Bloating...any experience with this?

[evedex]

We had a foal, a few years back that really bloated a lot and now a gelding we have had here for several years has started the same thing.

His weight is perfect and he is on the same feed and the same 2 hours of grazing with a muzzle on that he has had all year. I have tried to isolate a weed that he might be interested in, but cannot decide what that might be and wondered if anyone out there has any experience with this.

When the foal bloated, we put him in a small paddock and I weeded and identified and researched every weed I could couldn't find a cause there.<sigh>

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[kaykay]

grass during different seasons can cause belly bloat. If you had rain recently and the grass greened up sometimes that can cause it. I would be careful though as sometimes its a symptom of impending colic. also deworming or doing the 5 day purge might help?

 

[MiLo Minis]

I know your horses will be well dewormed so I doubt that is the problem. I don't know if you remember or not, Eve, but I had this same trouble with Beau. I put him on electrolytes and free choice loose mineral and it helped immensely. I had a horse in for training earlier this summer with the same problem and I did the same thing - worked for him too. Sent him home and just got a call the other day and she tells me he is bloated again but she hasn't been giving him the electrolytes or loose mineral. Beau is back on my farm at the moment and is back on electrolytes and loose mineral for exactly the same reason!

 

[Reble]

Hello Eve,

I have [SIZE=12pt]heard[/SIZE] you can use human tums with calcium to help bloating with horses.

 

[whitney]

Milo what loose mineral product do you use?

 

[minis3]

My filly has a tendency to bloat. My horses are in their drylot most of the time but a few times a week I put them in the pasture for a couple of hours. This summer when the grass was richer she would bloat but it would subside within a few hours. She never coliced. Now that the grass isn't so rich, she isn't having this problem as much. I always keep a close eye on her though everytime she has had grass. I also use a loose mineral product called Equimin.

 

[Abby]

I too have a yearling gelding that bloats. He's on a dry lot so it's not the grass. I'll be watching to see the what others have done to remedy this.

Lee

 

[Marty]

I had it a few years back and I'm ashamed to admit that it was worms and an ulcer dispite my so called "effective" deworming schedule.

When I realized this was the problem, I did a 5 day purge with Safe Guard and 30 days of Gastroguard. Problem solved.

Since then I stepped up my de-worminng regimine big time and learned that no program is perfect and there is always room for tweaking.

 

[MiLo Minis]

The mineral I have is called Equimin and I got it at my feed store. Its what they put in their grain mixes. I know Eve would have a very good worming program as she has an onsite veterinarian :bgrin I know I worm my horses twice yearly with Eqvalan Gold and every other month with Ivermectin. Foals and show horses get monthly worming with ivermectin and my show horses get a daily on top of that. I am relatively certain that it is not a worm problem. I did have Beau's poop tested at the time and he was good. It is not bloat as I know it I wouldn't think as he is on dry lot as well but he gets a huge tummy and he is not fat.