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Greenaroo

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With all the hoopla over questions and suggestions of a health related nature I hate to ask, but I’m at my wits end in trying to figure this out.

It all began about six weeks ago. I have three mini geldings and noticed that one of them, Hay Dude would have a bit of diarrhea every few days. He was eating and drinking normally. His temperature was normal. So I thought it was probably diet related, I checked over the area where they graze to see if he was eating anything that could be making him sick and found nothing. I checked the hay and grain carefully. It all looked fine. So I decided to take him off pasture to see if it would solve the problem. I was elated because for about a week there was no diarrhea. Then it started again. I called the vet who found his temperature, heart rate and respiration all to be normal. Even though all three minis are on daily wormer as well as having been wormed in July, the vet did a fecal test which indicated no worms. Just to be sure they had me worm him again with Safeguard. The vet also had me put him on probiotics. The intermittent diarrhea continued. I took him off everything except his grass hay. The diarrhea not only continued it became more frequent. I had the vet recheck him. Heart rate, respiration and temperature are all still normal. I had blood tests done. Except for a slightly elevated potassium level, everything was normal. The vet said they have no clue as to what is wrong. So in addition to the probiotics, they said to give him ½ teaspoon of Metamucil once a day to see if it helps. It doesn’t. Now Dude has diarrhea on almost a daily basis. In the course of a day he will pass in any random order a range of poop from watery to cow patties to normal.

Has anyone here ever encountered a problem like this? Is there something I’m overlooking? Am I making too much a deal over poop?

I solemnly swear to hold no one responsible for my choosing to follow any suggestions or advice that I asked for in the first place.
 
If it were me I would ask my vet about doing a sand test... doesnt have to be actual sand although that tends to make it worse but dirt can = sand colic as well i know so many that say oh we dont have actual sand here so they dont think to check. Your vet can tell you how to do a simple sand test at home.
 
The word diarhea brings to mins several pictures. Is is loose, puddles, liquid?

Those coconut macaroon cookies work great. The grasses are changing alot now with the cold. Have you had a frost yet. I would think about sand or dirt as well. Is he getting probiotics?

I generally don't fret anout poop changes unless it is screaming liquid, and the horse is not feeling well. I hope he improves. Try the cookies.
yes.gif
 
The word diarhea brings to mins several pictures. Is is loose, puddles, liquid? Those coconut macaroon cookies work great. The grasses are changing alot now with the cold. Have you had a frost yet. I would think about sand or dirt as well. Is he getting probiotics?
Dude's diarrhea usually looks almost like pudding. Sometimes it's just watery with chunks in it. He's still on probiotics. We haven't had a frost yet.

If it were me I would ask my vet about doing a sand test...
Sand? I didn't think of that before. I just did a sand test and found a tiny amount. I called the vet who said even a small amount was suspect and advised me to increase the Metamucil (psyllium seed husk) to two tablespoon twice a day. I don't know if this will help, but I guess it sure wouldn't hurt.
 
I have been fighting a yearling that exhibits this problem off and on.

Originally at weaning, thought he had colic as very listless. Vet decided worms and we double dosed and then put on daily wormer as I have dry lots. Also possibility of ulcers.

Worked for quite a while. Also seemed to be missing some vitamins, so did red cell .

He got diarhea again at the trainers this summer when fed alfalfa. I have tried some off and on and that definitely is a problem for him.

I bought a 2 year old to pair with him and he is a bully so if left together much at feeding time he gets the runs.

Have decided he gets ulcers if stressed.

So I just baby him as I have always done and keep him out of stressful conditions.

Yes, he is spoiled and think that is half my problem.
 
Susan,

I'm with Dimi on this one, try the coconut macaroon cookies! I have an older palomino mare that develops diarrhea any time there is any change, any stress or it seems like for just no reason at all. Someone on the Forum (I think it "may" have been Reo) suggested the cookies. I keep them on hand all the time and as soon as Sunshyne has any problems at all she gets cookies!

Sunshyne just LOVES these coconut macaroon cookies!!! HMMMM! Now that I think about it, "maybe" she has this figured out and it is her way to get cookies!

I am NOT a vet and this is just my humble opinion along with years of horse experience!!!
 
Coconut macaroon cookies? Really? I'll give them a try. I'll pick some up tomorrow at the store. I'll bet Dude will love em!
 
Okay...I'll bite!

I'm not a vet either but can tell you that the coconut macroons worked immediately when I had a month long problem with our quarter horse.

After all kinds of medication and a 5 day course of Diarsynal at a cost of $127....to no avail, I gave the cookies a whirl. Sure enough it worked in the first day.

JMHE........Just my humble experience!
rolleyes.gif
 
I had a horse that was very sensitive to feed change when on pasture and nothing else a slight heavy due or a bit of rain and the little bit of extra green pick would make him scour.

When stabled even a different batch of hay (same type different paddock) he scour.

I found any slight diet change did it (even the treats).

I kept him on double doses of probiotics - worked for me but check with your vet
 
Had a similar thing go on with Trig a few years ago but all the home remedies failed so my vet put him on Flagyl and it finally cleared it up.
 
I tried the cookies yesterday. Dude decided he likes coconut macroons a lot! Still, there's no change in the diarrhea yet.
sad.gif
 
Susan,

You may have to give them for several days. I gave Sunshyne 2 in the morning and 2 at night to start with and then once I noticed a difference I cut her back. She also loves them. Hope this works for Dude. I just keep them on hand and whenever I notice her having problems I start her back on the cookies. Maybe it is a psycological thing!! Then again, I am not a vet, I just know what works for this mare. Good luck!!
 
Hi,

Well, I had almost the same situation early in the summer this year.

I have 3 mini geldings, all sorrel pintos, and one of them, Candyman, came up with the same symptom set as your guy.

I went through pretty much the same process as you describe, only the blood work turned up the fact that both Candyman and his pal Lucky Man have a liver condition of some sort (indicated by high amounts of creatine enzyme in their blood tests).

Drove me nutz for weeks trying to figure it out -- oh, and they had all been double-wormed in the early spring due to a finding of strongyles in their fecal sample. Didn't have him on probiotics, that was my planned next step along with switching his feed to KER as recommended by my vet.

Checked for sand using a plastic ziploc bag -- we live in a sandy area -- no dice.

Finally got a suggestion that Kaopectate doses daily for a week might help a bit -- something about the clay content in it being better than other stuff to do this, so tried that, and it settled things down some for him, but still intermittent problems.

Just prior to switching his feed and supplements around, we put him out onto the one pasture we had been avoiding for my guys for fear of causing founder: this pasture is the lushest, least-used on the property, and is mostly only used by the horses that are rescues in dire need of building up when we have them (that's only an occasional thing for us, we only take on the ones that are hard to rehab and which have failed elsewhere to thrive). We left the rest of his feed as is (a daily weighed ration of timothy hay and a ration of Purina commercial horse feed) for the time being, wanting to see what changes produced results, so planned to change his feed the following week after he'd adapted to the new pasture.

Bingo on the pasture: in three days, he stopped with the irregular poop and started to regain condition. After a week, he was prancing around like a six-year-old -- and this is a 21-year-old horse we are talking about. His coat has come back beautifully, his eyes have regained their sparkle, and he is happy all the time.

As soon as he'd been symptom-free for a week, we put him back out in the regular pasture, and he is still fine -- this step took place at the beginning of September.

One big difference in the lush pasture: there are clumps of wild mint all over it, and he was eating some of that during his time in there. All the horses really love that stuff when they get into that pasture, even the really sick and starved ones.

I don't claim that it was the mint that did it -- one of its properties is as a digestive aid for humans -- but it might have been that, or simply might have been the peaceful area that this pasture is in -- it is away from the hustle and bustle of the other 30-odd horses and we call it the "Peace Pasture" for its tranquility.

I don't really have any definitive answers for you: just the story you tell really rings a bell with me, as my little guy went through the same thing.

By the way, the strongyles are really hard to get rid of: we are just now worming the whole barn again with a different treatment as one of the boarding horses came up with them two days ago. At >$500 CDN a pop, we don't want to be doing this too often any more -- we are going to have to start a protocol for admissions that includes a vet certificate showing a strongyles-clean fecal sample for the boarders or something.

Hope that gives you some encouragement and maybe some ideas about what to check for in the testing: I about drove my vet nuts with my case and fussing at him asking questions and suggesting we check for this, that and the other thing. Fortunately he is the most patient of men, and a real pro, so he puts up with me!!

Leah M.

Greenaroo said:
With all the hoopla over questions and suggestions of a health related nature I hate to ask, but I’m at my wits end in trying to figure this out. 
It all began about six weeks ago.  I have three mini geldings and noticed that one of them, Hay Dude would have a bit of diarrhea every few days.  He was eating and drinking normally.  His temperature was normal.  So I thought it was probably diet related, I checked over the area where they graze to see if he was eating anything that could be making him sick and found nothing.  I checked the hay and grain carefully.  It all looked fine.  So I decided to take him off pasture to see if it would solve the problem.  I was elated because for about a week there was no diarrhea. Then it started again.  I called the vet who found his temperature, heart rate and respiration all to be normal.  Even though all three minis are on daily wormer as well as having been wormed in July, the vet did a fecal test which indicated no worms.  Just to be sure they had me worm him again with Safeguard.  The vet also had me put him on probiotics. The intermittent diarrhea continued.  I took him off everything except his grass hay.  The diarrhea not only continued it became more frequent.  I had the vet recheck him.  Heart rate, respiration and temperature are all still normal.  I had blood tests done.  Except for a slightly elevated potassium level, everything was normal.  The vet said they have no clue as to what is wrong.  So in addition to the probiotics, they said to give him ½ teaspoon of Metamucil once a day to see if it helps.  It doesn’t.  Now Dude has diarrhea on almost a daily basis.  In the course of a day he will pass in any random order a range of poop from watery to cow patties to normal.

Has anyone here ever encountered a problem like this?  Is there something I’m overlooking?  Am I making too much a deal over poop?

I solemnly swear to hold no one responsible for my choosing to follow any suggestions or advice that I asked for in the first place.

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