On again, off again fecal water - what to do?

[endlessclimb]

My Old Man horse has on again, off again fecal water. He will have it for 2-3 days, then it’s gone for a week, then back again.

Hay is grass, all off the same field, all from the same cutting, available to him nearly 24/7. No grain (well, a handful so he feels included, but effectively none)

I have tried probiotics, and it didn’t do anything to help. Should I just keep some BioSponge on hand, or what else can I do? It seems pretty harmless, other than making his butt itchy. It’s not severe, but enough to be yucky and itchy to him.

[FjordBCRF]

There’s a pretty active discussion going on here

Fecal Water Syndrome/Stemmy Hay/Laminitis Risk

Is there a particular brand/type of electrolytes you recommend?

As with anything FWS related, it’s worth a shot.

[endlessclimb]

My guy’s doesn’t seem tied to the weather, and at no time is he as bad as your poor fella - that must be a mess to clean! His drips down maybe an inch or two past his anus, and that’s it, it only comes out when he’s pooping. He’s got a sensitive butthole though and will rub his booty if anything is untoward.

I will give some electrolytes a try though, as his drinking habits at the new place have tended in the direction of bizarre.

[FjordBCRF]

And mine isn’t as bad as any I see on the Facebook group!! A wet sponge does the trick thankfully, or the hose.

Thankfully it’s under control for the most part and wasn’t nearly as bad this summer as past ones.

I hope the electrolytes help!

[walkinthewalk]

My now 28 yr old TWH has had FCWS issues for 3-4 years. It starts every summer when plant chemistry starts to change for Fall and goes away when the weather turns cold.

I have tried many things and each worked to varying degrees with 80% being the best.

Last February I lost my 26 yr old to colic. I put the 28 yr old on MagRestore to keep him calm as he is an anxious horse and was now”The Last Man Standing”.

I have kept this horse on MagRestore, even after I found him a pasture mate

In August, it occurred to me he had not one little drip of FCW on his butt. It is now September 12th and his butt is still dry as can be.

i don’t get it, and I don’t care. A half dose of MagRestore continues to keep him calm and also seems to be controlling the FCWS.

This is purely anecdotal, based on my one horse, but it seems to be working for him when nothing, zip, zero, nada, else did:)

MagRestore by Performance Equine Nutrition. Maybe it will help your horse’s FCWS, maybe it won’t , I’m just passing along that it has helped mine with FCWS and that was not even my initial intent.

[Nevada10]

Psyllium powder from Amazon works great for my old guy. For some reason, psyllium powder pellets made for horses doesn’t work. Doesn’t really make sense to me, but he gobbles up the powder without hesitation and his booty stays dry, so I’ll take it.

[rubygirl1968]

Mine has had it for years. Pick something and try it. What worked for Leif may not have any effect on your guy at all.

For a long time G.U.T. worked. Then I went to Equishure and it helped for awhile. I tried yea- sac and bio-mos, nothing.

I can’t tell you how many pro and prebiotics I tried but none worked on their own. The most effective was FasTrack probiotic pack. It smells like pineapple.

It takes a lot of trial and error, and most things I’ve tried work for awhile and then quit working.

[walktrot]

I posted on the other thread. There is not much available on what causes fecal water and not much on how to deal with it. My horse had it in spades starting last summer. He needed to be cleaned up daily. His butt was drenched and his legs all the way down. He also had it between his thighs. He figured out that washing that area was a more statisfying when he separated his hooves which left me more room. It helped it stay cleaner.

I concluded it was the lining of the intestines which is what happens with leaky gut. I get my supplements from HorseTech. I talked to Rod, the owner. Neither one of us found much information on fecal water. I started with SandTrap which has psylium and probiotics. Because I had barn staff feeding his supplements with dinner I used the small 1/2 cup scoop. It took a couple of months but it did clean him up, although not 100%. In the meantime, Rod created WaterWerks which adds yeast and other nutrients. That finished the job. He did have a few squirts occasionally but they were usually dried out and I could curry them. I kept using the small scoop and consider it a maintenance supplement.

I had to put my horse down in July. There wasn’t enough flexion in his arthritic knee. He was showing signs that he was losing control his hoof. His butt was clean at the end, though. I think patience is an important factor. You can’t turn it on and off in a couple of days.

[endlessclimb]

I’m going to start with a round of Sand Clear and electrolytes and see if that helps any.

He is on E-Se-Mag from MVP Equine, and has also been on Equioxx for 11 years straight with no issues.

The last year he had a round of gas that I tried a handful of probiotics for (GUT, pro bios, and one other I can’t remember) and nothing helped - it resolved on its own.

Thanks everyone for the tips. Sounds like a few rounds of trial and error are in order.

[walktrot]

It looks like SandClear is just the psyllium which is what you need for sand colic. SandTrap (and probably other brands) has probiotics also. WaterWerks has yeasts and enzymes plus butyric acid and zinc which help with fecal water. Electolytes are for hydration. I had my horse on Vit E and Previcox for years. Stress can be a problem. Along with a bunch of other possible culprits.

Rounds or trial and error probably won’t help. I found it took a few months, which i attribute to the intestines needing to heal.

[RedHorses]

Mine has had several periods of excess fecal water over the years due to various causes. This summer it turns out he was getting too much magnesium. He’s been on magnesium for several years without issues but the extra magnesium in the ulcer support supplement was too much. I stopped his regular supplement and kept the ulcer support and he was fine within a week.

Flax, soy, extreme (for here) heat and small strongyles have each separately been the root cause of other rounds of excess fecal water.

[MzCarol]

Boy do i know this one!! Ive had my mare her entire life and she had always had sloppy poop. I tried a huge range of things that would work for a while and then didnt.
She is 12 now and presently on Jeremiahs Ulcer Repulser which is all naturàl and show safe. It handles both fore and hind gut. She also gets a half cup beet pulp wet. She had the best poop she has ever had! While they may not be perfect apples there is much more consistency than ever before. Ive noticed she is more lovey too so hind gut must have been upset. Its been an exhausting journey but im so glad i found what works for her.