Gassy Horse

[A Yankee In NC]

[SIZE=12pt]I have had this horse for about 4 weeks. [/SIZE]

He has been grazing on the winter rye for a week, has plenty of hay and gets 2 portions of feed each day.

Yesterday and today I noticed that he is very gassy...with a bit of moisture emited with the gas. He has a small streak of "dirt" down his back legs from this emission. I checked all of the fresh poo in the pasture and one pile was not formed nicely as usual...but not mushy......just more wet than normal.

What should I be watching for? Any suggetstions as to what steps to take?

He is eating and dringking, playing...behaving normally.

 

[A Yankee In NC]

lots of readers and no response leads me to think I have nothing to worry about????????

 

[kaykay]

As long as hes playing eating and drinking I dont think you have too much to worry about. I do think too much rye though can be a bad thing. Maybe google it and see.

 

[Irish Hills Farm]

If your horse is gassy you can give him/her a mixture of buttermilk, baking soda (1 tbsp) and yogurt (live culture). Mix the buttermilk & yogurt to a cream of soup consistency. Use a syringe to give it to the horse, maybe 20-40-60 cc at a time, depending on how gassy the horses is, and you don't have to worry about giving to much, couple of times a day. Some horses like the mixture so much they'll drink it from a bowl.

Some people will give this mixture to foals after just being dewormed to help prevent upset stomachs.

 

[Russ]

My guess would be that the winter rye grass is a bit rich for his diet....thus the gassy....softer poops. You didn't mention what type of hay he is on in addition to his grazing time and if he gets grain also?

Hypothetical things to keep in mind......as I don't know your situation.

If any horse is getting a grain/pellet type complete feed with say a 12-14% protien content..... it is totally possible that the combination of the rye grazing and a rich grain diet is a bit too rich = gas and softer wetter poop. A rich in protein hay such as alfalfa could also be a contributor if it was part of the diet with grazing tender rye grass.

In my opinion....if grain or rich hay were part of the diet in addition to grazing.....I would back off one of the foods to see if it helps. A proboitic may help also.

These are only things to keep in mind....not saying it is your case.

BTW.....a horse being able to get rid of gas is a good thing. I had one this fall who couldn't and she acted colicky after a very windy day.....I was positive she was drinking/pooping A-OK as I picked her stall/paddack that day......when it dawned on me her stomach looked puffy. I immediately mixed up some U-Gard powder(a commercial ulcer and also a good antiacid- gas reliever product) and water....syringed it in her mouth and within 15 minutes she was feeling like herself. So I learned something new on gas and treating it this fall.

Will sure keep Sheryl's recipe on hand as that sounds like a good one. Thanks for posting it!