Loose Stool

[Windhaven]

Hi everyone.

I know this has been discussed before. But I have a yearling mare that has chronic diarrhea (cow pies). She has a bloated (10 months pregnant look) so she is not getting the nutrients from her feed. I have tried everything.

I have tried ulcer meds (Ulcer Guard, U Guard, Fast Track, 7 Finish Line)

Probios (Probios (powder and paste), Bio Sponge)

Wormings (I have not done the Panacur Power Pack yet) but has been wormed for tape worms and was on daily wormer

Sand clear

Took away salt block (they where licking it a lot)

Grass hay and tried Alfalfa (only because nothing else worked)

1/2 cup alfalfa pellets

Plain oats

Beet pulp

Took her off all supplements

Let her eat grass for up to an 1 hour a day

All of this over long periods of time with no change with any thing.

She is was on a show diet earlier but now she is just on a bland diet. She gets grass hay, 1 1/2 cups oats and probios (I think it is Assure and expensive) that I just got from the vet.

The vet is checking for a few things, but doesn't think she looks that bad (first time using him and a big horse vet). So I am looking for ideas. I would like to get her into better body condition and feed her more protein and condition her, but don't want to do anything until I figure out what is going on.

What are some of the strange things that has giving horses the runs and some strange stuff that people have giving their horses to stop it.

 

[rubyviewminis]

I believe someone once suggested coconut macaroons. You can search diarrhea. And this time of year is the time for double dosing Fenbendazole for 5 days (Safeguard) to target encysted small strongyles.

 

[Windhaven]

Just to clarify, this filly has had soft stools (98% of the time) since I got her back in Feb. She has been wormed and on daily wormer and the vet is checking for worms. But I have all my horses on a strict worming schedule and when tested they never had any.

I have never tried Coconut Macaroons. I will get some when I go to the store.

Thanks for the tip.

Any more ideas.

 

[ljc]

This doesn't sound like your problem but I have a gelding who develops loose manure whenever he gets too much alfalfa hay or any amount of TC Lite. He can eat alfalfa pellets (he gets one cup a day) with no problem but there's something about the hay version that does him in. Same thing with TC Lite - the other horses do just fine on it, he doesn't.

I use Fastrack (a probiotic). No particular reason other than it was recommended by many people.

I did a powerpac on him last fall. Scariest thing in the world - he colicked like crazy on it. didn't help, either.

I wish I had a better answer - just wanted to give you my story. And for what it's worth, I've learned to live with a slightly runny manure coming from him. Vet doesn't think it's the end of the world ... so neither will I.

Good luck.

 

[krissy3]

my mare had this problem for 3 days. I reduced her amount of pasture time, mixed a little straw , and poor quality hay with her new , rich hay, kept those minerals in her , and hard feed was the same , but made it very soupy so i knew she was getting water.I did give her a coconut cookie, that always helps, and a few pieced of dry wheat bred. She is great today ! this works for me . I figure that she ate a bad weed out in the pasture, and or she is not use to her new hay.

 

[jayne]

I have a little mare who has had a similar problem. After moving and consulting with a new vet, he recommended that I try a different kind of hay, as he had seen that orchard grass, the hay she had always been on, had been the caused similar problems in some horses with chronic diarrhea. So I was able to find some new hay called Teff Hay and it has made all the difference for her. I did try timothy and it got somewhat (but not entirely) better, but it was too rich for her.

So maybe do some research and talk to your vet about the type of hay you're feeding? Just an idea.

 

[Connie P]

I am having this same issue with one of my little mares. I am so frustrated. I have tried EVERYTHING to try to get his under control to no avail. She still has cow pies for manure. I will be watching this thread closely to see if any new ideas come up.

I just brought her up again the other day and spent 1/2 hours scrubbing the crusted manure out of her tail and braiding it and tying it up so that it doesn't get like that again- it is getting too cold here for baths and I refuse to have her tail so encrusted with manure.........................at wits end......................

 

[PondlakeMinis]

Hi, she may be allergic to molasses. I have two minis I had to take away all starch and sugar and they do fine. I give them rolled oats, beet pulp without molasses. I have had to add a supplement (I use equishine) since the oats have no added minerals. Dolly has never had diarrhea since. I still have some problems with her son Orion. Orion still gets diarrhea from to much alfalfa. If he is on grass and gets the alfalfa pellets he does great. Worth a try.

cyndia

 

[wildoak]

You have tried the things that always work for me, except for the Panacur powerpack. Interesting, Pondlakeminis that yours are allergic to molasses. Were you able to test for that, or just find out by trial and error? Certainly something to keep in mind.

Jan

 

[PondlakeMinis]

It was trial and error with the molasses with Dolly. It was an almost immediate stop of the diarrhea when I took all starch and sugar away.

 

[mini-momma]

We had an orphan QH foal that would get runny stools. We made a mush from rolled oats that I ground fine in a coffee grinder and some of her formula and fed that to her. It would clear up the "runs". Had to watch that it didn't get too firm sometimes.

 

[attwoode]

Have you done a parasite test on the manure? That would help rule out worms