Prevention and Treatment of Ulcers in Horses
Prevention of digestive issues in horses is an important nutritional element to maintain quality of life and overall health and performance of our equine companions. All horses, especially performance horses can suffer from ulcers that affect appetite and performance due to pain and irritation. The two types of digestive ulcers are, gastric ulcers which occur in the stomach from an excess acid load and colonic ulcers which occur in the hindgut, specifically the colon.
Nutritional Supplement for Horses
Since gastric ulcers are caused by excess acid in the stomach, feeding strategies should be implemented that reduce acid levels and the irritation and lesions excess acid produces. Feeding Excell™, a microbial fermentation product for working and performance horses, helps restore and maintain a healthy intestinal microflora necessary for optimal intestinal integrity, digestion, and overall equine health.
Excell™ Helps Prevent Ulcers
Gastric ulcers occur more often than colonic ulcers and have been reported to occur in 90 percent of racehorses and 60 percent of show horses. Both types involve lesions in the mucosal lining of the stomach and colon but have different causes. Stress, both environmental and physical is thought to be a causative element in both types of ulcers.
Excell™ is produced from a specific strain of Lactobacillus that effectively nurtures and maintains the microbial balance in the digestive tract and has shown to be effective in reducing digestive upsets when fed at 5 grams per day.
Customers feeding Excell™ have reported significant reduction in ulcer symptoms and digestive health especially after travel and vigorous activity. Recovery after rodeos, show events and training is a common result of feeding Excell™ due to the benefits it provides to the horse’s digestive system.
“We have been feeding Excell™ Pellets since early 2015. It is the one thing we never go without. Since feeding Excell™, I feed no other gut health supplement. We do not struggle with ulcers in our competition horses anymore. We see a huge improvement in over all appearance. My horse’s coats are slick, we keep weight on throughout the year. When on the road and at home my horses eat better, we don’t have any gut upsets while traveling. Also, this past year we fed our weanling colts Excell™ and they did amazing- I believe this is key in any program!”
Whitney Anderson, Twin Falls, Idaho
Benefits seen:
· Supports optimal digestive bacteria level and diversity
· Optimal volatile fatty acid balance in the colon
· Maintains good appetite
· Optimizes digestion and adsorption
· Reduce symptoms of soreness
· Supports strong immune function and overall health
Prevention is the Key
Prevention of ulcers in the horse is key to helping reduce the effects of stress. In addition of adding Excell™ into the feed, the following practices are recommended to help reduce the effect of acid on ulcer formation.
Suggested practices are:
· Limiting as many stressful situations as possible
· Feeding more frequently (more than two times per day) to aid with buffering stomach acid
· Offer free-choice access to grass or hay to provide a constant supply of forage to neutralize the acid and stimulate saliva production
· Research has shown feeding at least one pound of alfalfa hay to be beneficial to ulcer prevention
· Replace some of the starchy grains and sweet feeds with fat or non-starch carbohydrates to reduce volatile fatty acid production
· If stalled, allow the horse to see other horses and use a ball or other object the horse can play with
If ulcers cannot be prevented by reduction of stress and feeding practices, veterinarian treatment is warranted as well as the use of omeprazole the only FDA approved antibiotic product for gastric ulcers in horses. Many antacids are on the market but need to be feed 6-12 times per day to see maximum results.
Excell™ has Been Shown to Help:
· Support optimal digestive bacteria level and diversity
· Optimal volatile fatty acid balance in the colon
· Maintain good appetite
· Optimize digestion and adsorption
· Reduce symptoms of soreness
· Support strong immune function and overall health
This healthy balance of the horse’s natural microflora also protects against invading pathogenic organisms, like E. coli, salmonella, and clostridium. Adding Excell™ to your animal’s diet is a proven way to maintain a healthy digestive system necessary for your horse’s overall health and performance.
Proven Results
Excell™ has been used in livestock diets for over 30 years with proven results.
The Next Generation Of Animal Health!
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