Gut motility?

[starsandsun]

Anyone have experience with slow gut motility?

In an effort to hold off exploratory surgery, my vets are approaching repeat colic and weird manure by adding a medication to increase gut motility. This was the recommendation for what to try next, and if this doesn’t work then we might look at drug for potential eosinophilic inflammation (nothing is evident on the biopsies from where we can get samples, nor in bloodwork).

While he’s a champion at producing manure, since early November it has resembled large, puffy dinner rolls - or an unformed mass. There was a time (not for the past weeks though) where it had a crazy weird almost sweet smell (no, not c. diff.).

The operating theory is that the ingesta and gas do not move quickly enough through his gut, creating pain from gas that can’t get out, and weird manure that pulls in too much water.

So … any experiences with drugs, treatment, anything?

[Marla_100]

When was last time you used a sand clearing product? Maybe try 6 or 7 days of Sand Clear.
I had intermittent cow plops in a horse and semi-colic symptoms- vet suggested Sand Clear-
Manure improved almost immediately.

[starsandsun]

Thanks for the suggestion - used psyllium two weeks ago. Also xrayed and there is no sand in his gut.

[Pico_Banana]

Did you try the pure powdered psyllium yet? It’s a cheap experiment. I would use a large amount - much larger than what a lot of the sand-clearing products suggest. Dr. Kellon says you can use up to 2 cups a day.

I feed my mare about 1/2 cup daily for her FWS and it keeps her clear by absorbing the excess water. I had previously tried pelleted psyllium and that made zero difference.

It should help with the too watery manure and gut motility in general. It can be used daily, i.e., not just as a monthly purge. It is also a probiotic.

YMMV but as I said, it’s a pretty cheap experiment.

[Feathered_Feet]

@Pico_Banana

It is also a probiotic.

I think it’s a prebiotic, as in it helps the probiotics survive

[SusanO]

You have probably already tried this - but have you tried different types of hay? The later cut OG hay I am feeding has made my pony’s poop runnier than normal but no colic issues. There may be something in the hay that is irritating the digestive tract or the horse is not able to digest it well. I remember years ago a horse where I boarded was having runny poop and intermittent colics. He didn’t have good grinding surface on his teeth and he was able to chew and swallow hay but not chew it well enough to digest it and he would have episodes of impactions. Runny poop before the impaction.

[Pico_Banana]

@Feathered_Feet

I think it’s a pre biotic, as in it helps the probiotics survive

Thank you! I have to admit I am not careful in distinguishing between the two.

[cnd8]

My horse has a similar digestive issue. With several thousands of dollars in diagnositics spent, their prescribed treatment was:
do not feed coastal grass hay (bermuda/alicia/tift/etc) and switch to either alfalfa/perennial peanut/orchard/timothy.

Feed Assure Guard Gold (or a cheaper option is to feed the base Assure Guard and add a psyllium supplement). I fed the AGG for 2 years and then switched to AG and added in Su-per Psyllium as a cheaper combo.

Feed horse 2 tbsp loose salt per day for water consumption. I use Kosher.

Feed a senior feed so digestion is easier.

This horse has not colicked since this visit approximately 3 years ago and prior to this, it was a weekly and bi-weekly occurrence. The hay was the main thing, I think. He is pastured at the boarding barn with a horse that has the diagnosis you mention also and he is under the same protocol and has not colicked in 1 year.

By the way–psyllium is used as a treatment in this application–not a sand clearing agent. The psyllium promotes moisture and mucus on the GI tract, allowing things to flow more smoothly, and acting almost as an anti-inflammatory. The Arenus website (makers of AGG) describes this better. So, regardless of the no sand visible on Xrays (my horse didnt have any either), the psyllium is still a component of the treatment and management of this horse.

[joiedevie99]

Is it delayed gastric emptying, or further down in the digestive tract?

[CHT]

It could be stress/chronic stress. I have slow gut motility, and have since I was a child due to a stressful homelife.

I have also seen it in horses that then benefited from some time off/a change of careers

[starsandsun]

Thanks - he’s at a vet hospital so they are making the choices right now … I did have him on psyllium for a week and thought it helped. That information has helped steer the conversation to gut motility and what we can do for him. Vet did say that he’s probably a horse that will need monthly psyllium treatments.

[starsandsun]

Yes, and he was on the same hay for at least the last 7 months. He is now in the vet hospital on a mono diet of Safe Starch to eliminate any variability in the forage.

[starsandsun]

We actually did try Assure Guard Gold … he refuses to eat it.

[starsandsun]

Based on the sheer number of gastroscopies, we think further down. He does not seem to have any problems clearing his stomach.

[starsandsun]

I wish I could point to stress as a cause. He leads a life that is super low key … tons of turnout, never without food in front of him, with a buddy, on my own farm. His work load has been all about what’s fun for him in the past year … moved away from 3rd level dressage to hacks, hills, and only light work in arena. He gets regular massage which he loves, and I have a ‘petting’ routine that relaxes him tremendously that I try to do every day, and always before/after I ride.

[RedHorses]

My younger horse has a tendency to gas colic and gastric upset (mainly hind gut). I used to give him Biotic 8 in the summer as the grass made him worse, and take him off it in the winter. Until the second winter gas colic. Now he gets Biotic 8 year round. Colic is reduced in both severity and frequency. I do keep a bottle of Anti-gas on hand for him all the time.

[hokuspokus]

Have you done an ultrasound of the right dorsal colon to rule out right dorsal colitis?
My young 3 year old mare also had intermittent gas colics and weird looking cow poop manure, some nicely formed like French rolls. Stopped eating her hay and being very lethargic.
So performed a complete ultrasound of her intestines and came back with right dorsal colitis. There is no explanation why she got it. Switched to hay pellets and alfalfa cubes now and a bit of low starch chopped hay, Abler’s Sucralfate, Forco and some Camlina Oil. She is better with some occasional gas colicky signs. We are only in week 5 and I was told, that the inflammation of the right dorsal colon could take up to 6 months to heal … She has hypermotile gut sounds and hypermotility was observed sonographically.

[starsandsun]

Interesting, and thanks for your input. We have had probably 5 abdominal ultrasounds in the last 2 months. There is nothing that suggests gut thickening anywhere, which is a little frustrating as I would love to have a diagnosis.

Like you, I am feeding a chopped forage, and he is on misoprostol, Vitamin E, Omega 3 oil, and bethanachol to increase gut motility. I had to move him back to a very soft hay, though, as he went on strike and became wildly uncomfortable with just forage (SafeStarch). He refuses to even look at that product but will eat the regular chopped timothy.

His manure is still weird and puffy, and smells a bit off (overly vegetal), but he is finally bright and happy, and was galloping around over the weekend. I am hopeful that we’re moving in the right direction.

[hokuspokus]

same here - she is not really eating the SafeStarch, and I have to mix in some chaffhaye (fermented alfalfa). Only a few handfuls to keep her happy.
Where do you find the chopped Timothy? I don’t seem to find it here in California.

[hokuspokus]

P.S. I tried the Misoprostol but she got more gassy and cramps and the poop looked even more like large dough for French Rolls