The Best Oils For Horses With Ulcers
Understanding Gastric Ulcers in Horses
Gastric ulcers are a common issue in horses, affecting around 90% of racehorses, 80% of sport horses, and 60% of recreational horses. These painful sores on the stomach’s wall and mucosa can be found in both the glandular and non-glandular parts of the stomach.
Gastric ulcers are often caused by stress, improper diet, limited access to fresh water, certain drugs, being confined in a stall, teeth grinding, and high-risk genetic factors. Horses may experience stress during incorrect training, feeding, or when they cannot physically and/or mentally meet expectations and tasks. Understanding these factors can help in managing and preventing gastric ulcers in your horse.
But, how do you solve gastric ulcers in horses?
You may have heard that oil can treat them, that it makes a protective layer, or it heals the ulcers. Not in our experience, and this is backed up by studies such as this clinical trial of 10 standardbred racehorses where no improvement was noticed after feeding the horses oil.
The only thing we have seen work to allow the ulcers to heal is Omeprazole, and it’s not always 100% sucessful. You might end up having to manage ulcers in your horse for it’s whole life.
Is oil effective for horses with ulcers?
Yes – but perhaps not for the reasons you have been told. Often the horses with ulcers are the types that are hard to keep weight on. Girthy OTTB? Skinny warmblood windsucking? If that sounds familiar, you know what I’m talking about.
They can be a real challenge to keep the weight on. Starchy and sugary foods are known to make the symptoms of ulcers worse, so feeding the horses grain is out. We give ours a mix of our home grown haylage and good quality home grown barley straw, but not everyone has that luxury and even for us, it’s not enough for some of the really poor do-ers. So how do you keep weight on them?
Feed oil to your horse so you can reduce starch and sugar.
This is where oil comes in. It doesn’t actually heal the ulcers per se but it allows you to drop the starch and sugar in their diet, which is known to exaccerbate ulcers.
From our experience, I’ve gathered the best remedies to use for keeping weight on horses with gastric ulcers.
Whether you’re feeding corn oil or cold-pressured linseed oil, incorporating these oils into your horse’s diet can help keep their condition without upsetting their stomach more.
1. Rice Bran Oil
Rice bran oil is great to use for horses with equine gastric ulcers. Its natural formula is rich in nutrients and is known to combat the symptoms of gastric acid secretion. While whole rice bran is high in starch and sugar, the oil is low in starch and suagr, making it a good option for horses with metabolic issues.
2. Lubrisolve Linseed Oil 100% Pure
Price: £16.99
Size: 2 L
Blend: Cold-pressed linseed oil
Lubrisolve’s 100% pure dietary oils are often used for horses suffering from stomach ulcers. Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, they help support immune function, the horse’s stomach, and healthy skin. They’re also known to improve coat conditions, too.
How to Feed Linseed Oil to Horses
Feeding linseed oil to horses can be highly beneficial for their overall health, particularly for their digestive tract and skin health. Linseed oil, derived from the flax plant, is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can help reduce inflammation and promote healing.
When introducing linseed oil to your horse’s diet, it’s essential to start with a small amount, about one tablespoon, and gradually increase the amount over one to two weeks. The recommended daily intake is 1 mg per kg of body mass.
Exceeding this amount can lead to impaired small intestine digestibility. You can pour linseed oil over your horse’s regular feed, and it’s crucial to monitor their condition closely during this period to ensure they are adjusting well.
3. AniMed Wheat Germ Oil Blend
Price: £26.50
Size: 3.7 L
Blend: Wheat germ, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, D and E
An oil-based feed supplement rich in essential fatty acids is the way to go if you’re looking to feed horses who suffer from gastric ulcers.
Wheat germ is a natural source of these nutrients and is rich in vitamins A, D and E. This product can also be used periodically to prevent equine gastric ulcers.
4. Uckele Health Cocosoya
Price: £32
Size: 3.8 L
Blend: Cold-pressed linseed oil, coconut oil, omega-3, 6 and 9 fatty acids
Uckele Health Cocosoya is packed with anti-inflammatory goodness like horses flaxseed (linseed) and coconut oils. The essential fatty acids, like omega 3, 6 and 9, also help to improve nutrient absorption!
Available in 5-, 10- and 20-liter sizes.
5. DAC Oil
Price: £33.80
Size: 3.4 L
Blend: Vegetable (corn) oil, flaxseed oil, fish (omega) oil, vitamin E
DAC Oil’s dietary corn oil supplementation product. It has a 98% fat content and is full of all the good stuff – a brilliant product to use for horses with gastric ulcers.
6. TRM Curragh Carron Oil
Price: £41.20
Size: 4.5 L
Blend: Omega 3 fatty acids, cold-pressed linseed oil, calcium
Carron oil is known to help with wound healing, and is a great product to use. Rich in omega-3 fatty acids (and other oil-based nutrients), this feeding oil is a top-notch choice to go with.
7. McCauley’s Rice Bran Oil
Price: £46
Size: 3.8 L
Blend: Crude rice bran oil
McCauley’s Refined Rice Bran Oil is packed with antioxidants, like vitamin E, and is a natural source of gamma-oryzanol – the stuff that fights acid secretion which causes equine stomach ulcers!
Top tip: It’s also good to use for horses who are unable (or unwilling!) to gain weight.
8. AniMed Natural Rice Bran Oil
Price: £61.50
Size: 3.8 L
Blend: Crude rice bran oil
It has a high vitamin E content – a great antioxidant by the way! – and is packed with loads of minerals, nutrients and essential fatty acids.
The Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Equine Health
Omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in equine health, particularly in reducing inflammation and promoting healing.
These essential fatty acids can help improve the horse’s digestive tract, skin health, and overall well-being. Linseed oil is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, particularly alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
While ALA can be converted into EPA and DHA, the conversion process is not very efficient in horses. Therefore, it’s essential to provide EPA and DHA directly through sources such as fish oil or microalgae.
Omega-3 fatty acids can also help reduce the risk of gastric ulcers in horses by reducing inflammation and promoting healing in the digestive tract. Incorporating these fatty acids into your horse’s diet can significantly enhance their health.
Best Digestive Support Supplements
Feeding horses oils can sometimes be a challenge. If you simply can’t feed corn oil to your horse – or if they don’t like oil-based supplements in general – consider going for a powdered option instead.
1. Best Natural Treatment For Gastric Ulcers: Natural Digestive Support
Price: £70
Size: 1 kg or 5 kg
Type: Powder
This non-GMO, sugar-free, food-safe natural gut cleaner is the product you’ve been looking for! It contains marine trace minerals and is 100% safe for horses.
2. Best Ulcer Prevention Support: UlcerGard
Price: £34.60
Size: 4 syringe doses
Type: Paste
UlcerGard is a non-prescription, FDA-approved product used in preventing equine gastric ulcers. It’s a cinnamon-flavoured paste – which your horse will love! – and comes in four nifty single-serving syringes. All you need to do is squirt the paste into your horse’s mouth when ulcer symptoms start.
The active ingredient, omeprazole, reduces gastric acid secretion and helps alleviate the pain.
3. Best Powder Treatment: AniMed Brewers Yeast
Price: £16.50
Size: 1 kg
Type: Powder
Brewer’s yeast is a natural source of amino acids and is rich in vitamin B-Complex. It’s known to help support good gut health in horses. Consider adding some of this to your horse’s daily routine and keep those pesky gastric ulcers at bay.
4. Best Daily Support: Equine Elixirs Ulceraser
Price: £54.50
Size: 2.7 kg
Type: Powder
The Equine Elixirs Ulceraser is designed to offer daily support to your horses’ entire gastrointestinal tract and is a brilliant supplement to use for preventing equine gastric ulcers. It’s packed with all the natural goodness of chia seeds, dehydrated cabbage, pumpkin seed, cold-milled flaxseed, and black oil sunflower seed.
What stimulates gastric acid secretion in horses?
There are a number of things that stimulate gastric acid secretion in horses.
Roughage, like hay and grass, automatically trigger the release of stomach acid. This is controlled by the hormone gastrin as a response to the presence of food. Stress from travelling, competitions, or intense exercise can also contribute to gastric acid secretion.
Why do horses get gastric ulcers?
Horses can develop gastric ulcers for many reasons, such as:
Limited forage: Horses are natural grazers and their stomachs are designed to have a constant stream of food. During times when feeding is low or limited, they can have an excess of gastric acid in their stomachs which can potentially cause gastric ulcers.
High-stress levels: Much like humans, too much stress can cause gastric ulcers in horses. Common stressors include transport, competitions, changes in routine, and intense exercise.
Diet: Feeding horses high-grain diets with limited forage can alter the pH balance in their stomachs, making them more acidic and potentially leading to induced gastric ulcers.
Infection: Certain gastric bacteria, such as Helicobacter pylori, have been linked to stomach ulcers in horses. These can be treated with antibiotics. It’s always good to have your horse checked out by your vet, just to be safe!
What is corn oil used for in horses?
Feeding corn oil to horses can provide a source of slow-release energy to horses. It can be used for weight gain in underweight horses. Corn oil also improves the shine and condition of a horse’s coat and is used to help keep weight on horses with gastric ulcers.
What foods should be avoided if my horse has a gastric ulcer?
Avoid cereal-based foods and products high in starch and sugar if your horse suffers from ulcers. Replace starch with calorie-dense horse feed that has higher oil and fibre concentrates instead.
What are experimentally induced peptic ulcers?
This means a peptic ulcer, or gastric ulcer, has happened as a result of experimental or research purposes. What this means is that experimental peptic ulceration occurred by introducing the animal to stressful environments or where they had their food intake limited.
This research can give insights into how ulcers occur in animals for better understanding and treatment remedies.
Looking after your horses digestive system will certainly help it live longer. If you’d like to know how long do horses live, you can find out here
