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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1165
  
Location: California | I'm so confused!!! I see conflicting info from multiple sources. One of my friends has a gelding with ulcers and her vet said to take him off grain and feed him oats. I also see info that says oats aren't good.
I'm asking because one of my mother's geldings also has ulcers. We took him off grain and started him on alfalfa hay and pellets so he felt like he was getting grain still. Well I bought a bag of oats because I thought they were ok. Now I'm not so sure.... I also ordered "omeprazol research" for him! |
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9991
  
Location: Kansas | following |
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Expert
Posts: 2531
Location: WI | I think horses are like people, some can handle them just fine and some cannot. Some people can eat buffalo wings and some cannot! |
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 Expert
Posts: 5290
| I know! I did my research while back and one site/nutritionist/ says they are excellent for ulcer horses and the other totally contradicts it. |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| I've made a few posts on this before and get little response. We switched everything to oats and alfalfa because of the commercial feed scares along with the fact that the price keeps going up but the quality keeps declining. Every single horse put on weight and bloomed! In a matter of two weeks we started seeing changes. We have 2 horses in the barn that are ulcer prone and both have calmed down more since starting this program.
I've asked numerous vets from KY to TX and everyone's opinion differs because there is no conclusive research for either side of the debate. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 528
Location: Its Freaking Freezing Up Here... | I can't say I've ever had any vet/nutritionist say that oats are good for ulcer horses. You want to take them off starch. I took all my horses off oats and they have more energy and have bloomed since doing so. My vet explained oats as being the same as giving a chocolate bar to a child. They will get a spike in energy and then crash. What was the reasoning behind the oats being good for a horse with ulcers? |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 528
Location: Its Freaking Freezing Up Here... | astreakinchic - 2015-03-09 1:24 PM
I've made a few posts on this before and get little response. We switched everything to oats and alfalfa because of the commercial feed scares along with the fact that the price keeps going up but the quality keeps declining. Every single horse put on weight and bloomed! In a matter of two weeks we started seeing changes. We have 2 horses in the barn that are ulcer prone and both have calmed down more since starting this program.
I've asked numerous vets from KY to TX and everyone's opinion differs because there is no conclusive research for either side of the debate.
In regards to this, I would say the alfalfa is probably giving you most of those results. It is one of the best things you can give for both weight and to lower acidity. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1165
Location: California | LilTyke - 2015-03-09 12:37 PM
I can't say I've ever had any vet/nutritionist say that oats are good for ulcer horses. You want to take them off starch. I took all my horses off oats and they have more energy and have bloomed since doing so. My vet explained oats as being the same as giving a chocolate bar to a child. They will get a spike in energy and then crash. What was the reasoning behind the oats being good for a horse with ulcers?
Not necessarily that oats are good for ulcer simply a safe option compared to some common commercial grains. My friend was feeding Ultium at the time so I was confused as to how the oats were a better choice then a beet pulp based feed with what I think has a lower NSC level then most of Purina's grains. But that's what her vet said to do so she did.
I only bought the oats to use as extra calories since moms gelding has dropped weight. He was getting 2 flakes off of a 110lb alfalfa bale (so big flakes) twice a day, half a scoop of alfalfa pellets twice a day simply to keep him happy when others were grained), and free choice quality grass hay. |
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Expert
Posts: 1611
| LilTyke - 2015-03-09 2:38 PM
astreakinchic - 2015-03-09 1:24 PM
I've made a few posts on this before and get little response. We switched everything to oats and alfalfa because of the commercial feed scares along with the fact that the price keeps going up but the quality keeps declining. Every single horse put on weight and bloomed! In a matter of two weeks we started seeing changes. We have 2 horses in the barn that are ulcer prone and both have calmed down more since starting this program.
I've asked numerous vets from KY to TX and everyone's opinion differs because there is no conclusive research for either side of the debate.
In regards to this, I would say the alfalfa is probably giving you most of those results. It is one of the best things you can give for both weight and to lower acidity.
Alfalfa hay was given already.
Some vets believe that oats are a better feed source and do not believe they have any affect on ulcers, and I"m not talking about your run of the mill dog and cat vet. Everything about oats is highly debatable because there is NO evidence that is conclusive either way.
Edited by astreakinchic 2015-03-09 2:02 PM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 999
Location: Sunny So Cal | I have always been told not to feed oats or grain when horses have ulcers because it irritates the stomach. I have also been told that some horses may need to eat pellets for a little while because the hay can also irritate because its scratchy on stomach. I have best results with THE GastroPLUS and then I switch them to pellets while treating for ulcers. Most are fine with hay but I had a real difficult one and went to pellets for a bit now good and back feeding hay. |
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Expert
Posts: 2678
Location: Mi | I've also never have had a vet or nutritionist tell me oats were good for a horse with ulcers or prone to ulcers. You want a low NSC level which something 20% and under, oats have around 45% and only about 70% digestible nutrients. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| Ahmac - 2015-03-09 2:46 PM
I've also never have had a vet or nutritionist tell me oats were good for a horse with ulcers or prone to ulcers. You want a low NSC level which something 20% and under, oats have around 45% and only about 70% digestible nutrients.
and a 90% starch digestibility |
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 BHW's Lance Armstrong 
Posts: 11134
Location: Somewhere between S@%&# stirrer and Saint | 60-80% of performance horse have ulcers. Some are prone to them no matter what. I personally have been a heavy grainer for my horses. Only had one horse in 25 years show signs of ulcers. Treated many just in case. Let us know on the "Omeprazole research" |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1165
Location: California | I know for moms gelding he would gobble his grain but then he would refuse to eat the grass hay and picked through the alfalfa. His refusal to eat hay and agitation at feed time were the major red flags for us! Tak n off the grain and on his new feeding regimin e en with the oats he is eating great and feels better then he did.
I will definitely update on our experience! |
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Expert
Posts: 1694
Location: Willows, CA | There is more to ulcers than whether to feed oats or not. The bigger issue is an empty stomach for an extended part of the day. Eliminate that problem and you go a long way toward eliminating the biggest single cause of ulcers in the stomach. If your horse already has them, you have no choice but to treat. Once that has been resolved, a diet that keeps some fiber and saliva in the stomach as constantly as possible will greatly lessen the chance of them coming back. As to oats, any large inclusion of grains that get into the hind gut alter that part of the system in a negative way. Oats may be the most benign because they are higher in fiber than some other grains. This also depends on the quality of the oats. For these reasons you hear both pro and con on feeding them. |
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 Big Gun
Posts: 2216
Location: Texas | My horse gets oats and no ulcers |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1165
Location: California | Moms gelding was out on pasture plus being hayed and he managed to get ulcers when sending his buddy to training stressed him out. He has never not had access to grass or hay. |
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Expert
Posts: 1694
Location: Willows, CA | Serenity06 - 2015-03-09 5:18 PM
Moms gelding was out on pasture plus being hayed and he managed to get ulcers when sending his buddy to training stressed him out. He has never not had access to grass or hay.
This is a great point about horses on pasture that get ulcers. Just because they are standing on food does not mean that they are eating it often enough to keep the forage and saliva buffer in their stomach. There can be several reasons for this. One can be the make up of the pasture with forage that has a variety of plant that the horse does not like mixed in. In this case he will only eat when he absolutely has to and will have an empty stomach much of the time. Another reason could be that he has a sore mouth and only eats to dull his hunger when he gets hungry enough that it is worth the discomfort to do so. In most cases, horses on fair pasture all the time will not get ulcers without a contributing underlying cause. If they do, first check the teeth. If the mouth looks good, take some time to watch them. If they are not taking a bite pretty often, there is something going on that is stopping them from doing so. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1165
Location: California | winwillows - 2015-03-09 4:35 PM
Serenity06 - 2015-03-09 5:18 PM
Moms gelding was out on pasture plus being hayed and he managed to get ulcers when sending his buddy to training stressed him out. He has never not had access to grass or hay.
This is a great point about horses on pasture that get ulcers. Just because they are standing on food does not mean that they are eating it often enough to keep the forage and saliva buffer in their stomach. There can be several reasons for this. One can be the make up of the pasture with forage that has a variety of plant that the horse does not like mixed in. In this case he will only eat when he absolutely has to and will have an empty stomach much of the time. Another reason could be that he has a sore mouth and only eats to dull his hunger when he gets hungry enough that it is worth the discomfort to do so. In most cases, horses on fair pasture all the time will not get ulcers without a contributing underlying cause. If they do, first check the teeth. If the mouth looks good, take some time to watch them. If they are not taking a bite pretty often, there is something going on that is stopping them from doing so.
He had a full work up when he started dropping weight, refusing to eat hay, and becoming lethargic. He still grazed on the pasture which was actually quite nice. He was in with 2 other geldings. Teeth are fine, nothing wrong with his mouth. He isn't even broke to ride so he is literally a pasture pet right now. He is very buddy sour to the other horse and it simply stressed him out way more then we realized when we sent the other gelding to training. |
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 Shoot Yeah
Posts: 4273
Location: Where you need a paddle... Oregon! | I love feeding whole oats. My horses always look great on them. That said, when my mare colicked a few years ago she developed ulcers during her stay at the vet hospital. The vets there advised me to keep feeding her alfalfa, but to stop with the oats. I haven't fed her oats since then. |
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Oats and Ulcers