Runny bum - any ideas?

[Episefa]

Hello all. Before everyone jumps on the “have you called the vet” - yes we have had 3 vets out. One vet is a chiro/acu vet and the other is our regular vet. The 3rd is a holistic vet.

Every fall my horse gets a runny bum. His poop is normal, well formed. But when he passes gas, it is frequent, and out dribbles some liquid. Horse is eating normally, has superb weight, drinking normal, otherwise his perky normal self. The stool/gas smells “worse” than the sweet smell of horse poop.

The past times the regular vet gives us Platinum Balance Probiotic and this has gotten it under control. This year though he still is runny. We tried Succeed and it didn’t really make a dent in runny bum (but it did in my wallet!)

Holistic vet prescribed some holistic remedies, one of which was Dynamite Miracle Clay. This appeared to help the most and dried him up mostly but then when we skipped some days while awaiting a Dynamite shipment, he got runny again.

Called regular vet back out and she put him on an antibiotic that I can’t quite remember the name of right now but is usually for diarrhea and a double dose of the probiotic (which is also a prebiotic) that we have had success in the past. She said that some horses tend to be more “juicy” than others and that as long as he’s his usual self - not losing weight, perky, eating, drinking - that it’s not of concern. The other vets didn’t seem that concerned either.

But I still would like to dry him up. He is, of course, WHITE (paint horse, mostly white), so the runs are gross and very apparent. I keep his tail wrapped up for winter. All other seasons his bum is completely fine. It is just fall and this time going on into winter.

Anyone have any ideas/suggestions or similar experiences? And if you fed a supplement or something and did it work?

Again: horse passes liquid gas, stools normal but kind of stinky, drinking and eating fine, weight is excellent, perky and lively. Gets hay 24/7 and has large pasture (which right now doesn’t have grass). Gets fed a minimal amount of grain (Strategy Healthy Edge) - just enough to get the meds & supplements in him. He’s 12yrs old - so young.

Thanks in advance!

[beowulf]

don’t horses with hind gut ulcers have runny stool? have you heard of bio-sponge? we had a gelding at the barn very similar to yours, runny is ‘normal’ - he was older and vet thought he could benefit from bio-sponge.

[Episefa]

[QUOTE=beowulf;7958753]
don’t horses with hind gut ulcers have runny stool? have you heard of bio-sponge? we had a gelding at the barn very similar to yours, runny is ‘normal’ - he was older and vet thought he could benefit from bio-sponge.[/QUOTE]

I have heard of biosponge and it’s made by the same folks that make the supplement he is on. I asked the vet about it and she says that since his stools are normal that she doesn’t think it would help. She said that it helps firm up the stool - but since his issue is not his stools she doesn’t think it’d help.

But I think it might not hurt to try…

[jawa]

Things that have helped my horse who has juicy farts (although so far none have been long lasting help)

1. He is usually better for a week or so after worming. So I tried a Power Pack this time, thinking he may have encysted small strongyles.

2. Feeding Sand Clear or Metamucil.

3. Feeding him oat flour. I grind the whole oats in a coffee grinder and provide him with about a cup of ground oats.

4. Make sure he isn’t getting too much salt or electrolyte.

My vet also said that this is something that can happen in old horses. Their gut doesn’t function as well as it should in reabsorbing the water from the manure. She also said it could be because he is not able to chew his forage very well, so the fibers are not as short as they should be. My horse is in his 30’s, and has been doing this for the past 2 years. His teeth are ok for a 30 yr old horse, but he does quid some, usually with the coarser hay.

Of course my horse is a grey, so the juicy farts are VERY obvious. I clipped the back of his legs and his bum to make washing easier in the winter. I also made up a spray solution to help when it is JUST too cold to use the hose. 1:1 Listerine / alcohol (or witch hazel) and several ounces of baby oil.

Best of Luck in finding a cure. If you find one that lasts for more than a few weeks, please come back to let us know.

ETA: I have tried all kinds of pro and pre biotics and they did nothing other than to drain my pocket book.

[maunder]

I have a little mini gelding that came to me last year with very runny cow plop stool. After a vet work up and deworm nothing definite could be found but he had had some mismanagement at his prior home, where for some reason the owner was giving him enemas and suppositories every other day. Poor guy.

I put him on a gut supplement (SmartGut) and he’s improved. Stool is more firm with only a bit of gassy discharge occasionally.

My little guy is a silvery grey color (varnish appaloosa).

[mlb722]

Have to you tested for giardia? I knew a horse who had this, flagyl cleared it up permanently.

[tinah]

[QUOTE=maunder;7958969]
I have a little mini gelding that came to me last year with very runny cow plop stool. After a vet work up and deworm nothing definite could be found but he had had some mismanagement at his prior home, where for some reason the owner was giving him enemas and suppositories every other day. Poor guy.

I put him on a gut supplement (SmartGut) and he’s improved. Stool is more firm with only a bit of gassy discharge occasionally.

My little guy is a silvery grey color (varnish appaloosa).[/QUOTE]

I would ask what in the actual *&%$#)@ they thought they were doing, but really, I don’t want to know. Good on you for making sure little dude has a decent home.

[Showbizz]

How old is he? Is he on grass during the summer?

[Episefa]

[QUOTE=jawa;7958964]
Things that have helped my horse who has juicy farts (although so far none have been long lasting help)

1. He is usually better for a week or so after worming. So I tried a Power Pack this time, thinking he may have encysted small strongyles.

2. Feeding Sand Clear or Metamucil.

3. Feeding him oat flour. I grind the whole oats in a coffee grinder and provide him with about a cup of ground oats.

4. Make sure he isn’t getting too much salt or electrolyte.

My vet also said that this is something that can happen in old horses. Their gut doesn’t function as well as it should in reabsorbing the water from the manure. She also said it could be because he is not able to chew his forage very well, so the fibers are not as short as they should be. My horse is in his 30’s, and has been doing this for the past 2 years. His teeth are ok for a 30 yr old horse, but he does quid some, usually with the coarser hay.

Of course my horse is a grey, so the juicy farts are VERY obvious. I clipped the back of his legs and his bum to make washing easier in the winter. I also made up a spray solution to help when it is JUST too cold to use the hose. 1:1 Listerine / alcohol (or witch hazel) and several ounces of baby oil.

Best of Luck in finding a cure. If you find one that lasts for more than a few weeks, please come back to let us know.

ETA: I have tried all kinds of pro and pre biotics and they did nothing other than to drain my pocket book.[/QUOTE]

I definitely plan to PowerPak as I have had good success with it in the past. And I also have read that strongyles can cause loose stool.

They did a sand test with his poop and they didn’t find any sand in it. But would it still be beneficial to feed him Sand Clear you think?

The pasture has salt options but he doesn’t seem to be obsessive about it - I’ve never caught him on the saltblocks.

My horse is young - 13yrs old - which is why I find it unusual since this is usually an “old horse” problem. He gets his teeth done regularly by a vet that only does teeth. The vet did mention that it could be the hay if it’s too stemmy and harder to digest. I haven’t noticed the hay being stemmy though.

I have been putting either A&D ointment or Desitin on his cheeks to try to keep them not crusted with the poo.

[Episefa]

[QUOTE=maunder;7958969]
I have a little mini gelding that came to me last year with very runny cow plop stool. After a vet work up and deworm nothing definite could be found but he had had some mismanagement at his prior home, where for some reason the owner was giving him enemas and suppositories every other day. Poor guy.

I put him on a gut supplement (SmartGut) and he’s improved. Stool is more firm with only a bit of gassy discharge occasionally.

My little guy is a silvery grey color (varnish appaloosa).[/QUOTE]

OMG! Poor little guy! Who gives enemas and suppositories every other day? No wonder he had issues.

I will look into the SmartGut. He is on 3 other SmartPak supplements so it wouldn’t be much to add.

What is it with these white horses getting it?! My vet said she noticed mostly white horses get it too.

[Episefa]

[QUOTE=mlb722;7959026]
Have to you tested for giardia? I knew a horse who had this, flagyl cleared it up permanently.[/QUOTE]

No we haven’t - I will ask the vet about it. He isn’t that keen on drinking out of anything other than buckets or water troughs. Nor is he a poop eater. My other horse used to eat poop all the time his teeth were so brown! And he was only 4yrs old. They did take a fecal - twice - and haven’t mentioned it.

[Episefa]

[QUOTE=Showbizz;7959411]
How old is he? Is he on grass during the summer?[/QUOTE]

He’s 13 this year and he is on grass in the summer. He only has the juicy bum usually in the colder months. In the spring/summer he is clean-bummed.

[LDavis104]

I have a grey 10 year old gelding who sounds very similar to yours. His manure is well formed, but he gets the “runny butt” in the fall/winter. Not cow plop patties, but liquid coming out with the well formed manure. It started a couple of winters ago when he was rehabbing and was on reserpine and xylazine. I thought it was something to do with those drugs. Then the following winter he was rehabbing AGAIN, also on reserpine and xylazine, and the runny butt started again. This winter he is NOT rehabbing so isn’t on those drugs and the runny butt came back. I thought it was a drug thing, but it seems to be a fall/winter thing. I tried SmartDigest and probios but don’t recall either of them helping. I’m not too too worried as his manure is normal and everything else is normal but like you said, it’s tough on a grey! It kind of comes and goes though over the winter.

[Showbizz]

I have a very old pony who has normal stools on grass in the spring and summer, but when I start switching over to hay she gets runny. My vet and I have tried many things over the past 3 years and have yet to figure it out. This winter I have slowly moved her to more of a soaked senior diet and she is still runny.

[maunder]

[QUOTE=Episefa;7959450]
OMG! Poor little guy! Who gives enemas and suppositories every other day? No wonder he had issues.

I will look into the SmartGut. He is on 3 other SmartPak supplements so it wouldn’t be much to add.

What is it with these white horses getting it?! My vet said she noticed mostly white horses get it too.[/QUOTE]

My poor wee guy is also 13. He’s had an interesting life. At birth he was diagnosed with narcolepsy and the breeder wanted to put him down immediately because he was “worthless” to her. An employee convinced her not to put him down and bought him at weaning. He had him for three years and homed him to his last owner with a contract. He received great updates, photographs and visited. 9 years passed and the lady didn’t want the wee guy and his two mare friends any longer so the man took them back. THEN he found out the little guy had been locked in a stall for the nine years, was given very strange “treatments” such as the enemas and suppositories, and the woman and her husband were doing their own dental and hoof trimming. Disaster. None of this was visible with visits since even the vets assumed the little guy was in just for his vet appointment. He had a horrible mouth with a hole in his cheek from packing food and it rotted there. He has only a few mental issues with being locked in for so long and he’s losing those. He loves to be out now and has 24/7 turnout with three other minis. He’s an absolute DOLL. We never did figure out the reason for the enemas but nothing this woman did made any sense.

[Desert_Topaz]

My mini has this issue, the fully formed poop with the liquid running down his bum. He had the problem at his old home, when I got him we went 9 months without an issue. Then I got a load of hay from a new supplier, the hay that lasts me a year, and we’ve got a runny bum. My suspicion at this point is different types of grass make it happen for him, as the newer load is a different type of grass than the old. I’ve had some success with Biosponge from Platinum Performance. It still happens a bit, but not like it did. Fortunately, because he’s a mini, a container lasts a lot longer than it does for a big horse.

[higgs]

I have one like that - older horse (28), some formed manure followed by liquid and watery farts. Also had a worse than usual smell to it. Only in the winter time.

We tried a lot of things - many different probiotics and digestive supplements, metamucil, oat flour etc. nothing helped. Tried soy-free diet - didn’t help. Had the vet out - did teeth, worming was up to date, did bloodwork etc. and didn’t find any issues. We did a 5 day course of metronidazole (Flagyl) which helped only while he was on it and led to colic.

Last winter was bad and while we managed he was much harder to keep weight on. His tail would turn into a giant poopsicle in just a day or two (bathing was difficult because he lives out in a very cold climate). I said at the end of last winter that he probably shouldn’t do another. Then spring rolled around and he rallied and had a great spring/summer/fall and last winter’s troubles were forgotten.

He did really well at the beginning of this winter (had him on a new probiotic I hoped was working - not sure why I keep buying the stuff) and I though we might do OK but then the problem came back with a vengeance.

I tried to get BioSponge but it is not readily available in Ontario and the Canadian rep didn’t return my calls or emails so I gave up on that.

Ended up trying omeprazole out of desperation - after 1 week of treatment his symptoms were totally gone. I never would have put him as an ulcer candidate because of his lifestyle - he lives out 24/7 with access to hay or grass at all times, doesn’t get a ton of concentrates (just ration balancer) and has a low stress lifestyle (he’s not ridden, doesn’t leave the property, lives in a stable/peaceful herd). He was never scoped so I can’t say for sure that he did have ulcers but the ulcer treatment is definitely helping.

[ako]

My mare gets this. It’s typically worse in the summer. And it has gotten better with time. Careful with the Sand Clear. It upset my girl’s stomach so much and made her so gassy and loose. Vet said to continue. She colicked. Thankfully she was fine, but we took a trip to Mid Atlantic as a precaution. I wouldn’t mess with that stuff unless there was real evidence of sand.

I don’t have any answers.

[Crash_Helmet]

It could be a hay issue, for sure, specially since it’s seasonal. Some cuttings are just too rich. Two horses at my barn used to get runny bum syndrome until we moved from orchard grass to timothy. See if switching hay helps.

[RedHorses]

I’ve got one of those too. But mine isn’t a seasonal issue.

Mine has some food sensitivities (maybe allergies? I don’t know, but I do know he is reliably affected by them) to flax, and apparently soy beans (roasted and crushed whole beans). The other known cause for him is encysted small strongyles burrowing into/out of his intestinal wall. When I kill off the encysted strongyles with Quest he gets the excess juice from 5-10 days later (depending on encysted worm population) as his body expels the dead worms from the gut wall.

Because of my experience, if your horse reliably gets the excessive liquid in the fall/winter I would be looking at what changes in his diet at that time.

In my search for answers I talked to a few people about their horses with similar issues and food sensitivities seemed to be a common cause. I talked to one person who’s pony was affected by alfalfa, so it certainly could be something in the hay.

Another possibility that I explored (discussed with vet) was right dorsal umm… enteritis? I think. Basically the gut is irritated by long stemmed forage and horses with the condition have to go on special diets. If it heals they can return to normal hay, but some have to stay on the restricted diets. If your guy gets hay year round this is unlikely to be the cause.

Good luck figuring it out!