“I have a 4 yo Dutch Warmblood gelding that has extremely watery stools….” “My daughters pony has the scours it is all over his tail. “…“I got him last Feb. Since then he has had diarrhea.”…“mare has developed diarrhea… she has excessive thirst.”…“but the problem is she has developed diarrhea….”

 

“My daughters pony has the scours it is all over his tail. “…

We just got him not too long ago. Should I cut his grain till he is over it or what?

Dr Kimberly Gryl’s Answer

Grain is high in sugars, which can contribute to diarrhea. In general, horses do not get diarrhea from eating sugary feeds, unlike humans and other animals (who can). However, until you pinpoint the cause of the diarrhea, eliminating extra feeds will eliminate some of the possible causes. Once they’ve been identified, you can slowly make changes, one at a time. You may ask your veterinarian about probiotics or other appropriate feeds to help him over the diarrhea. Good luck.

 

“I got him last Feb. Since then he has had diarrhea.”…

Help me please. I have a 7 year old Standardbred Pacer. He races an average 3 times a month. I got him Last Feb. Since then he has had diarrhea. The track vet tried a few things; Peptol Bismol, Pro-Bios powder. The only thing that worked a little was a product called Reaform. The only problem with using it that he got off his feed and would act a little crampy. He still races very well with this problem. I make sure he has plenty of water and I drench him twice a week. I also worm him monthly

Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:

You have a tough case, as chronic diarrhea is one of the most difficult things to deal with. Some of the things that are indicated (beyond the physical exam) are a full blood panel, fecal exam, a belly tap, and intestinal ultrasound. Antibiotics may be helpful. If you are in a part of the country where the soil is sandy, or the hay comes from sandy soil regions, you should be feeding Metamucil or Psyllium to aid in sand clearance. Even though you are deworming monthly, you must ensure you are rotating your product, i.e., do not use the same one each time. If you haven’t used it yet, I recommend you use a Panacur PowerPac – your veterinarian can get this for you. Probiotics can be useful for restoring the normal bacterial composition to the intestine, however not all horses respond favorably to it. I am unfamiliar with the Reaform product. I have successfully used a product called BioSponge, made by Platinum Performance (in CA). It serves to firm up manure and eliminate toxins from the intestinal tract.

If all the tests come back normal, and none of this helps him, he may have a malabsorption problem in the intestines. Full-thickness biopsies are the only way to get the full picture of intestinal health, and these require surgery to obtain. Even though he seems fine now, chronic diarrhea will eventually drain him. He will likely develop a poor coat, ailing health, a failing race record due to impaired physical performance, and weight loss. These are things he is prone to, even if he shows none of them now. Do your best to work him up for all these. Perhaps consult a specialist (Internal Medicine), if you’ve not done so already. Good luck with him.

 

“mare has developed diarrhea… she has excessive thirst.”…

I have owned and shown quarter horses all my life. My brother is caring for a horse the humane society rescued. She is an aged mare, her feet were horrendous, my farrier is caring for her feet, She is being given 1/2 gram of Bute 2 times a day. Free feed hay and about 1 cup of grain per day (sweet feed). she also has a mineral block that she actually bites to get as much as she can. The mare has developed diarrhea… she has excessive thirst… anytime you put a 5 gallon bucket of water in front of her she won’t stop until she drinks the whole bucket. He has limited her to 2 buckets a day. I gave him some electrolytes to put into her water. She will drink that right down. I advised him to stop everything except the hay and water with electrolytes for a few days and see if that helps her… other than the mineral block what could be causing her excessive thirst.. (we are in a snowy winter climate) since taking away the mineral block she is still drinking the same and still has diarrhea… the horse was dewormed with Ivermectin about a week ago. The only thing seen in her manure was 1 bot worm. Please help, thanks so much!

Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:

Your questions are many and complicated, and not something that I can answer all in one answer. However, I will give you some general guidelines until your brother can seek some veterinary attention.

You should NEVER restrict water from an animal except under the direct supervision or instruction from a veterinarian. The mare is drinking all that water for a good reason, even though right now you do not know what that reason is. My guess is that she has been deprived from good nutrition for what sounds like a long time. Now that she has access to it, her body has to adjust to it.

A thorough physical examination will find problems that are not obvious to your or your brother. A blood panel should be run by the veterinarian to determine her internal health, which may have a lot to do with what you describe as her excessive drinking. Aged horses certainly are prone to more problems than younger horses, one of which is kidney failure. If she has that, she should definitely not be water-restricted.

When she is examined, you should ask the veterinarian about her diet. Starved horses need to be fed carefully, so as to not shove too many nutrients at them all at once. Even though they need them, they need to be rationed. Electrolytes are ok and should be fed free choice. Horses cannot lick a salt block to get enough of what they need – hence the biting off chunks that you observe her doing. Instead of giving them in her water, try offering them in her feed. If you do give electrolyte water, *make sure* you also offer a plain water bucket. Then she can have the choice, at all times.

As for the diarrhea, it could be from rich feed, parasites, or a myriad of other things. Again, a thorough examination will help to rule out possible causes, and get her on the road to good health.  Good luck.

 

“I have a 4 yo Dutch Warmblood gelding that has extremely watery stools….”

Our vet has confirmed that all blood levels are normal. We have tried changing his diet (ie: oat hay only, timothy hay only, alfalfa only) and nothing seems to help. His coat is a bit dull, and he is losing his top line. We are now going to treat him for ulcers, but would appreciate any thoughts you have.

I would also like to see if we could get you to come to our ranch to see a group of horses (mostly warmbloods). Would that be a possibility?

Dr Bill Schurg’s Answer:

There is some recent evidence that horses with ulcers may benefit from alfalfa in their diet. This along with veterinary medical treatment may aid this situation. If you have not tried to use one of the high fat, high fiber diets that are on the market today this may be an option. These diets do not have traditional energy sources in them (ie., corn, oats and barley) but include products like soy hulls are great soluble fiber source, rice bran, beet pulp and higher levels of added fat. They pack significant calories for a horse but are more highly digestible. The fact that they contain high levels of fiber allows horse owners to feed higher levels of the supplement and still have safety. There are several types of feeds available and depending on the area in which you live many are likely available. I would think that one of these types of supplements fed at levels somewhat higher than you might normally feed grain would be appropriate. The availability of alfalfa hay or a mixed hay also would be useful. I would be happy to discuss a ranch visit with you. Best of luck and I look forward to visiting with you further.

 

” I noticed residue of feces around her anal area – it was yellowish in color and loose”…

I have a 17 yr old TB / Appaloosa mare – today I was grooming her and lifted her tail to brush when I noticed residue of feces around her anal area – it was yellowish in color and loose – she stays out in the pasture but has not had these symptoms up until today or possibly yesterday. She was given dewormer more than 2 months ago. What things should I be concerned about?

Dr. Kimberly Gryl’s Answer:

It is possible that she may have gotten a little loose being on the grass pasture. It could be parasites; 2 months is plenty of time for new parasites or parasites in varying stages of their life cycle to cause a problem. She could be getting a touch of diarrhea, however usually they are sicker. There are other possibilities, but these are the obvious ones. If the loose manure persists, you should have her examined. In the meantime, you may consider repeating the deworming with a different class of dewormer, and cleaning her back end, so you know what manure is fresh.

 

“but the problem is she has developed diarrhea….”

My brother is caring for a recsue horse for the humane society. She is a aged large pony. Her feet were horrendous, turned up in the front like a elf! I own and show quarter horses so I sent my farrier out and he trimmed her feet and will continue but the problem is she has developed diarrhea… she has a mineral block (she actually bites chunks off of it to get more) about 1 cup a sweet feed per day (2 feedings) unlimited hay, 1/2 gram of bute 2 x per day. She also drinks water excessively… anytime you put a 5 gallon bucket down in front of her she won’t stop until it is all gone… He is giving her about 10 gallons a day but only lets her drink about 2 gallon at a time. He has been caring for her for about 3 weeks now, she was dewormed with ivermectin about 1 and 1/2 weeks ago. The only thing found in her manure afterward was a 1 bot worm. I gave him some electrolytes to put in her water yesterday and he said she drank it right down. I told him to stop everything except hay and water and see if the diareaha clears up. Including the mineral block. What would you advise for this mare? She is about 500 lbs just skinny… I can see all of her ribs.. the main abuse was her feet. she is still very very sore on her feet.. please help! Thanks you so much.

Bill Schurg’s Answer:

It sounds like this horse is suffering from significant laminitis. You have done well to get farrier help. This horse will need to be carefully fed a diet of primarily grass hay. Since the laminitis has been so severe and can’t be compromised at this point feeding or offering a high fat low starch diet may be useful. The use of a wet bran mash carrier with a fat supplement could be used as well. The use of rice bran beet pulp and vegetable oil mixed into the wet bran mash might be considered as well. If you have not had a comprehensive vet check that should be done as well. Checking this horses teeth and even looking to see if the horse has cushing disease may be helpful. It will take several months of careful and constant care to get this animal back on the road to a more normal equine life.