Reaction to Sand Clear?? Or why not eating???

[targetsmom]

OK, Mira just came back from the hospital after hypocalcemia that went into hyperlipemia and she just came home Tuesday. Then the one we have had issues with since last fall (Ruby) stopped eating on Sunday (while Mira was still at Tufts) and her triglycerides are at 726. We are doing what we can for her at home. Then last night, our show mare Princess stopped eating!!! She and a 2 year filly won't eat their grain, - two different brands - which I suspect is because it has Sand Clear in in. Most of our minis (but not the broodmares who don't go in the sand ring) had been on Sand Clear one week every month, but I just realized I was using too low a dose. I adjusted it up for this week, starting May 1. Vet was here ( I think he lives here) and he doesn't know of any reason that would cause them not to eat, and maybe they are picking up something that Mira brought from Tufts. No elevated temps in anyone that I checked.

So, other than a contagious cause for hyperlipemia, anyone have any ideas what is going on here?? Especially with Princess......At least the filly is eating hay, but Princess barely nibbles at hay although she did eat grass when hand grazed. Ruby also ate grass when hand grazed. Can Sand Clear make them go off feed? She is pooping normally, no colic signs, but isn't her usual obnoxious self either.

I think I just figured it out - every single time I pre-enter a horse show, something happens and I can't show. You got it, I just pre-entered her in a show for next weekend...... Last time I pre-entered a show was the 2010 AMHA Regional and Max had colic surgery the next week. The time before that (I almost learned my lesson) was in 1998 when I entered TWO shows and Target had colic surgery.

 

[sedeh]

Mary I have no idea what is going on with your minis!! Now Princess....come on! All I can say is she'd better knock it off because her mom doesn't need any extra stress! Try the grain without Sand Clear in it and see if she'll eat that.

 

[targetsmom]

Morning grain didn't have Sand Clear ( I dumped what she didn't eat) and she still didn't eat it. Plus there is nothing in the hay and I tried a whole bunch of different bales - all grass hay. We have special soft hay for Mira, and some special flavor for Ruby, and just nice grass hay for every one else. Mira is so much better she is eating all the types but Princess didn't want any of them.

 

[chandab]

Ulcers? Probably on the top of your list of things to check for, but its all I can think of.

 

[targetsmom]

She has been on U-Gard ever since the episode at the show last year and I did give her Maalox today. Good thought anyway. I have plenty of Gastrogard!

 

[Minimor]

If the horses won’t eat grain that doesn’t have sand clear in it then I have to think that it’s not the sand clear that is putting them off of eating.   

I would suspect that you have viral infection going through your horses.  As I recall when Mira first became ill with her hypocalcemia she was running a temperature? That would indicate to me that she had something more than just hypocalcemia—I’ve been led to understand that hypocalcemia does not cause an elevated temperature.  Also—when she was given the calcium IV she still wouldn’t eat—another sign that she had something else wrong.  When our mare had hypocalcemia, as soon as she had her IV calcium her thumps and muscle tremors/spasms stopped and she immediately started eating again.  No reason why she wouldn’t, because at that point her system was back to normal and she felt like eating again.

Now that you’ve got two more horses off their feed I am inclined to think that you do have some viral thing going on.  It’s very typical for a virus to move through the herd one or two horses at a time.  We had some bug that took practically all winter to work its way through our horses—one horse here, one horse there, one would get better and then the next one would be sick, or maybe we’d go a week before that next one got sick, it varied.  They’d each be off their feed for a couple/three days and then would start eating again.  It was really quite tiresome, but it did eventually give up & go away.  I would expect to see some fever in horses ill with a virus, but I know that a virus doesn’t always cause fever.  I rarely take temperatures on our horses so cannot say for sure how many of ours did or didn’t have a fever when they were ill.

When we get ill horses that way, I try offering anything and everything we have  on hand for them to eat.  It’s very common for grain to be the first thing they refuse; some may continue to eat hay while refusing the grain.  Sometimes one will refuse alfalfa but nibble on grass hay.  One might refuse everything but will eat soaked alfalfa cubes….if your girls will eat grass when you hand graze them then I would suggest as much hand grazing time as possible.  I let them eat whatever they might be inclined to eat—and they do need to eat in order to ward off other complications like hyperlipemia.  With ours, if they’re off feed a day or two I try not to worry too much—they generally start nibbling after that.  If they don’t, I give them some corn syrup via oral syringe—sometimes that stimulates the appetite and they then start eating. 

 

[targetsmom]

Minimor- You make a great point about Mira's high temp. This being our first experience with hypocalcemia, I was not aware that wasn't one of its features. Then already-sick Ruby spiked a temp on Sunday...while Mira was gone. The last time (2010) when we had something going through our herd it ruined our show season, so I guess it is time to really lower my already low expectations. That also aborted our only foal. I don't see how this could be Rhino though, since the horses were vaccinated April 23. But a virus does make sense. Princess has been out eating grass, despite the fact she is IR, because I just want her to eat. And she was eating the grass. Ruby won't eat anything so we are dosing her every few hours with molasses & Stomach Soother.

I am a bit surprised that it would hit Princess though, because when the Rhino went through the herd in 2010, Princess was the ONLY one who never got sick. We figured with all her showing, she had built up good immunity.

 

[chandab]

Well, it could still be a virus, and just not rhino, as you know there are many viruses out there. Could be something similar to our common cold, makes you miserable, but not life-threatening.

 

[Minimor]

Yes, there are many viruses out there so it could be something other than rhino. Just because Princess didn't get sick last time is no guarantee she wouldng be susceptible to the next bug that comes along. Hopefully this thing will run its course quickly and then you're done with it, at least for awhile.

 

[Mona]

WOW, how scary. I have no idea what it could be, but I am sending prayers for you that it soon leaves and all your babies will be OK again!

 

[targetsmom]

OK, I am beginning to think it IS the Sand Clear. Princess just pooped a HUGE loose pile of manure and then walked over to her hay. After all, Sand Clear is just Metamucil, which is a laxative! Before that her manure had looked normal. Let's hope it took any sand with it!

 

[HGFarm]

Could there be something going on with your hay? Something is going on, and not the Sand Clear. I would say more problems with the sand, not the Sand Clear.

 

[targetsmom]

My vet thinks I must be doing something wrong too - he practically lives here lately - so I am going to have a nutritionist go over everything. But Princess and Taffy don't eat the same grain or hay, except for what they get at lunch and bedtime. No changes to grain or hay either.

They are both still sick and will only eat grass.

 

[Mona]

Maybe something in the pens/pastures?? A poisonous/toxic plant of some sort??