Would he maybe prefer the texture of beet pellets over shreds?
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OK y’all, prepare to be horrified.
I went out to feed late lunch. Decided to take off the snuggy and have a look at how his condition is doing. Also decided to do a poo patrol to make sure we’re over the diarrhea hump and see how things are firming up.
First, a today Bo pic.
Second, sand-rock-poop pics - this answers some questions. First pic is a literal pile of “poop” that is about 10% manure, 90% rocks and sand, so much so that at first I thought someone had dumped a bucket of sand in my field until I started poking through it. After that some mixed piles that confirm it came from his gut.
I took the pic AFTER I poked through it, it was much more of a ‘mound’ beforehand. Notice the greenish tinge to some clumps. Its poop.
Mixed sand-rock-poo clumps.
Older pile, you can see the progression since this one has more of a loose consistency to the manure with clumps of sand and rock.
This all started because I found a fresh pile and started poking through it with a stick. I noticed an odd number of small rocks. Decided to look for other piles, and from what I saw after checking half a dozen, there was POUNDS of sand and rocks in his digestive system. It answers a lot of questions but also leaves me with so many more. Most recent poo piles have some very small single rocks mixed throughout normal manure.
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Wow, poor guy. No wonder he hasn’t been feeling well
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OMG!
That sand and rocks in poop is no bueno. Poor dear
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You called the vet asap, what did the vet said? 
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Considering the vet he saw was about as helpful as this pile of rocks, I have not called them. I had to post pics and run, waiting in the school pick up line now but will investigate sand clearing protocols and increasing gut motility when I get home.
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OMG…what a freaking coincidence. My barn has a horse with this same issue right now. She colicked last week and the found her stomach 80% full of stuff like this.
They are doing daily scopes and tubing down a liter and a half of Diet Coke a day.
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So do you think the poops are getting less sandy/rocky? The poor creature was probably sifting through any dirt he could to search for forage…
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Yikes! I had been thinking that I’ve seen a starved down horse that had eaten rocks before and it had cracked/broken a lot of his teeth but I didn’t think that would apply here… Poor buddy! He looks better today, hopefully those rocks just keep on going through but yes, I suspect you have a little can of worms to unsort there…
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I would first put him were he can’t have any sand or rocks to eat, he may not be able to tell what he is eating and just eats anything that he grabs.
If you can’t get a good vet, can you haul him to a university clinic where they can examine him, keep him under observation, do something to help with what is in his digestive track to go thru and formulate a plan for you to follow, see where this will go?
I would be rattling the world to get him some proper help somewhere asap, if you don’t trust your vet.
That eating rocks and sand could be one reason he doesn’t has molars left, but that should be all over, not just uppers.
What a worrisome puzzle.
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That’s what my DH said when I told him about this update. “That horse has been so starved he’s been eating sand and rocks, and he’s lost his teeth.” How long would a horse have to be severely underfed to lose that many teeth?
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Chewy has Ultra Cruz psyllium - if that’s what you need, let us help you fund it for him (or me, I don’t want to speak for the larger group).
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Oh my gosh! 
I wonder if his pickiness has been because he actually felt full? That is insane!
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Echoing @Bluey Pls get in touch with the vet college & talk to half a** vet only if you need a referral.
I’d be worried about enteroliths left behind/inside with that much rock/sand coming out!
Out come the curbchains for Bo’s insides 
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I’m wondering if Bo’s inability to eat hay has 1. Contributed to the sand in his gut and / or 2. Will psyllium work as intended to without long stem fiber (hay)?
Yes, the most recent poops just had a handful (numerical, not volume) of tiny pebbles and were 99.9% digested feed. I only found the pebbles because I was poking through it.
It’s possible, definitely. Those missing teeth are a mystery. I’m stuck on why it’s only the top molars gone.
I am 100% certain he did not acquire a gut full of aggregate in the last 11 days on my property. He is THE most food-discerning horse I have ever met, as evidenced by the $300+ worth of foodstuffs piled in my shed that he wouldn’t even taste - fed in a large high sided tub, on grass pasture. He doesn’t lick or eat dirt from the one tiny dirt patch by the gate that doesn’t have grass.
I understand the inclination to panic, pooping sand is a bit shocking. I am an hour from TX A&M and have a vet clinic (not the one he saw on Monday) that does after hours emergency calls. I’ll be watching closely and if he shows any abnormal signs or distress, my speed dial is ready. For today, he is very much normal in every way. I’d never have known if I hadn’t seen the poop. Unless something changes for the worse, I will consult with vets on Monday about what the best course of follow up is.
@starsandsun as soon as I know what the best route for him is, I will update here!
@lenapesadie I’d imagine the lack of long stem fiber probably didn’t help, but that makes me wonder what it was that jumpstarted his gut into purging the sand/stones now.
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I suspect that the rocks and sand are from him being starved and eating whatever he could. Probably sitting in his hindgut for some time, and now that he’s eating real food, some of it is moving along.
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I think that is likely. At any rate, I’m glad it’s coming OUT and not staying IN.
In today’s Days of Bo’s Life, I attempted to add the probiotic pellets the vet sold me. Half a scoop (maybe 8-10 pellets, it’s a small scoop) went down fine at lunch. At afternoon snack time, I tried a full scoop. Cue Bo’s ‘this is not what I ordered’ face. 
Ok, you win, smaller increments it is. I had to remix the entire meal, snuck half a scoop in there and promised with fingers crossed that I hadn’t done anything sneaky to this batch.
I did, however, get him to eat some bites of soaked alfalfa/timothy cubes today. I soaked it with a handful of Ultium, which I’m not sure mattered to him. Interestingly, he was making a distinct effort to search around for only the cube-clumps to eat, pushing the mushy stuff out of the way. Once all the clumps were gone, he was done (complete with flinging the tub back at me).
So, back to the kitchen where I’m currently running several cube experiments to see if there’s a top-dressing he likes and if there is a way I can soak the cubes thoroughly yet keep them from disintegrating very much. I’m getting very good at nonchalantly throwing away expensive feed. 
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How many days until your dentist appointment? Will they be able to lend some advice after an exam and a float?
Happy to hear he is doing well enough. You are a patient soul!
I haven’t scheduled it just yet (trailer had a new vibration last time I hauled so I’d like to get that checked out/fixed first unless it’s an emergency hauling situation), but it should be in the next few weeks. My other two are coming due for teeth checks anyway, so if possible I’d like to just take all 3 in once Bo is done with his quarantine. I’m sure the dentist will have some thoughts on his situation, and I can have the vet give him a look over since we will be at the clinic anyway. Who knows what we will find!
