If saliva is the best buffer for the stomach lining, what is considered the second best buffer to use? Here is part of an e mail I received from a person who attended the vet panel talk on elytes/ulcers at the convention. (See end of my post). I agree with what Heidi and others have written on electrolytes. I find that electrolytes are more of an art not science and it really is dependent on the individual horse and the circumstances you ride in. By this I mean the weather conditions and speed. I want to be able to make educated decisions when it comes to using electrolytes. For me getting more information about the electrolyte/ulcer conection, buffers to protect the stomach lining, frequency of dosing, etc. just gives me more information if and when I have to make decisions concerning electrolytes.
I find there is a myriad of information out there concerning ulcer treatment and prevention and the use of various medications and additives such as neighlox, U guard, etc. There are medications that are used to treat ulcers and then there seems to be additives that are used to prevent ulcers. I was always under the impression that Gastroguard is used to treat active ulcers and must be given in a series of doses to be effective. This medication is an acid inhibitor. I have also heard that Gastroguard is useful to use before trailering/traveling long distances, I assume to prevent acid production before a competition. Now I hear that one dose is useful after a ride....I guess to prevent acid production after an event. Now it seems that if we are concerned with e lytes iritating the stomach lining during competition that acid inhibitors such as Gastroguard would not be all that helpful (as well as not being legal to use in competition). So I am wondering if there are commercial products or natural ones that will act as buffers to counter any negititve effects electrolytes might cause to the stomach lining? This also brings up the point that if we are giving electrolytes it may be best to do so after the horse has eaten or has taken a substanial drink. It seems this would have to dilute the caustic effect of the e lytes. I know that this is common practice with most endurance riders. I am also curious as to how many of you actually use the recommended dosage that comes with the product? I realize that this may be dependent on the conditions you ride in so I would be curious to know that information also. It just seems that many of these products recomend full doses every couple of hours and these full doses can range from 1 or 2 ounces to 4 ounces to an entire syringe every couple of hours.
Kim
I can't even give you the name of the presenter (I think he is at U of OK) since looking at the AERC website gives no such talk Saturday, from about 2:15 to 3:45 (listed as veterinary panel).
The study was a small one, but I thought well designed. The vet school research herd (15-18 animals, I think, living out in pasture) was split into 2 groups, each endoscoped under fasting conditions. About half of each group had some degree of stomach ulceration (upper stomach area). One group was then subject to the electrolyte protocol (don't remember the formulation, but his point was that it was a standard kind of mix and standard kind of dose. Don't remember the carrier, but I suspect simply water). This was multiple doses over some period. (sorry, specifics did not stick, but this was typical for SE area rides) Control group was syringed with water. The whole group must have been confined (I don't remember) because if it were my ponies, they would have run away after the first few syringes! The results after scoping showed that the electrolyted group had elevated ulceration, both in absolute percentage and in severity grade. The results were statistically significant. Questions from the group included yours (the mitigating effect of buffers) as well as ones about the effect of feeding at the same time as electrolyting and the like. The answers are unknown, not tested. The vet made the point that this small study ran about $30K. So it's not cheap to answer these questions well.
