Does UlcaBuf contain a pre and probiotic?

Yes, UlcaBuf contains both a prebiotic and probiotic for intestinal health and is designed to support the protective layer in the bowel.

What makes UlcaBuf different to other digestive supplements?

UlcaBuf is formulated specifically to support the stomach and hindgut and supports proper pH under occasional gastric distress. It’s also a natural, non-medicated, acid balancer.

UlcaBuf - Stomach & Hindgut Support For Horses

UlcaBuf All Natural Stomach and Hindgut Support

Q: What is UlcaBuf?

UlcaBuf is an all-natural, non-medicated, supplement with specifically curated ingredients designed to support long term digestive function. It is formulated specifically to support the stomach and the hindgut.

Q: Is UlcaBuf suitable for long-term use?

Yes, UlcaBuf can be used as a long-term supplement for stomach and digestive maintenance support. UlcaBuf can also be used short term (21 days) for times of stress.

Size

Clear

Supports Long Term Equine Digestive Function

Recommended for ulcer and colic-prone horses
Supports proper pH under occasional gastric distress
Helps support a protective layer in the bowel
Contains prebiotics and live probiotics for intestinal health
Can be fed at a maintenance or stress rate

UlcaBuf
Supports
Long-Term
Digestive
Function

UlcaBuf is an all natural, non medicated, supplement with specifically curated ingredients designed to support long term digestive function. Formulated specifically to support the stomach and the hindgut. UlcaBuf can be used as a long term supplement for stomach and digestive maintenance support. UlcaBuf can also be used short term as a 21 days course for times of stress.

About UlcaBuf's Ingredients

Turmeric

Curcuma xanthorhizza is a unique form of Turmeric where research has shown that when fed to horses it may suppress the formation of stomach ulcers.

PowerStance

This unique powdered coconut oil from Stance Equitec aids in the absorption of turmeric powder by the digestive system. It boasts high levels of Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), providing a readily available non-glucose energy source. Additionally, PowerStance contains Lauric Acid, which converts to monolaurin, supporting gut health. Lauric acid is also associated with antiviral, antibacterial, and immune-boosting properties.

Seaweed Derived Calcium

The seaweed comes from the ocean off the coast of Iceland and is harvested for its red algae (Lithothamnion). Lithothamnion has a honeycomb structure that provides a large surface area of (>10m2) per gram and a slow release of bio-available minerals, calcium, magnesium and silicon. It has a longer buffering action than limestone or sodium bicarbonate. Research shows this had a significant buffering action for 4-6 hours under simulated in vitro stomach digestion conditions and also stimulated in vitro hindgut fermentation activities.

Actigen

Actigen is a strain of yeast containing Mannan Oligosaccharides (MOS). MOS are considered a prebiotic and are thought to promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria. Actigen is thought to reduce the number of pathogenic bacteria in the hindgut. They may also boost the immune function in the digestive tract.

Yea-SaccTS

Yea-SaccTS is a probiotic (live microorganism) that works symbiotically with Actigen (a prebiotic) and helps promote beneficial bacteria and fibre digestion in the hindgut as well as help to stabilise the hindgut pH.

Sodium Alginate

Sodium Alginate may assist in maintaining the integrity of the mucus membrane within the digestive tract.

UlcaBuf can be fed alongside medication such as gastroguard with no decrease in effect.

Sizes

Eco-Friendly Packaging Alert: To prioritize sustainability, we’ve transitioned from tubs to pouches. Our commitment to reducing plastic usage underscores our promise to be environmentally conscious.

Product Information Sheet

Praise for UlcaBuf

Noddy is prone to ulcers and never eats when stabled for a few days and is usually cranky at the same time. He’s been on the UlcaBuf since I received it last week and this week, he’s been stabled due to it raining and being too wet. I’m happy to say he hasn’t lost his appetite and he licked his bucket clean and hasn’t been cranky so I’m super happy! I will definitely be placing another order soon!
Emily & Noddy

I just wanted to let you know about the incredible results I have had, feeding UlcaBuf. My mare is 6 years old, very lightly shown but in recent months the thought of her competing again seemed highly unlikely. Her whole demeanour had changed to the point of her becoming dangerous to approach, rug, feed, catch etc., let alone ride! She has always been a bit of a cranky princess, but this was another level! I decided to leave her out of the stables at night and no longer put warm rugs on either. Then, three weeks ago I started feeding her UlcaBuf. I changed nothing else. Two weeks in and she was a different horse! She is friendly and happy to see me! I have even started putting her warm rug back on at night, without fear of being attacked! This morning, for the first time in 3 months I was able to lead her to my arena and lunge her! This has been a massive step forward and I am looking forward to riding her later this week. I am so impressed with your UlcaBuf, that I would recommend it whole heartedly. Thank you so much. My dragon is now a pussy cat!
Sharyn Hungerford

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Frequently Asked Questions About UlcaBuf

Gastric Ulcers in Horses

Gastric ulcers are lesions that are found in the stomach. The stomach of the horse is made up of two regions, the upper “squamous” region which has a thin cell wall lining and the lower “glandular” region which has thick cell wall lining. The glandular region is where gastric acids are secreted to assist the digestion of food, and so the pH is usually very acidic (pH 4). The squamous, thin-walled area of the stomach is less protected by mucous than the lower region. The majority of ulcers are found in the thin-walled area where food first enters the stomach

Gastric ulcers in horses as well as humans are areas or erosion and irritation in the digestive tract. They aren’t necessarily in the stomach itself, but occur most often near the entrance and exit to the stomach, in the lower oesophagus, and in the intestine (commonly called leaky gut syndrome). They are basically the result of acids escaping the stomach and damaging the sensitive surrounding membranes.

A horse with gastric ulcers is most likely in pain, and may be reluctant to eat and show symptoms of colic (rolling, sweating, agitation, and looking at or snapping at its flanks). Other symptoms include chronic diarrhoea, poor appetite, weight loss or an inability to gain weight, and general discomfort. These symptoms aren’t diagnostic of ulcers, but they do suggest discomfort associated with the upper GI tract/stomach. Less-specific signs frequently attributed to ulcers are: Sour, sulky attitude, poor coat, weight loss, poor performance, irritability, sensitivity to touch around the horse’s lower belly/sternum area.

The only way to definitively diagnose gastric ulcers is to examine the stomach directly with an endoscope at a veterinary clinic or do a sucrose-absorption test. However, most horses are “diagnosed” by symptoms only, these include: Grinding of the teeth, belching noises, slow eating, often walking away without finishing meals all at once. Picky appetite that includes the horse refusing foods or supplements that were consumed readily before.

Digestion in the Stomach

Horses were designed to eat fibrous plants, and were not designed to eat large amounts of high grain (high NSC >12) diets. NSC is the sugar and starch or Non-Structural Carbohydrate in the food. Food flows through the oesophagus and enters the upper region of the stomach where the pH is usually 5-6 i.e. not very acidic. The very soluble proteins and carbohydrates are broken down here by the enzymes in the saliva. The food then passes to the very acidic glandular region, where it is aggressively broken down by the gastric acids.

What Causes Ulcers?

There are many factors that can cause ulcers including stress and parasitic infection. One of the most common causes however is diet, and how it is fed. When horses are fed high grain (high NSC) diets, the sugars are also digested in the non-glandular region, causing a very sharp decline in pH and highly acidic conditions. Because the squamous cells are not well protected by mucous, these cells can be damaged by the acids, and cause ulcers.

Simply feeding low NSC (non-grain) feeds is one way of avoiding the possibility of diet related ulcers. Horses normally eat little and often, usually grazing 18 hours a day, i.e., they are slow feeders. With our modern and busy lifestyle, it is usually only possible to only feed twice daily, morning and night. This is not really an issue with hay, because it is slowly digested, and the horse will eat it slowly.

However, the dilemma occurs when we require performance from our horses. To achieve high energy intakes, we generally feed highly palatable grain-based feeds twice a day and this can be the basis for real problems. Feeding high NSC feeds twice a day is called shock/pulse feeding. These high NSC feeds are eaten quickly, and to assist digestion, large amounts of gastric acid are released into the stomach, including the upper region.

A further compounding factor with pulse feeding is that the horse can have an empty stomach for long periods between feeds, during which time the stomach acid can drop to a pH of 2. So how can you feed to avoid ulcers and still achieve high energy intake to achieve peak performance from your horse? There are several strategies which can be used both separately and in combination:

Select a low grain (low NSC <12%) feed like CoolStance Copra
Feed little and often to avoid pulse/ shock feeding
Have hay available to avoid the stomach emptying
Select slow high-energy foods i.e., high-energy feeds that do not cause highly acidic gastric conditions or glucose spikes.

What Causes Ulcers in Horses?

Any circumstances that increase the volatility or quantity of stomach acids can lead to leakage, and ultimately ulcers. Stress is a primary culprit, especially in horses stabled for long periods – as is high-intensity exercise. Some steroid medications can lead to ulcers, because they upset the natural balance of digestive bacteria. Feed deprivation even starvation diets, used with the best of intentions to prevent laminitis, are dangerous and can cause ulcers, and horses that are malnourished or have suffered neglect often develop ulcers.

To help reduce the risk of ulcers choose feeds low in NSCs to reduce the fermentation of starches and sugars in your horse’s digestive tract. Feeds such as CoolStance Copra meal have a low NSC content (<12%), and high fibre content to keep your horse feeling full for longer. Copra Meal also contains Lauric Acid, which is a natural antibacterial effective against H. Equorum, as well as Glutamine, which is known to have probiotic effects for a healthy digestive system.

Contributing Risk Factors for Ulcers:

Stress
Transportation
High-grain diet
Stable confinement
Intermittent feeding/lack of forage
Intense exercise
Racing
Illness
NSAID use
Management changes

The Problem with Only Treating the Symptoms

In the busy life of the horse owner, it is convenient to treat the symptoms and not treat the cause. The above discussion describes many methods to treat horses to attempt to prevent ulcers. Adding medication or preventive agents to the feed is convenient. Many of these treatments however ignore the underlying cause of ulcers, i.e., feeding high NSC (high sugar and starch) diets. Continued feeding of high NSC diets, together with treatment to avoid ulcers could in fact be causing longer-term problems including insulin resistance and laminitis. Now we will outline the potential complications of continued feeding high NSC diets and treatment to prevent ulcers.

The Anatomy of the GI Tract

The gastro-intestinal “GI” tract that illustrates the stomach as a comparatively small component [<10%] of the total digestive tract. Secondly, as can be seen, it is a relatively short and simple compartment designed for rapid transit of food to the small intestine. The large caecum [>3 times the stomach volume] at the end of the small intestine. This anatomy means that horses are “hind gut fermenters” as distinct from cattle which are fore gut fermenters. The caecum allows for digestion of the fibrous diet by microbia, and the subsequent extra nutrients are absorbed in the colon. Overall digestion is efficient and in fact synergistic if the pasture being selected and eaten has a moderate to low NSC content. This GI tract has served horses well especially when grazing a roughage pasture for > 18 hours daily. This anatomy is designed for slow feeders.

Feeding high NSC feeds can cause ulcers in the stomach simply by causing increased acid secretion. High NSC feeds can cause major complications further down in the small intestines and the hindgut, causing acidosis.

If dietary NSC is not managed, and horses are overfed and underworked, then the horse could be predisposed to insulin resistance, obesity, Cushing’s disease, laminitis bad behaviour and trying up.

Conclusion

Treating ulcers without addressing the underlying cause can cause major long-term metabolic problems in horses. High NSC feeds are a major cause of stomach ulcers and hindgut acidosis. Treating ulcers is simply treating the symptoms, and could potentially be ignoring the potential for other long-term problems such as obesity, insulin resistance, tying up and laminitis. All caring horse owners should assess the level of NSC provided, avoid feeding cereals or grains and avoid overfeeding and underworking.

2 reviews for UlcaBuf All Natural Stomach and Hindgut Support

Rated 5 out of 5

Sharyn – 20th September 2023

I just wanted to let everyone know about the incredible results I have had, feeding UlcaBuf. My mare is 6 years old, very lightly shown but in recent months the thought of her competing again seemed highly unlikely. Her whole demeanour had changed to the point of her becoming dangerous to approach, rug, feed, catch etc., let alone ride! She has always been a bit of a cranky princess, but this was another level! I decided to leave her out of the stables at night and no longer put warm rugs on either. Then, three weeks ago I started feeding her UlcaBuf. I changed nothing else. Two weeks in and she was a different horse! She is friendly and happy to see me! I have even started putting her warm rug back on at night, without fear of being attacked! This morning, for the first time in 3 months I was able to lead her to my arena and lunge her! This has been a massive step forward and I am looking forward to riding her later this week. I am so impressed with UlcaBuf, that I would recommend it wholeheartedly. Thank you so much. My dragon is now a pussy cat!
Rated 5 out of 5

Peta – 13th October 2023

For the past 2 yrs we have struggled to find a product to help one of our horses who was forever having soft and at times runny poo, anxious and unsettled when taken out to comps. A friend put us onto UlcaBuff and he hasn’t looked back. Being anxious has completely gone he’s settled, working well, and most importantly no more runny poo. I highly recommend it. We are very impressed with this product.

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Calcium	93 g/kg
Magnesium	19g/kg
Sodium	7.8g/kg
Potassium	7.7g/kg
Phosporus	1.4g/kg