Old horses with 'the runs'

I’m off to look it up, but what the heck is hemp oil?

I’ve had success with my QH by eliminating all ‘feed’- he eats bahia and since I fed them out together, while the others get TCC, he gets a scoop of alfalfa pellets and MSM - …his fanny cleaned up :slight_smile:

katarine, I like that for a lot of things, but my mare seems to be having problems because she’s not digesting the hay efficiently. Hay is not her friend right now, it’s just scouring her out…

this is where I get it. Good price- that gallon has almost lasted a year…http://www.theracelleq.com/Empower-EQ-4-Liter-Equine-Hemp-Oil?sc=5&category=419

Sand/dirt accumulation in the gut can be a cause of diarreah.

Psyllium can help, both by helping to move sand out of th gut and also by absorbing some of the excess fluid (diarreah).

Even if the teeth look good (no sharp edges) there can be other things going on in the mouth that may not be obvious without a thorough exam. In the case of my old boy, it was a bit of a gap between two upper molars on both sides. Hay was getting crammed in the spaces and packed down into the gums, making things uncomfortable to eat/chew.

Switching him to soaked hay pellets made all the difference. The moisture in the feed makes thorough chewing unneccesary and absorbing nutrients more effective.

When this same horse had projectile diarreah, vet recommended psyllium (although the horse was on psyllium a week a month already). Diarreah began to resolve almost immediately and within 3 days was back to normal. Yes, that could have been coincidental since we didn’t find a culprit/definate cause. But it doesn’t hurt, may very well help.

The very first thing I would always check in this case is the horse’s thyroid! Even if the vet says it is normal I would question that as the thyroid levels can fluctuate throughout the day–have it tested more than once… Sometimes the reason the stool is loose is because the horse is over drinking–my first inclination is to look at the thyroid. Often it is the first clue that your horse/pony may be headed for metabolic syndrome disorder.

Those of you who have horses with loose bowels might want to ask your vet about supplementing with Selenium. My understanding is that horses who have chronic diarrhea may have low Selenium levels.

Feeding beet pulp seems to help with loose bowels as well; the pectin in it aids in firming up the stool. Pectin is that stuff that thickens jellies and jams…

I am also a firm believer in enzymes and probiotics. :wink:

My horse is30 years fell through ice in a pond of 10 feet. We were able to rescue her but have been through a broken jaw pneumonia treated with gram positive negative and aerobic antibiotics for 7 days she has also been treated for ulcers. She is no longer on hay and will eat only senior feed and alfalfa cubes semi ground. Her poops are now biscuit shaped and softer than her usual round ones. Some of her behavior is puzzling. Flicking her tail, turning her head towards both sides of her flank.eating bark and rotting tree stumps. We have tried mineral blocks and powders I am getting concerned about her GI health as we put her daughter down at the age of 24 with pendulous fatty tumor. Anybody know if all of the trauma change of feed and antibiotics could cause this or should I be concerned about the pendulous tumor

Very strange. Did you get any answers about your horse?