Can I open up the equi-otic or other good probiotic strand again? I need something that really works for a 27 yr young mare that has been having runny squirts. Not bad but it was this summer. She’s in good condition now, but I’m definitely trying to keep that weight on her. I have her on 1/8 cup omega shine, but when I’ve increased that in past or used purina Sr. - more runny squirts. Any of you have any suggestions for something that really works for runny squirts? What do you think of equi-otic?
We pretty much stopped the issue (knock on wood) by a serious diet change to Senior with limited hay access and Succeed.
Thks for reply, but Sr has made it worse. And, she needs hay to keep her weight on.
Have you ruled out parasites, ulcers and other possible causes? A stool sample to the vet maybe?
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Good question. Fecals show no parasites, but I haven’t asked about ulcers. Thank you.
My vet had me give Bio Sponge by Platinum Performance. Worked really well.
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K. Thks. Was that on a sr horse? I’ve been seeing the ads on equi-otic in Equus. Was wondering what about that? Will ask my vet bout bio sponge. She’s like platinum.
What brand of Senior were you using? I don’t think they are all created the same. It may have been that the brand you used had a high NSC value. High sugar content can make horses have digestive upset. Juicy farts being one of them. That may also explain why your horse had issues over the summer. The grasses may have had a higher sugar content that was agreeable to your horse’s gut.
Psyllium (sand clear) can help.
Using a chaff style hay, rather than regular hay if your horse has issues with their teeth.
My aged gelding has all of his teeth, but he no longer has a rough chewing surface. It’s now slick, which means he can’t effectively chew his hay. He still plays with it, but what he is able to swallow is long and irritates his gut. Compromise: He has access to hay, but gets a meal of beet pulp, ration balancer, and a short stem fiber supplement that I can increase or decrease according to his weight gain/loss needs. The beet pulp shreds act as a long stem fiber and the senior feed or hay pellets act as the short stem fiber his gut needs.
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It was a young horse, but it’s made for either. https://www.platinumperformance.com/equine-bio-sponge-syringe
Get the ingredient lists for Omega shine, Purina senior and whatever she is eating when okay. You may find something in the OS and PSr that isn’t in her okay feed.
I have one that gets excess liquid in/with his manure/gas from flax, and also from soy. The minute amount of flax in his Biotic 8 isn’t enough to bother him, but there’s enough in a pound of Brooks FibreO to be an issue.
I have a gelding that gets diarrhea from wheat middlings - which is in almost all processed foods and in most gut supplements. Took me a while to figure that out. Also, he can eat a bit of alfalfa but not too much. Currently he is on timothy pellets, a ration balancer that does not include wheat mids, salt, and mixed timothy/orchard hay. His stomach is great right now.
I tried several probiotics and gut supplements before figuring out that taking way stuff was more important than adding more. To figure this out I went back to a diet of hay, hay pellets, salt, and water.
thank you everyone for your replies. Jawa, thank you. I have also had psyllium recommended to me by a vet and am going to try that. also to increase the probiotics i had her on. i tried that and it seems to helping. i guess i just wasn’t giving her enough before.
i will check into the wheat midlings thanks for that suggestion.
jawa, what is chafing style hay? i give orchard, timothy, brome grass hay now as well as soaked timothy hay pellets with a grass ration balancer, salt, and now more probiotics.
i was wondering about giving her beet pulp. i can get some by Standlee. how do you all soak that? i hear that it has to be soaked, but so many people tell me different things. “no hot water, yes hot water, let it sit and soak, it can’t soak more than twenty minutes, it has to soak more than twenty minutes” what on earth? i’ve been concerned to try it for her because i didn’t know how to soak it. also they say that it’s good for IR horses, but also that it helps keep weight on a horse, so i don’t know what the deal is with that… I do wonder if beet pulp would be easier for her to digest and help keep weight on her though. she’s definitely not overweight or underweight. she’s in good condition, but she does have a tiny bit of crest to her neck. high sugar grasses out here. oh yeah the sr feed was purina. i stopped giving her that.
thank you all for your replies i really appreciate your help.
Beet pulp is between a grain and forage. It is digested mainly in the hindgut like hay. It is low starch and sugar but more concentrated calories than hay.
Use common sense for soaking beet pulp.
It will take up a lot of hot water so it’s great also for getting water into a horse that isn’t drinking.
It tends to take at least half an hour to expand.
In our temperate climate I have never had a problem leaving beet pulp to soak all day or overnight. Obviously if it gives off a fermented smell don’t feed.
IMHO the main attraction of beep is that it makes such a lovely mash! And if your horse is having trouble chewing obviously you want it soaked.
Sounds like you might also benefit from a basic overview of horse nutrition that would let you filter out the foolish advice around you IRL.
I recommend Julie Getty’s book Feed Your Horse like a horse.
We had one that would get this from carrots and apples. We cut those out, switched to bananas and life was good.
