4 month old filly having trouble pooping

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minijoyj

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I noticed yesterday that she was having trouble pooping. I gave her an enema & gave her some mineral oil by mouth. Pooped after the enema & today is still having trouble (poop seems pretty hard) gave another enema & gave some more oil. Any suggestions? We do not have sand here. I am going to give her a glycerin suppository in a little bit, but I think she needs something to soften it up.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Have you been able to witness her drink water???

MA
 
Yes, I have seen her drink water. The poop is there it is just hard, I put gloves on & helped her while she pushed. We need something to soften it up. I put her in a stall by herself so I can watch her closer & maybe a little stress will make her go better. You know how it does some of them when you stall them. I tried to give her some applesauce, but she didn't like that.
 
My four month olds have been eating a feed of their own for two months!! I think you need to get regular feed inside this girl every day or she is not going to be ready for weaning. There is little in the mares milk by this time so she is probably getting hungry and maybe eating inappropriate rubbish- foals, as you know will put anything in their mouths!! Get her onto a good feed with a little oil in it at least once a day- her digestive juices have all just changed around, and she is ready for the big stuff!
 
Keep the mineral oil going! I had a colt do the same thing not that long ago, and he was constantly constipated. Well...he ended up with a staph type of infection from straining so hard he "tore" his little pooper and thus it got infected and thus I had to needle the penicillin into him for 5 days (not fun on a 3 month old). Sooo..the vet suggested a daily dose of mineral oil, electrolytes into the water and keep my eyes on him. To save myself trying to shoot stuff down his throat, the feed he gets ( he was eating everything he could get his lips on hence the constipation) along with his mom is near soup (really watery) and they get electrolytes with a peppermint candy in their water bucket everyday. Touch wood..seems to be working.

Kim
 
We had this problem with our colt. We gave molasses by mouth, he love it and it loosens he stoles very well. What was causing ours is the mare was drying up from the heat. Started electrolytes and changed the food he and his mother were eating. Went over to something that had more molasses in it for a while.

Strange thing is I used to have to do this with my son when he was little. But we added Karo syrup instead of molasses.

Good Luck

Traci
 
I agree with Rabbit.....whatever mom is eating, the foal should be eating it too by now.

Electrolytes are a good idea. However, we have better luck giving the paste form. For us, if we suddenly put a flavored electrolyte in their water, the horse will often not drink the water!

MA
 
She is doing better today. She is eating what mom is eating which is grass. We have very rich grass here & Have to be careful or they get way to fat. They are already chunky. I will give her some grain with molasses & see if that helps.
 
good advice so far. You do need to start her on feed. My babies start playing like they are eating at a few days old. They learn from the mama. I would recommend mineral oil, another fleets enema. and add electrolytes to his diet to make him more thirsty and encourage her to drink more water. Its so hot that she may be getting a little dehydrated.
 

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