[Fabrege]

I will be starting an omeprazol powder treatment on my mare. What is the best length of time for the treatment? After the treatment is finished which are the favorite daily "maintenance" supplements?

[FitToBeTied]

Hard to say unless you have had the horse scoped in order to determine the severity of the ulcers. My horse was treated with two months of gastroguard. We then did a month of ranitidene. Now when he going to be trailer or go to a show, he gets ranitidene about 90 minutes before he is loaded.

[Petstorejunkie]

Each case is different. My horse needed both omeprazole and ranitidine for two months, then a month tapering out the omeprazole, and then 3 more months slowly tapering off ranitidine.

1/4dose ranitidine is the best maintenance course I've found. Thankfully we've reached a point where he's drug and ulcer free

[deltawave]

I don't use supplements interchangeably with drugs. If the horse needs omeprazole, it gets omeprazole. When that can be weaned off, it is weaned off, and the horse doesn't get anything but hay and grass and whatever concentrate it needs. That's just me, though--I don't usually give anything with the "just in case" mentality.

[SuckerForHorses]

And what exactly is your "omeprazole powder"? Because unless its a buffered or enteric coated powder, you're throwing your money down the drain.

[Fabrege]

Omeprazol powder purchased from my vet through an animal pharmacy. I was asking in reference to the maintenance supplement as far as something like Smart Gut from Smart Pak Equine, U Guard, Ulcer Eze, stuff like that which ones are good to give daily to prevent after it has been treated.

[hj0519]

My horse was treated with GastroGard for two months (one month at full dose a day, one month at half a dose a day) and is now on SmartGut for maintenance/prevention. I like it and am happy with it.

I personally don't (and wouldn't) use the "pop rocks" that many people on this board use as maintenance. I've been told that it isn't good to feed omeprazole long term, so I'm sticking with GastroGard to heal and SmartGut to prevent.

[retrofit]

I just finished up the 28-day Gastrogard treatment on my mare. I didn't have any specific instructions for maintenance, so I went with the 1/4 tube Ulcergard while I'm waiting for pop-rocks to arrive.

Meanwhile, a friend who is also treating her horse with GG was advised by her (very experienced) event trainer to wean off GG by doing a half-tube of UG for 2 weeks, then down to 1/4 tube. And it looks like several of you have done something similar.

Am I making a mistake by going straight to the 1/4 tube of UG? After all this hassle and expense (not to mention what my horse went through), I don't want to screw it up now!

[deltawave]

Weaning by going to a 1/4 tube is probably fine, unless the horse is enormous.

[Fabrege]

I agree and have heard that treat with omeprazol but not to keep on long term. I am going to treat then maintain with smart gut and hopefully will not have to "treat" again or often with omeprazol. I also know someone that after the treatment then gives omeprazol in needed occasions ie: days when NSAIDs are administered or more stressful days

[Petstorejunkie]

You'll need to forever keep it on hand. If you can dose before stressful situations (shows, pasture buddy change, drastic weather change, vet, etc) you can prevent a relapse.
Also if you can dose at the first sign of ulcers, you can usually get them back under control quickly