ulcers can result this way too. Next if hay is not ad lib at any time in a horses life (or long mature and or seeding grasses) there is insufficient water reservoir in the hind gut – and this places an automatic and chronic stress on the immune system – which cannot send in repair work and so infections can result causing the healing to slow down.
Saline – saltwater at 8 ounces per 5 minutes will seal a ruputured peptic ulcer in around 20 minutes – so an ulcer should heal very quickly if the body has enough salt and water to do it, and enough nutrient to sustain the healing process. Now unless a horse has free access to tree ripened fruits it will have no possibility to access amino acids, essential sugars, phytonutrients found in nature that will instantly provide the anti-oxident etc requirments to produce optimal healing. Unless of course you get a box of Mona Vie gel packs and give Cat up to 3 a day. That will provide Cat with around 33 fruit servings in 24 hours after a day on 3 drop to two a day and then after a couple of days drop to one pack a day – one 30 ml pack will deliver his body a maximum of 13 fruit servings a day – which means optimal metabolism. Speeded healing and since food affects your mood you will see also a wonderful levelheadedness and calm kindness become his normal behaviour. If you want to use these gel packs let me know and I will organise it.
At least this is what I would do:- put him on a saline drench to rehydrate the mucosal lining of the whole GI tract – so that the mucous can close over the ulcer. Give him Mona Vie gel packs so that the body can heal the site as fast as possible and optimise the immune system at the hind gut and then make sure he has sufficient volume of fibre flowing through his body over the 24 hour period.
Hay might be hard for him to digest right now. When I am healing such a case I use an ensiled oat or lucerne hay product because I have found that this is the best route to re-establish gut flora – I muscle test to find if the product is suitable to the individual at the time. Carrots are also a good ad lib option in my experience.
Good luck Carolyn there are many routes to choose from.
regards
always
Hi Carolyn, I would be happy to help you with Cam, if you email me a photo I can send you essential oils will help and I can tell you any nutritional support he needs (herbs, supplements etc) you can see my website for more info on what I do and how. It would be an honour for me to support you and a small thank you for the work you are doing which I am really enjoying (I’m doing in a box altho I haven’t really had time to participate in the inner circle as yet, registered under my partners name of Hagay, his paypal
). I feel you have formulated something so simply that I have been trying in my own small way to help people understand for years now. Truly inspired, thank you (don’t forget to email photo and some details of Cam)
Hi Carolyn,
I’ve had some success using a homeopathic blend of plants called Bach Rescue Remedy with very nervous dogs before. I haven’t tried it yet with my horses, but I know others who have and swear by it. Here’s a link for you to look at with more information: http://www.dogstuff.info/bach_flower_remedies_doglogic.html
I also want to thank you and Stina for reminding people that they need to make a lifetime commitment to their animals. I see my neighbors “trading up” all the time, selling off their ponies as their children grow and desire larger, more well-trained competition horses. Time after time, as these children go away to college, these new and improved horses are left alone until they too are eventually sold. This makes me so sad!
One of my horses is a 16 year old quarter horse who has recently broken his knee for the second time. Between the break and the osteoarthritis, his riding days are long gone and his mobility is severely limited. I can’t tell you how many people have told me I should just put him down and get a new horse. He’s my best friend in the world, and I plan on keeping him for as long as I can give him a good quality of life. I owe him that and so much more. As it turned out, I did decide to add a new horse to my corral, but he’s not a replacement for what I used to have. He’s simply an addition, nothing more.
Good luck with Cat. I hope you find something that will ease his pain and be more cost-effective in the process.
Carolyn,
The latest recearch on equine ulcers, made here in Denmark. Shows that it is a comon condition. more than 50% of the horses had severe changes in the mucous membrane. Horses of all kinds were examined, young and old. stalled or turned out 24/7. in training or not. The conclution is that empty stomacs is the primary cause of equine ulcers.
It is vital that the horse is feed on large amounts of digestable fibers, to avoid ulcor. 4 hours without hay or other kinds of food high on digestible fibers is an absolut max.
The gastroguard gives good results in the acut face but it is absolut vital that the horse is feed with large amounts of fiber in the same time. And that this continues after the 30 days of Gastroguard.
Herbs to improve digestion is always good, and you could try an organ remedy; Ventriculus D6 and Traumeel
Best wishes for you and Cat.
Zoe
Carolyn,
There is a website http://www.forloveofthehorse.com that you could look up.It is the website of Dr Josef Thomas who is a chinese herbalist. He has a formular for ulcers and has recently writen an Article there about ulcers.
I tried to get his formulars once but his products could not be imported into Australia. Regards Peta
Hi Carolyn,
My name is Tara and I have a degree in both naturopathy and herbal medicine. I treat both animals and people. First it needs to be determined the cause of the ulcer. Horses have high stomach acid and can get ulcers from being stabled for long hours. Access to continual pasture helps. There are also certain bacteria that can be the cause of ulcers. Lastly there is stress and anxiety. THis increases the stomach acid and the horse tends to eat less when stressed. Natural herbs that can be mixed up in liquid form and squirted in the mouth or added to feed are: Marshmellow root in glycetract form, calandula, barberry, meadowsweet, chamomile and comfrey. These are easy to find through a certified herbalist.
For stress you can give either homepathic valerian and camomile 200cor herbs: passionflower, vervain, lemon balm and chamomile. Herbal valerian stinks too much and is hard to feed. I mix my anxiety herbs with crushed apple and molasses. The apple pectin helps heal the gut. If you are having trouble sourcing herbs go to your local shop and buy the whole flower chamomile tea in non-irradiated form(ie not tea bags) take two tablespoons of the flower and pour one cup of boiling water over. steep for five minutes and feed the entie mixture flowers and all into the feed. They love it and its both calming and soothing to the mucosa membranes of the stomach.
If the ulcer is caused by bacteria then that will have to be treated first. But what your vet has the horse on is only something to limit the acid production. Taking this long term makes your whole horses body acidic as the food cannot be digested properly and moves through like compost low blood ph. Better to heal the stomach using herbs and only use the ulcer guard for a short period of time.
Hope this helps,
Regards,
Tara Shaw
Australia.
Carolyn,
I was just reading the blog of a woman caring for a horse with ulcers. Here’s the website: http://www.sagebynature.com. She talked about acupuncture and herbs being a lifesaver.
Michelle
Hi Carolyn, I know of a great lady Marijke of Rivasremedies.com who specialize in equine nutriton, homeopatic , she is also an intuative. Both of my morgan geldings are on her products at this time fro digestion and yeast which caused lamitis(founder) she is awsone at being able to read their emotions as well as health condition and the products are sent directly to your home. I would strongly recommend her as she has helped both of my horses emesly and quickly. I hope this is helpfull, good luck.
Michelle
http://www.rivasremedies.com
I was able to resolve the problems caused by an ulcer in my Morgan mare with a relatively simple treatment. I feed her Dynamite Miracle Clay in her mash. It has been very effective on her ulcer. Plus, it helped stop her “eating disorder”. Whenever she became emotional, the ulcer would hurt, and she would eat frantically to buffer the pain. The overeating led to laminitis. The Miracle Clay in her diet broke this cycle more than 2 years ago.
She is now very healthy. She won a blue ribbon for best conditioned horse in her class in our first CTR competition. She scored all A’s in her vet checks at our last LD endurance ride. She competes barefoot.
Email me for details about me, my mare, and Dynamite products. I can help Cat. I can offer more ideas on alternative remedies, particularly for a nervous, sensitive horse.
Dear Carolyn,
in general there are good results with acupuncture and Chinese herbs for horses with ulcers. In the long run, this would be much cheaper than the Western medical approach that you are telling us about. I don’t know if you have any good equine acupuncturist in your area, but I got a number of responses when I googled Equine Acupuncture and San Diego. The other thing is, and you know this of course, that horses with ulcers don’t do well in stalls at all. 24/7 turnout is really what they need, and they tend do get better when integrated in a herd. An equine acupuncturist here told me that he found that 60% of all stalled horses had stomach ulcers! (that is, stalled at least 12 hours per 24 hour period). It’s all about stress reduction and happiness.
Dear Carolyn,
I loved your message today about a horse’s usefulness and disposing of the animal when it can’t perform. My Arabian horse, a former reiner, had ulcers. I tried various products, including Gastro Gard. I also fed him timothy and he wasn’t a happy camper. Then I read an article about alfalfa hay. It’s higher calicium content makes the hay act like a buffer, like Tums or Rolaids. Since I’ve been feeding my buddy good quality alfalfa 3 times a day he hasn’t had anymore gassy colic bouts, and no more ulcers. If your ulcer prone horse isn’t getting any alfalfa try gradually switching over to this legume. I also tried Xantac, but the trouble is this anacid must be given 6 to 8 times a day to be effective. Try the alfalfa. I’m a client of Vincent, and he introduce me to you through your wonderful book, Naked Liberty.
Yours truly,
Barbara
birroyal@aol.com
Kate,
Thank you for the lead. I will call.
Hello Carolyn, an alternative for ulcer medication would be deglycrrhizinated licorice, DGL. Study’s have shown it to be more effective then pharmaceuticals. Besides it vitalizes the adrenals, which surely are very depleted if the horse has an (stress) ulcer. Regular Licorice does not have the effect. It has to be deglycrrhisinated. Enzymatic Therapy sells chewables. HealthSuperstore.com hhas a sale: $ 7.45 oper 100 tabs. Who kknows, Cat might like it. Start out with aa generous dose 30 minutes before she eeats and as often aas she wants. Let me know how it is going. With certainty it is worth trying it out. Also, colostrum would be very good. You might have to google it for a brand because I remember right now. It is used for significant immune support for humans, but also for animals. All the best. Blessings, Susanne
As for the ulcers. I would start the horse on the VitaRoyal feed program. You can call Linsey who is head of the company and get specific recommendations for that horse. I have one horse who has always been a very hard keeper. He FINALLY is keeping weight on and is not jumpy as heck! Linsey’s number is 605-787-5488. She is in SD and best to call in evenings.