Dried Cabbage for GI Ulcers in Horses

This article on the benefits of feeding dried cabbage to ulcer-prone horses was written by John Seaman for Harmony House Foods

For many years now, horse owners have been huge fans of our high quality dehydrated cabbage. We have talked to our customers about the reasons why dried cabbage is so popular with our four-legged friends and their owners. What we’ve learned is that adding dried cabbage to a horse’s feed may be part of the solution to preventing stomach ulcers. Dehydrated cabbage is high in the amino acid L-glutamine. Scientific research has shown that glutamine can help support a healthy supply of the intestinal mucosa that protects the GI tract from the stomach acid that causes ulcers.

Dried cabbage is included in BioStar’s Tum-Ease EQ formula to provide glutamine, “for the body to use when it is at rest to heal irritated mucosa.”

Sadly, stomach and hindgut ulcers are common among horses today. It is thought that as many as 90% of horses will develop GI ulcers. In nature, horses graze up to 22 hours a day. Horses never stop producing stomach acid in part because they evolved while eating constantly. Feeding schedules, processed foods, stress, exercise, certain medications (particularly NSAIDs), and other factors can cause conditions that weaken the intestinal mucosa barrier and lead to ulcers.

To read the rest of their article, visit Harmony House Foods.

Tum-Ease EQ™ is a whole food supplement for equine GI tract health and horse ulcer treatment, providing a combination of foods for horses prone to ulcers or ulcer sensitivities. When horses are ridden, gastric acid production increases and can leak or spill onto the delicate intestinal mucosa, causing irritation. Our equine ulcer supplements supply specific foods that do not interfere with gastric acid production but do provide nutritional support for the intestinal mucosa.

Tum-Ease EQ™ provides organic dried cabbage for horses, one of the best food sources of the amino acid, Glutamine, long studied for its benefits to intestinal mucosa. The formula also provides micro-crystalized aloe vera flakes that can provide soothing protection from excess acid. This aloe vera supplement also provides papaya, which can increase mucous secretion that helps to coat and soothe membranes in the esophagus and stomach.