Pregnant Mare with Diarrhea

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SpiceysMom

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I recently became the proud Mom of a 5yr old mare. I have owned her for the last 3 months. When she arrived I was told she was about 2 weeks pregnant. She has had diarrhea since she has been with me. She has been wormed and gets treatment for sand twice per week (has been tested and has no sand or worms.)

I was told that she "always has this when she is in foal." Well, I don't agree with that statement. I discontinued all her feed and have been giving her free-choice orchard/timothy hay, salt, and free choice minerals. After two or three days all the diarrhea is gone.

Now, what do I feed her so she gets all the nutrients she needs for the baby without upsetting her system again? Anyone have any suggestions? They would be much appreciated. This little girl was miserable and I don't want that to happen again.

Terrie, Savannah, Spicey and Short-stack
 
What was she being fed before??? It could have been way too rich.

I think you've done just right. Continue what you are doing. You might try slipping her a vitamin/mineral supplement if you feel she needs it. But she should be fine for most of the pregnancy.....just keep an eye on her weight with the "free choice" as you don't want her to get TOO plump.

At some time in her last trimester you may want to try very gradually giving her some grain with a vitamin/mineral supplement. She will definitely be needing it by the time she is lactating.

Sounds like you are being a great "mini mom". So much of this care is just HORSE SENSE.

MA
 
You might consider a ration balancer like Buckeyes Gro N Win.
 
What was she being fed before you stopped her feed? If it is a feed with alfalfa it may be the culprit. Try either Purina Equine Adult which has 12% protein 3%fat & 25% fiber or Omelene 200. Both great feeds depending on what she was used to. Go very slowly introducing any new feed. Have you had your vet look at her? Maybe take stool sample (seriously) over to be evaluated. She won't need any special mommy feed until the end of her pregnancy. AND congratulations on your new horse.
 
Perhaps try a little buttermilk from a needleless syringe. Maybe 40-60 cc twice day. My vet recommended it for a foal with seemingly chronic runs. Straightened her up in a few days. He said it balances their gut. Same with plain yogurt. And you can't hurt her or overdose her with either.

After she's shaped up, I'd start back with lightly graining her until you're sure she can handle it. I'm no vet and I don't play on on TV! Just my 2 cents worth. She also might need a lighter protein load in the feed. Some horses don't react well to higher protein feeds. The vitamin/mineral supplement as mentioned is valuable to her & her unborn foal. Hope all works out well for you.

Happy Horsing Around!
 
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Thank you all for the wonderful feedback. I am new to this site and it is terrific. She was on a feed that the breeder mixed herself so I can't say exactly what was in it. I decided to try a beet pulp based feed Purina Complete Advantage but that caused the same problem.

She is so much better on straight hay. Purina makes a supplemental feed called Natures Essentials. They make a mare maintenance which I feed to my TWH along with her hay. She tends to be overweight so she only gets 2 cups per day of the feed.

I might try a little of this feed after Spicey is normal for a few weeks. It is basically vitamins and minerals in a forage base. No alfalfa and no grains.

Thank you all, again, for your help. I started with 1 mini (Short Stack) for my TWH as a companion but when I take her out riding, he gets lonely so I got Spicey to keep him company. Now, baby will make 3. I love these little ones. Can't have just one can you?

Terrie
 
I know you dont agree with that statement but it does happen. We used to own a mare that did that. When ever she was in foal and got pulled off of grass and on to hay she did that. HOwever if she wasnt bred she never got lose.
 
I had a stallion that I raised from a weanling. He was wormed every six weeks, and his teeth were checked and perfect, checked for sand( had none) but was given sand clear regularly. I finally figured out that he didn't tolerate sweet feed( the molasses gave him diarrhea) switched him to a pelleted feed( actually switched them all to a senior feed) and no more diarrhea!

Also for what it is worth, we have a lot of sand here. The sand clear wasn't working. New Bolten center reccomended Metamucil. I switched and it works much better for my horses. They love the orange flavor and I use CVS brand as it is so much cheaper. Works great!
 
sorry!
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Robin mentioned what i was thinking--the molasses could be the culprit! worth a thought anyway! jennifer
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