# Sand Clear??



## MajorClementine (Jun 29, 2016)

I'm a little worried about possible sand buildup in my minis guts. They are in a dry lot and no matter what feeder, net, etc I put their hay in the end up tossing most of it out on the ground. There isn't even a stem left when I feed next so I'm a little concerned about how much sand they are picking up with their feed.

Has anyone had a problem with sand or used sand clear? $15 for a bucket that would treat my two minis for 4 months each (one week per month) seems worth it to make sure they aren't building up little sand boxes in their guts.

Thoughts??


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## Ryan Johnson (Jun 29, 2016)

I use psyllium husk in my _*Big*_ horses feed for five continuous days per month. I give 1 cup in their nightly feed continuously , it does a great job attaching to the sand particles in the gut. The first time I used it I went snooping through the manure and I was horrified at the amount of sand that I found.

Ill try and find out the dosage a friend of mine feeds her minis.


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## FurstPlaceMiniatures (Jun 29, 2016)

Nope, never had an issue. You kinda can't overdose them honestly.

My stud is in a dry lot and he's a fatty that eats every little thing so he gets a draft sized dose every other month, a normal sized dose every month. His poops get SO heavy. I know it has to be working


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## amysue (Jun 29, 2016)

I use the generic product version of sandclear, psyllium husk fiber. My stallions are on sand and eat off the ground (gave up on hay feeders) so once a month they get a weekly purge. If you are worried about sand in your horse's gut, do a sand test. Put 5 or 6 fecal balls into a pail of water, stir it up until dissolved and gently pour the water out, leaving the solids at the bottom of the pail. If you find more than a teaspoon of sand, use the supplement to purge them. Just remember, if they're really full of sand, watch them closely, as in extreme circumstances the purge can cause colic symptoms. Always provide plenty of fresh water when using this supplement, as the psyllium turns to gel and pushes the gut contents out, so the animal needs to stay hydrated.


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## Miniv (Jun 29, 2016)

In addition to Sand Clear, another way to feed them on the ground is to lay out some large rubber mats to put their hay on.


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## amysue (Jun 29, 2016)

Miniv is right, mats help a lot. I save old rubber mud flaps and rubber car floor mats from all of the corn trucks and use them to feed the minis on.


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## Marsha Cassada (Jun 30, 2016)

Reviewing my miniature horse veterinary guide, it recommends psyllium once or twice a week, or several days in a row once or twice a month. Daily feeding can interfere with absorption of nutrients and decrease the effectiveness of the psyllium.


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## ParkerAlexx (Jun 30, 2016)

I'm new to the horse world but I have read a lot about Chia seeds and their ability to help in the prevention of sand colic. I am actually going to soak some tonight to give to my minis over this next week. It helps in quite a few areas all at once! I've always heard it was a super food.






https://equinenutritionnerd.com/2015/08/03/feeding-chia-seeds-to-horses/

http://www.savvyhorsewoman.com/2016/01/chia-seeds-for-horses-top-10-benefits.html


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## Joann (Jul 24, 2016)

when do u start foals on it if at all?


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## MajorClementine (Jul 27, 2016)

I've started wetting the ground under their hay net at each feeding to keep the sand they pick up at a minimum. Also, it's so stinking dry here it'll be good for their feet too. Apparently my order with TSC didn't go through so I'm re-ordering the sand clear just to be on the safe side.


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## Lloydyne (Aug 24, 2016)

I just buy the plain stuff (not orange flavored) at Walmart and give my minis a heaping tablespoon every Sunday I live at the beach, no way to get rid of the sand. I don't know if it works but it sure isn't hurting to try and be safe.


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## BeeBopMini (Aug 24, 2016)

we use the walmart brand of metamussel, its called equate. My minis love the orange flavor and I put a quarter cup in their moist grain every Sunday. When I tried feeding several days in a row, they seemed a little bloated and uncomfortable so I stick to once a week.


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## amysue (Aug 24, 2016)

I am so glad you guys posted this about the Metamucil powder. I have 34 horses in the barn right now, all on some sort of sand footing and we are going broke on sand-clear. Even the generic sand-aid, takes 6 pails to do everyone's 5 day monthly purge. I have a few horses who look awful if they miss their purge too, they get colicky from the sand. I have too many in together to mess with mangers or hay nets so they eat off the ground, even on rubber mats, they ingest sand. I am going to buy the equate fiber powder and try it!


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## chandab (Aug 24, 2016)

amysue said:


> I am so glad you guys posted this about the Metamucil powder. I have 34 horses in the barn right now, all on some sort of sand footing and we are going broke on sand-clear. Even the generic sand-aid, takes 6 pails to do everyone's 5 day monthly purge. I have a few horses who look awful if they miss their purge too, they get colicky from the sand. I have too many in together to mess with mangers or hay nets so they eat off the ground, even on rubber mats, they ingest sand. I am going to buy the equate fiber powder and try it!


Amy, check this product out: http://www.horse.com/item/equus-psyllium-pellets/SLT180411/Mine won't eat the powdered stuff (or crumbles), but will eat this pelleted product. Do a little math, on the cost per dose and see how it comes out; quick look, the pellets look cheaper than the sand clear.


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## bevann (Aug 25, 2016)

I SWEAR by EQUUS. Have used it for years.I feel almost like an expert on sand colic since I have had so many over the past 30 years in Minis. Nobody here gets fed anything on the ground, but they are on grass and when it rains they pull up the grass and the roots have sand so they ingest that. I have 3 older horses that get EQUUS pellets DAILY 1 gets 1/4 cup and the others get less.I tried stopping it and major sand colic.EQUUS smells great like licorice and they will eat it right out of the bucket.DO NOT WET It gets gummy and will not work then.When I had more horses than the 5 I have now I ordered 300 lbs at a time.Cheaper than a vet call and less stress for me.Have tried other products IMO opinion this is the best thing for my Minis.


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## amysue (Aug 26, 2016)

Thank you Chanda and Bevann! I will definitely look into this. Two of my stallions look like absolute crap right now and sand impaction is the only thing that the vet and I can come up with. Bloodwork is normal, teeth were just done this spring (and still look good), fecal egg count was good, but I dewormed anyway because the potbelly-ribby look made me think they had worms. They are on free-choice second cut hay (I rarely feed the second, I usually sell all that we make) but it has been soooo dry this year that the hay has been stemmy. I assumed they needed more protein, so I added a supplement to their feed (16% protein 10% fat broodmare grain). When I did their last purge, these two pooped PURE sand, I mean it looked like you were making meat balls out of beach sand! So I put them on a routine of sand aid for a month, but have seen no improvement. They do not have the telltale runny manure from sand impaction that mine normally get if they miss a purge, but they look dull, pot bellied with hips and ribs out. I am embarrassed for anyone to see them right now! I was thinking that the generic psyllium powder would be cheap enough to be able to dose everybody more for longer. I know that too much/too long prevents nutrient absorption and too much fiber creates that gassy bloated look, but I fear these two need more purging. I know that the Metamucil would not be a better deal for 34 big horses by any means, but I will price it out for the minis once I get an accurate dosing instruction from my vet. It may be like the omneprazole for ulcers, in big horses, tablets are FAR more expensive than ulcergard, but for my 27"mini, the tablets were better because the tube of ulcergard was metered in 600# doses and he weighed 220#. The generic tabs were cheaper. I will find out, thank you.


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## bevann (Aug 26, 2016)

My Minis that are on EQUUS DAILY are fat as hogs they all need to lose weight.MY sand prevention program works for them.I too have had Minis years ago that pooped out almost straight sand.Put a fecal ball on the stall wall,let it dry and then crumpled it solid sand.Sand colic is no fun-had 5 at 1 time years ago before this regimen EQUUS is expensive but goes a long way and is easy to feed Good luck hope you find something that works. EQUATE brand from walmart is Metamucil generic. I have used it, but you must feed sweet feed so it has something to adhere to.If you feed it dry to Minis you run the risk of it swelling in the throat and causing a chocking problem It is only effective once it gets activated by water or moisture.My vet has tubed my Minis with it mixed with water, but he has to work really fast or it gums up the syringe and tubing.


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## amysue (Aug 27, 2016)

Thank you Bevann, that is good to know. I do feed sweet feed that is very sticky. I knew it wouldn't feed wet, as I have had issues with the pellets getting soggy on rainy days and they won't eat them (probably wouldn't do much good wet before eating anyway). But, I did not think of choke, glad you mentioned it. Worse comes to worse, I will make up a little bit of liquid at a time and syringe it into his mouth (he is very good with oral meds) just to get it in there. I wouldn't do that with all of them (too time consuming and some would aspirate). Thank you


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## laurarfl (Aug 27, 2016)

My friend just lost her mini last week to sand colic and founder (at the same time). I give mine a mini sized portion of a generic Sand Clear product one week every month.


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## bevann (Aug 28, 2016)

I would not suggest putting it in a syringe and into the mouth.too much danger of choke as it swells.when my vet does it wet it is going directly into the stomach via tube into nostril-just like oiling for colic Putting it in sweet feed should work good luck and keep us posted on your progress.


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## amysue (Sep 13, 2016)

So I found a health supplier that sells pure fresh ground psyllium husk in bulk for cheap. I paid 20 bucks for 5 pounds of pure ground psyllium husk in a grainy powder form. It sticks to the sweet feed very well, these picky ponies cannot sort it out of the feed so I know they're getting it all. It has already made such a difference. They all pooped out pure sand after the 3rd day of feeding it. Everyone's coat is already starting to look shinier as they shed out the dull fuzzy hair. The two who looked sooo bloated, spiny and ribby are already starting to look much better. Everyone's spirit seems to have improved too, they are more inquisitive now and move around more, before they were pretty depressed because their bellies hurt. As much as I wanted to try the Eqqus supplement everyone recommended, I couldn't swing it for 32 horses, it was just too expensive to buy enough to do the weekl long purge everybody needed and I feel that stretching it or not using it as directed wouldn't help any. This stuff has no fillers or addatives so I can feed less. I'm giving a tablespoon 2x day for 5 days then 1x day for 5 more, then we will take a break after the purge and repeat for 7 days in a month and adjust as needed. They were just so full of sand it was unreal. I used to not have any problems with the generic psyllium pellets but now my horses won't eat them and it has been so dry here that they just weren't cutting it.


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## bevann (Sep 13, 2016)

so glad you found something that works for you.Sand problems are no fun and can be very costly vet wise.Keep us posted on the progress with your herd.sounds like you are on the right track


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## MajorClementine (Sep 17, 2016)

So I'm thinking I'm going to get the ground psyllium husk powder from amazon and am wondering if you get it wet then add it to their feed? could I add it to their beet pulp when I soak it?? I don't feed a sweet feed or anything "sticky" like that. I guess I could also add it to a bran mash or soaked alfalfa pellets??


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## chandab (Sep 17, 2016)

Don't soak it with their feed, but mix it in right before you feed. Otherwise it turns to gelatinous goo if just soaked, that's part of how it picks up sand and moves it out. [And, why I feed the Equus pellets, they like them and just eat them with their pellets.]


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## MajorClementine (Sep 19, 2016)

Okay just ordered a 10# bucket of Sand Clear from ValleyVet since they have free shipping right now (got a bot egg knife too, they are BAD this year). I decided that since it's my first go round with the stuff I'd go the easier route and feed the pellets. I just want to get any sand purged out before winter. We get lots of snow in the winter so I don't worry about sand over the winter. Next spring I am hoping to get everyone on a better training/feeding schedule and may try just the ground psyllium.

I'll start both minis on the Sand Clear as soon as it gets here (first to middle of next week) and I'll let you know how it goes. After reading all the experiences on here I'm interested to see what comes out...


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## MajorClementine (Sep 27, 2016)

So the bucket of Sand Clear that arrived at my house was so dusty on top I'm sure it's been in a warehouse for years. However, I could not find an expiration date on the bucket (just a lot number) and I tasted it (yup, I sure did) and it didn't taste like stale grain... just bland. So I gave the littles their first dose.

They both dove in but quickly started making that "peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth" sound. I knew just how they were feeling as my teeth developed a nice gel coating after trying the sand clear. Major, however, was not discouraged and plowed ahead. Clementine was less impressed. I added a handful of oats to hers and that helped her get over her issues.

We'll dose twice a day this week to "purge" and see how it goes.


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