poopy pony

[minihorsecwgrl]

hi again!,

my mini will turn 2 on March 1st. about 6 months ago I realized he has diahrea on his back legs, his poop isn't diahrea though. we had the vet look at him and everything is fine. I put him on a probiotic 3 months ago and for about 3 weeks it worked, then back to poopy legs. we switched his hay and put him back on probio, no poopy legs. but 2 weeks ago her started do it again! I hate washing his legs in the cold and keeping him in the barn until dry, I don't know what to do! acting fine otherwise and eating like a pig! Please help!

 

[chandab]

What exactly are you feeding? List everything and how much: hay, grain, supplements, all of it. Someone might have an idea for you. Sometimes horses have allergies to certain feedstuffs, and that can cause loose poop.

 

[eagles ring farm]

I would check for sand. That will cause loose poop.

 

[amysue]

I agree with the sand theory. Sand ssettles in the intestine and prevents the horse from re absorbing liquid from digested food leading to watery diarrhea. I had this problem with a colt and feeding sand clear (psyllium) once a month fixed it. Put a few pieces of his poop in a pail of water and dissolve it. Pour off the poo slurry and see if any sand collects at the bottom of the pail. This way you will know if its a sand problem or something else. You should clean him up as his skin could get irritated with manure build up on it. You can keep the tail braided and up in a sock or vet wrap in winter ( sinve its not fly season) and coat his bottom and legs with petroleum jelly. My vet suggested it until ours cleared up as it kept the poo from sticking to the coat. Good luck.

 

[disneyhorse]

Desitin ointment works great around the anus and between the legs to prevent scalding.

 

[Marty]

Sand, worms, both, or something in her diet you are feeding is way too rich.

 

[romewhip]

my boy gets poopy if his feed is changed or he doesn't eat plain good grass hay. Anything else is too rich. He doesn't get any grain, just mineral pellet.

 

[minihorsecwgrl]

Thank you all for the info!

he gets 4 cups of miniature horse feed in the winter (he is a hard keeper), 2.5 flakes of grass hay throughout the day, I scoop of probiotic. the vet checked for sand and worms, no worms and maybe ill try sandclear but the vet said there was some sand but not enough to cause the poopy legs. should I switch feed? or should I try a different supplement?

 

[amysue]

I haveva colt with an ulcer that could not handle the textured feed with molasses. You could try a pelleted feed that is not so rich. If he is a hard keeper he may need more than just hay pellets. I feed my colt strategy. You may also like safe choice. Honestly, quick or drasticbfeed changes may also give him diarrhea. Try the sand clear before a feed change to rule out other causes. Make sure he is hydrated enough as if he does not drink enough water with the sand clear he could get impacted. Have you tried kao pec? Sometimes young horses get tummy troubles for random reasons ( like their gut is out of whack) and sometimes pectin helps. Good luck.

 

[disneyhorse]

In some cases, bad gut bacteria is at fault in chronic cases and your vet can prescribe Metronidazole. Works wonders.

 

[eagles ring farm]

you can also ask your vet about Bio sponge ...it's a great product for loose bowels when all else is ruled out

 

[Casey0Lee]

Switch him to a low NSC, grain free, fixed forumla feed.