Horse is newly gassy on grass (both ends) already on Smart Digest Ultra. Add Fastrack?

[omgtb]

My horse has been living out 24/7 for the past two years and it has treated him very well. Managed situation, grained twice a day (he needs it–large TB), hay/dry lot when not on grass, and limited time on grass which they are built up to over the course of three weeks, in addition to my tendency to hand graze him in all weather, so he never really loses his ‘tolerance’ for grass, but spring grass is different, of course.

The longest amount of time they are out on grass is 6-8 hours and they get two different kinds–when they are on small, fenced off sections around the property, they are eating grass that is longer, and was not planted specifically for horses to eat. The pasture grass really only just started coming in a few weeks ago thanks to the horrible, long, wet winter, so it’s shorter and probably richer right now.

My horse came in yesterday from the pasture grass basically ‘burping’ and lifting his tail to release gas the other way. He pooped twice while I was with him, over the course of an hour/hour and a half, and the BM was normal with a few drips of juice at the end.

I did do some percussion on his abdomen, back, rump, rode him lightly (10 minutes of walk, 7 minutes of trot, 5 minutes of walk…he is on an ortho rehab program right now) figuring it was better to get him moving, and I massaged him afterward (certified ESMT) which included more percussion and I have had massages completely eliminate actual gas colic in the past (for other horses…and once for him when he had a very mild case of gas discomfort last year).

He seemed himself, more or less. No signs of discomfort except for a visibly bloated abdomen and gas escaping every which way.

He was out on grass last year with no issues. Same grass.

He’s already on Smart Digest Ultra, and I checked with SP and they said he could also be on Fastrack or Probios with no conflicts.

In my own personal experience, I have found over-supplementing with yeast to make a person very gassy…so I imagine that would just compound the problem?

Does anyone give Smart Digest Ultra AND Fastrack together? In his case, it would be a temporary arrangement to help with the grass gas.

He is 15, going on 16 now, and does tend to put on weight in fat pads, but nothing crazy that would suggest Cushing’s. Sheds out normally, etc. I will probably still test him, but our main concern right now is the gas.

I considered a grazing muzzle but this is a horse who would find a way to kill himself while wearing one, so I would really rather not, if I can avoid it.

I know there are threads on this here, but they are old, so far as I can tell. Wondering what people are doing these days to help their horses with this.

I did chat with my vet and he didn’t seem overly concerned–said it was from the grass and that limited time on it would be the way to go. When I told him they were out 6-8 hours max, he didn’t seem to think that was too much.

[leaf]

Gas-x extra strength works well for my horse. 125 mg simethicon per tablet. One tab per hundred pounds body weight. Then a half dose 30 minutes later. I use the cherry flavored tabs and crush into feed or mix with water and give by oral syringe.

[Palm_Beach]

You need to limit his grass by either a muzzle or stalling him or putting him in a dry lot until he adjusts a bit better. he is just letting you know he is getting too much too soon.

[warriorhorse]

Spring grass makes them gassy. It will get better once horse is used to grass. My gelding is gassy and has cow plop poops. Been turned out to pasture now for almost a week. Does it every year it resolves on it’s own. I just leave him on grass.

[IPEsq]

I do Platinum Balance plus HorseTech’s Gutwerks. So kind of the same idea. I’ve tried a million things. My horse doesn’t have much access to grass, but our hay can make them gassy, and he is particularly sensitive. This combo seems to work the best. In the past, I did Probios instead of the HorseTech, but I found he needed a lot of Probios to get the same result.

[omgtb]

Thanks, guys! I actually forgot I had already posted this and came here to post it… (there’s a bit going on in my life right now lol).

So, by way of update and further thinking…

After that very gassy day, he had been normal/completely fine for a few weeks. Yesterday, I came up after he had been out on grass (wet grass) 6-7 hours and he was a bit bloated and belched once or twice, but nothing to the degree he had the day that caused me to post this.

He did have cow patty poops after their first day or so out on grass, but with the initial gassiness and yesterday’s he was pooping normally both times.

He did not get his gut supplement yesterday morning and I really do wonder if it makes that much of a difference that its absence could have allowed him to get gassy so fast. I don’t know if he also missed it the other day that he was gassy.

This is a 17hh TB, and not necessarily an ‘easy keeper’ so muzzling him would be an extreme measure, and keeping him locked in his dry paddock eliminates his ability to get out in a bigger space and stretch his legs. I’m trying to find a balance that keeps his digestive system from being overloaded and keeps him happy. They’re never out on grass so long that it’s excessive.

Does anyone do any supplement boosting to prepare for spring feeding to address this?

Or, does anyone find that electrolytes make a difference? He was on them last year but isn’t this year because he doesn’t find them palatable. They have salt licks and it hasn’t gotten so hot they’re sweating much, but he’s a very salty sweater when he does sweat–or he was last year. I know one of the gut supplements has electrolytes in it. He has no problems drinking on his own, though.

What I might do is muzzle him for the first few weeks of spring next year so he can’t just stuff himself on the richest grass, and then as he adapts to it better and the grass isn’t as new, remove the muzzle.

Also wondering if anyone noticed any relationship between ulcers and grass gas? Maybe a reach, but the one thing I’ve learned is that a horse doesn’t need to have classic signs of ulcers to have ulcers and just about every horse will get them once. He also had two minor choke episodes this past year on 1) a small piece of carrot–something he has eaten for 13 years with no problems…and 2) a freakin’ star mint. A STAR MINT. Thankfully with some massage and (in the case of the mint, since it dissolves) time, he was fine, but I’m starting to think there are changes to his esophagus/gut that are predisposing him to gas escaping that way or getting trapped there. A scope is probably in his future.

He used to be on magnesium rather than SmartCalm, and I think that may have prevented much of this as well, but again, he doesn’t find it all that palatable, so lots of trial and error, here. He’s picky. Could look for a different type.

For now, we are going to start by cutting back his grain a bit more to lessen the overall gut load, and if he keeps getting gassy, he’ll have to stay off the grass or try a muzzle, but, again, I can’t begin to explain the number of ways this horse could find to get into trouble with something like that on his face. If I put him in a padded room, he’d find a way to hurt himself on the padding. He lives outside and their ‘living’ space is a dry lot with a shed, so keeping him off grass is pretty straightforward, if it comes to that. I’d just feel pretty bad for him. I’m hopeful I can find a balance that allows him to graze and keeps him safe.

As others above have said, and my vet seems to concur, this usually just works itself out and is a matter of (horse + grass) * time. I just want to support his gut so that he can handle any digestive challenges and am still trying to figure out why this year it’s a problem and the last two years it wasn’t.

[omgtb]

@leaf

Gas-x extra strength works well for my horse. 125 mg simethicon per tablet. One tab per hundred pounds body weight. Then a half dose 30 minutes later. I use the cherry flavored tabs and crush into feed or mix with water and give by oral syringe.

Do you do this every time your horse is gassy? Or just when it’s excessive/bordering on gas colic. Just wondering because my guy isn’t uncomfortable at all when this is going on, not in distress, and moving him around/massage/percussion seem to do the trick.

[Palm_Beach]

@omgtb

Thanks, guys! I actually forgot I had already posted this and came here to post it… (there’s a bit going on in my life right now lol).

So, by way of update and further thinking…

After that very gassy day, he had been normal/completely fine for a few weeks. Yesterday, I came up after he had been out on grass (wet grass) 6-7 hours and he was a bit bloated and belched once or twice, but nothing to the degree he had the day that caused me to post this.

He did have cow patty poops after their first day or so out on grass, but with the initial gassiness and yesterday’s he was pooping normally both times.

He did not get his gut supplement yesterday morning and I really do wonder if it makes that much of a difference that its absence could have allowed him to get gassy so fast. I don’t know if he also missed it the other day that he was gassy.

This is a 17hh TB, and not necessarily an ‘easy keeper’ so muzzling him would be an extreme measure, and keeping him locked in his dry paddock eliminates his ability to get out in a bigger space and stretch his legs. I’m trying to find a balance that keeps his digestive system from being overloaded and keeps him happy. They’re never out on grass so long that it’s excessive.

Does anyone do any supplement boosting to prepare for spring feeding to address this?

Or, does anyone find that electrolytes make a difference? He was on them last year but isn’t this year because he doesn’t find them palatable. They have salt licks and it hasn’t gotten so hot they’re sweating much, but he’s a very salty sweater when he does sweat–or he was last year. I know one of the gut supplements has electrolytes in it. He has no problems drinking on his own, though.

What I might do is muzzle him for the first few weeks of spring next year so he can’t just stuff himself on the richest grass, and then as he adapts to it better and the grass isn’t as new, remove the muzzle.

Also wondering if anyone noticed any relationship between ulcers and grass gas? Maybe a reach, but the one thing I’ve learned is that a horse doesn’t need to have classic signs of ulcers to have ulcers and just about every horse will get them once. He also had two minor choke episodes this past year on 1) a small piece of carrot–something he has eaten for 13 years with no problems…and 2) a freakin’ star mint. A STAR MINT. Thankfully with some massage and (in the case of the mint, since it dissolves) time, he was fine, but I’m starting to think there are changes to his esophagus/gut that are predisposing him to gas escaping that way or getting trapped there. A scope is probably in his future.

He used to be on magnesium rather than SmartCalm, and I think that may have prevented much of this as well, but again, he doesn’t find it all that palatable, so lots of trial and error, here. He’s picky. Could look for a different type.

For now, we are going to start by cutting back his grain a bit more to lessen the overall gut load, and if he keeps getting gassy, he’ll have to stay off the grass or try a muzzle, but, again, I can’t begin to explain the number of ways this horse could find to get into trouble with something like that on his face. If I put him in a padded room, he’d find a way to hurt himself on the padding. He lives outside and their ‘living’ space is a dry lot with a shed, so keeping him off grass is pretty straightforward, if it comes to that. I’d just feel pretty bad for him. I’m hopeful I can find a balance that allows him to graze and keeps him safe.

As others above have said, and my vet seems to concur, this usually just works itself out and is a matter of (horse + grass) * time. I just want to support his gut so that he can handle any digestive challenges and am still trying to figure out why this year it’s a problem and the last two years it wasn’t.

That’s all good and fine if you want to roll the dice that your horse won’t colic or founder. He is very clearly telling you that he is having a hard time dealing with the grass. Put a muzzle on him for the 6-7 hours he is on grass. In post 1, you write, “He is 15, going on 16 now, and does tend to put on weight in fat pads,” which is an indicator of a horse that may be prone to laminitis. I understand that despite this comment you think he is not an easy keeper, but a foundered horse is extremely difficult to manager. I’d nip this in the bud and muzzle him.

[leaf]

Sorry Op, just now saw that you had a follow up question about the Gas-x.
This sounds strange but my guy gets a half dose of gas-x three times a day in his feed all year round. A low dose of ranitidine twice a day as well.
If he has an episode of being off feed, uncomfortable and foul smelling burps, he gets a full dose of gas-x by oral syringe as well, and more at half hour intervals.
I certainly don’t imagine that you’d have to go to such extremes. This horse was diagnosed with delayed gastric emptying, and secondary gastric ulcers, about six years ago. I’ve been using gas-x for the last two years. My vets are okay with it, whatever works.
Hope your horse is doing well now.

[omgtb]

Just to update everyone, after these few episodes, it didn’t happen again. Turned out, he had run out of his gut supplement the day he was very gassy and it really was enough to make a difference. Once he was back on, it lined up with him being better adjusted to the grass in any case. I think next spring we will be under different management, but I will likely have a muzzle on hand, just in case. He’ll just have to deal with it. He’ll also be having some bloodwork pulled before then to rule out Cushing’s, etc. Thanks for the replies.