I have an OTTB that’s been here in my program for over a year. His poop and farts smell terrible! He eats the exact same thing as a couple other horses in the barn, but only HIS poo smells bad (relatively speaking). Kind of “sulphery.” The piles are of normal consistency but he does poop A LOT, although I think that’s common with TBs. Smaller piles, but every 45 min-1 hour like clockwork. He gets 24# of good Bermuda each day, and then a half pound each of SafeChoice Perform, alfalfa pellets, and pelleted rice bran along with Probios, Platinum Performance and Biotin. I’ve taken away the alfalfa pellets and the rice bran with no change. I’ve switched from Probios to G.U.T with no change. The one thing that does NOT change when I alter his feed is the way his manure smells. He is healthy in every other way. He is watered in a 100 gallon Rubbermaid tub that’s scrubbed out weekly (like everyone else). Any ideas?
Does he drink from the same spigot as everyone else?
Foul smelling faeces is also a huge sign of malabsorption, something you’d definitely want a vet check into due to possibilities of infection. Some horses even develop Celiac disease.
That’s fairly indicative of ulcers, either fore gut, or some hind gut issues.
Frequency of manure output isn’t breed-dependent. Some horses seem to poop smaller more frequent piles, and others larger, less frequent piles. I have some of each.
1/2lb of a feed meant to be fed in the 4-6lb range is a treat, so he may be nutrient-deficient.
But I would investigate the possibility of ulcers ahead of everything else.
If you are testing for a dietary solution I think you need to start with the classic elimination method used to detect allergies. Slowly reduce all the foods except for one, feed that for a few weeks and then add one food at a time, waiting several weeks to see if there is a change before adding the next. I would not worry about dietary imbalances since it will only be a matter of a few short months to test everything before you are back to feeding supplements.
Personally, I would start by eliminating everything (gradually, over a period of ten days) except the Bermuda hay. Feed him just that for at least two weeks and see if there is a change. If his manure still smells sulphery, change the hay to alfalfa or Timothy (gradually). I would not be surprised to see a bit of a weight loss, but it won’t last long as you add in the other foods, perhaps starting with oil for weight gain. If any of those steps work you know that the problem food is one of those which you have eliminated.
This method is a little bit different from the actual allergy method because with the allergy method you start with a food they have never had before. In dogs, they use foods like kangaroo or ostrich meat which most dogs in the U.S. have not had before. I don’t know if it would be possible to find a practical food for horses which they have never eaten.
I thought @HP’sblueskyenterprise had a smart idea; to check the water source, not just the water tubs. As an extension of that idea, check/change hoses if you use them to fill the tubs. This tip reminds me of when Legionnaire’s Disease was discovered in a water fountain.
My horse gets MSM supps. That makes her manure somewhat sulphery smelling for the obvious reasons. It’s not “rotten egg” horrible smelling, but it’s pretty noticeable!
Have you wormed recently? Worms can sometimes cause foul smelling manure.
