Gas Colic and diet

[Second_Star_To_The_R]

@keysfins, thank you for taking time to offer suggestions. I had a hard keeper on triumph senior and he did very well on it as well. So that could be an option too. Thank you for reminding me. Dexter drinks from a bucket (typical 5 gallon water bucket marked in one gallon increments) I do make note of how many gallons he has had when I refill. I change his water completely twice a day or if it looks icky. The past several weeks have been hades hot so I try to keep the water changed frequently. I basically make sweet tea with the blackstrap. Just enough to make the water smell like molasses. I do every other bucket so for half the day he has it. If I hang a plain bucket in addition to the tea bucket he ignores the plain so I just alternate. His bucket is scrubbed daily. I’ll look around for the horse quench and see if that will help. Again, if Dex is eating hay, he drinks very very well. If he doesn’t eat much hay, his water intake suffers.

He has been on gastrogard for a very long time. I began tapering just over two weeks ago and he is now down to 1/4 dose. He is on equiotic probiotics, outlast and equishure. The equishure is new since the colic. Haven’t tried carafate yet but I’ll speak to the vets tomorrow when they are here to X-ray his foundered foot to check progress as it’s something I have been interested in trying.

Dexter remains on equioxx for his right navicular pain. This could all just be another reaction to long term anti inflammatory meds. He is only on 28.5 mg (half tablet) but he only weighs 750-800 pounds ATM so it’s just slightly below the recommended dosing for him and with the long half life, cumulative affect he is likely therapeutic on that dose.

@csaper58 I will look for the fennel seed thread. Dex doesn’t get much grass. He has a very small turnout and it is grazed quite close so I’ll do a sand test. He is due worming and the vet recommended waiting because his liver enzymes were so high. I’ll bring this back up tomorrow as well. Thanks!

[JB]

Has he ever been on metronidazole in an attempt to treat hind gut issues?

[csaper58]

I put a link to the fennel seed thread in my post.

In the opening post the dose of 2 Tbs of whole fennel seeds per day is mentioned.

Good luck!

[Second_Star_To_The_R]

@JB

Has he ever been on metronidazole in an attempt to treat hind gut issues?

@JB the vets have not really addressed his hindgut issues other than one saying it’s time to get rid of gastrogard. They had not wanted to treat with antibiotics because of the poor liver functions and because of the normal flora already being taxed. The local vet feels, after looking at the large amount of Dallis grass seed head in his hay today that this is the most likely cause. It apparently caused similar reactions in a number of horses last year and has been real problem in the area this year because of prolonged rains.

He he wants to continue with probiotics and equishure and psyllium as long as manure is normal and now that we have seen new X-rays, to increase his time in his small paddock. Go to 5 feedings a day so that he is not over loaded after meals and will continue to eat hay. We had discussed that after I had increased Dexter to a ration that he was gaining weight on, his hay intake had dropped off. He also wants to switch to TC senior after a couple weeks. His reasoning behind limiting alfalfa was that he sees gas reactions in a lot of colic probed horses from alfalfa and because of the poor winter availability here he wants him used to local hays so we don’t make a rapid forage change.

[Second_Star_To_The_R]

@Berkha12

With Reference to the Original Subject of Conversation i.e Colic Problems - As far as to my knowledge, the Concept of Colic Problems in Babies and Adults are totally Different.

In Babies - The Colic Problems occur because of the immature intestinal glands. They will get used to the food of outside Slowly. The Remedy through which it can be treated in Kids is Gripe Water for Newborns and Babies.

In Adults - Todays Generation is fast. they rely on Fast food rather consuming healthy one. this is the main cause of the Colic Problems in Adults. And the FDA research showed that it will increase in coming years. Adults are not in to exercise these day which is the very good remedy and i must say natural remedy to kill indigestion or colic problems in Adults.

IMP - Change LIfestyle, Eat Healthy, Good Digestion.

@Berkha12

I am uncertain if you are joking or didn’t realize we were referring to Colic in a horse. And that horse colic is nothing like human colic but instead is a potentially life threatening condition. While my horse is an adult, I don’t often ride him through McDonalds drive-through so no worries about fast food causing his colic episodes. But I kind of want to ride him through a drive-through now just to see what they would say. Lol

[Bluey]

That is a spammer.

Never click on odd links, it may introduce malware into your computer.

Reported.

[SLedbetter]

My horse went through several months of the almost identical symptoms. He was diagnosed with Cushings, and had lost quite a bit of weight. Vet put him on Ultium Competition, increased alfalfa, and soaked hay. I have to make changes with Jack very slowly, on the grain we started on 1/4 lb per day and slowly increased over several weeks. After the diet changes, we had one bout of gas colic. Stopped the soaked hay, cut way back on the alfalfa. Even though we saw results from the Cushings meds, the grouchiness and unwillingness to work continued months after we started his meds. He became gassy, had smelly poo, and was just ‘off’. I suspected soy intolerance, took him off the grain. Saw improvement in bloating, appetite, gassiness, and attitude in just over a week. Tested for ulcers with Succeed test, positive result for hind gut issues. Treated with sucralfate over a period of several weeks.
After a month on just grass and a small amount of alfalfa daily, along with the sucralfate, I have my horse back. He’s sweet, interested in people again, much more willing to work. I will eventually put him on a soy free supplement once I’m sure he’s had time to stabilize. He’s maintaining weight fine, looks great. My other gelding can eat whatever you put in front of him with pretty much no issues. I think some horses, just like people, can’t have/tolerate certain things in their diet. I say cut soy and sugar as much as possible, and see if there is a difference.
When my horses won’t drink, I give them a watered down version of Gatorade in a smaller bucket. Jack slurps it right down. Also, in the hotter months of the year, I take Quench and mix with a watered down Gatorade, put it in a 2 quart plastic container and freeze it (an empty sandclear container). Once it’s defrosted for just a bit, I pop it out into a feed pan, and the horses get ‘popsicles’. They love them, will lick them down to almost nothing, and it keeps the occupied as well.

[fordtraktor]

I board a horse that gas colics easily. We have really reduced his incidences by feeding him an orchard/Tim mix only (no alfalfa) and keeping him in a dry lot. No grazing. Not sure why it works, but he has gone from monthly to once a year during a big weather change on this plan.

[Second_Star_To_The_R]

@Bluey

That is a spammer.

Never click on odd links, it may introduce malware into your computer.

Reported.

I figured as much I just hate to call people out in case I’m wrong lol. I didn’t click any links. The post just gave me this visual of Dex gorging on double cheese burgers and fries and I couldn’t resist the urge to post about taking him through the drive-through.

[Bluey]

@Second Star To The Right

I figured as much I just hate to call people out in case I’m wrong lol. I didn’t click any links. The post just gave me this visual of Dex gorging on double cheese burgers and fries and I couldn’t resist the urge to post about taking him through the drive-through.

I thought you knew, but others may not have, why the warning.

That was funny, but you know, we had a horse that, when we drove by a Dairy Queen, that has soft serve ice cream cones, he would do a little dance in the trailer and was anxiously waiting for his own cone.

We obliged, as so he didn’t have to try to steal a lick on ours.
Yes, we know cones have two sides, but we also like to have one of our own.

By the way, that was a horse that never colicked, so maybe there is something to those cones?