Ginny's Horse Product Review

Who hasn’t struggled with equine ulcers? Chances are if you’ve ever done anything remotely stressful with your horse (ie: putting them in a trailer) you’ve had a horse with an upset tummy. All the latest data and research is showing that trailering, showing, confining to stalls and various other common equestrian activities put horses at risk for developing painful gastric ulcers. When my horse Monk got ulcers a few years ago, I found Pro CMC, and still like to have a bottle of it on hand for times of stress.

My Horse Got Ulcers

When we lived in Texas, my horse Monk developed ulcers. She even had a few episodes of minor colic over it. When we had two minor colics within a month’s time, we knew something more had to be going on. It turned out she had ulcers.

At that time, she was going through quite a bit of stress. She got shipped cross country shortly after all of her fall vaccinations. Then she got EPM and was being treated for that. I believe her immune system was really weak. She had a few stressors in her environment too. At the time, we lived in a small North Texas town, and had to trailer her an hour and a half to the vet for appointments! Basically, it was a perfect storm of stressors!

Of course, we followed vet instructions and did Ulcerguard for 30 days. We made sure she had free-choice hay at all times, supplemented with alfalfa. We reduced her grain, and did everything we could to improve her tummy situation. I never had a horse with ulcers before her, and I did SO much research to make her as comfortable as possible during the healing process. During that time, I found Absorbine’s Pro CMC. Pro CMC is basically a buffered formula to temporarily coat the horse’s tummy during times of stress.

How I Used Pro CMC

Even through Pro CMC was just one part of my horse’s recovery, I think it’s a critically important product to have on hand. Any time she was going to go through anything remotely stressful, I would give her a dose of Pro CMC. She would eat it over some soaked hay cubes or I would put it into a syringe and squirt it into her mouth like a dewormer.

If she had to go on a trailer ride, I would give her a dose. I feel like that just gave her a little extra help during stressful times. I liked knowing that she would have a coated tummy during times of stress. The buffered formula in Pro CMC helps to protect the delicate stomach lining from acid.

Managing an Ulcer-Prone Horse

Even though she recovered well from the ulcers, Monk is naturally a somewhat nervous or “high-strung” horse. I think this makes her particularly at risk for developing ulcers or a painful tummy… or maybe she’s an ulcery horse, and that then causes her to become nervous or high-strung… kind of a chicken or egg scenario… and ultimately, it’s all about MANAGEMENT.

I try to always keep her calmness and comfort in mind in whatever we’re doing. Whether we’re trailering to a trail ride or camping trip, or moving half way across the country, I’m always doing my best to make sure her digestive system is happy.

We’ve moved across the country several times for my husband’s job. She has spent upwards of 12 hours in the horse trailer at a time. She always has access to hay, and before big trips, I sometimes start dosing Ulcerguard a few days in advance, just to be safe. I’ve noticed that on long travel days, she will stop being interested in grass hay sometime during the day and ONLY want to eat Alfalfa. I take that as a sign that she is trying to soothe her tummy.

*****I should mention that she is currently in a VERY healthy environment and hasn’t had any ulcer-y behavior or signs in a long time. She does have occasion to get anxious, but we do our best to listen to her and make sure she’s as comfortable and healthy as possible.*****

If you have an ulcer-prone or nervous horse, it’s important to be watchful of their appetites and behavior. Do they get cranky or nip at their sides? Is your horse great at home, but a nervous wreck at shows? Are they on any NSAIDs like bute? They could be upset due to pain caused by the ulcers.

Pro CMC for Trailering, Showing and NSAIDS

Pro CMC is a fantastic product. While it’s not an actual complete treatment for gastric ulcers, I think it’s a great supplemental product to have on hand. I think it’s especially useful for times of stress like trailering and showing. As far as I know, Pro CMC is show-legal for MOST organizations. Check with yours to be sure. Pro CMC is predominantly calcium and magnesium, so most competitive organizations shouldn’t have a problem with it.

I also like to give a dose of PRO CMC if I have to give a horse bute or some other type of NSAID. When my horse Monk originally had ulcers, she was on a cocktail of various drugs for other issues she was dealing with at that time. I never like to give bute on an empty stomach. I always make sure they’ve had access to hay prior to giving bute. Sometimes, I will even give them a bucket of soaked alfalfa hay cubes prior to giving them medication.

It’s super easy to pour a dose of Pro CMC right into the bucket. I don’t know how scientific this is, but it makes me feel like I have DOUBLE protection, the forage and calcium of alfalfa hay PLUS the buffered formula of Pro CMC. This is a concoction I like to use for horses that are nervous about trailering and also prior to administering bute.

********DISCLAIMER**********

If you suspect your horse has ulcers, always make sure to talk to your veterinarian about it. Some vets may have you go ahead and treat based on symptoms, and others may want to scope first. Open a dialogue with your vet, no matter what course of treatment you choose. Your vet is a very important component of your horse’s care team, and they’re there to support your horse’s health and welfare.

Until next time, Happy Trails!