[QUOTE=SSFLandon;3691908]
but, what is organic iodine? what form is it in…anything I can google?[/QUOTE]
Google iodide powder (yes, with a D). I’m going to assume this is what she’s talking about.
ahhh, I could not figure that out…so it’s a form of iodine. Hmm, interesting I’ve never used this. I’ll have to ask my vets about it as my horse has a low thyroid and we are taking her off her thyroid L becuase it’s questionable at her age…and a whole long story that goes with that…
Okay, I have another question. My horse lives on pasture 24/7 and was on a good de-worming regimen. However, at the beginning of last spring, he started passing a bit of liquid with each bowel movement. I thought it was the rich grass growing in. Each time they would rotate the pasture, it would get worse but eventually get better, so I didn’t think too much of it.
Then I read this thread. I did the DD of Equimax, then another 2 weeks later. Fast forward about 2 months, and now he is eating off the roundbale, and the liquid is back with a vengance. MUCH more than before. And he is rubbing his tail like crazy.
Any suggestions? Maybe this is not parasite related?
the DD equimax is not intended to stop diarhea.
Have you consulted your vet?
Has he ever been Powerpacked?
[QUOTE=EqTrainer;3715796]
Has he ever been Powerpacked?[/QUOTE]
That’s where I was going with this. His poop is normal, except for a bit of liquid at the end. He hasn’t been power packed in the 18 months that I have owned him. I didn’t even think about that. Thanks!!
This might not be a parasite issue. Sounds more like digestion and reminds me of a friend’s horse who would get diarrhea in the winter while he was eating hay. She struggled with diarrhea for over 4 years before he gave some additional symptoms which he never did before. Fecal tests, etc. were negative. He went off his feed and was a bit lethargic which was very unusual for this happy eater. He ate very little grain prior to that (1/2-1 lb per day) but I suggested she try alfalfa to soothe his stomach in the event he had or was developing ulcers. His diarrhea cleared up in 4 days and he was eating well. He’s not had problems since.
I wonder if your horse is lacking enough beneficial bacteria in his gut to properly digest forage. They have less trouble with grass but it becomes harder to digest with hay. And when you deworm your horse you knock out a lot of the beneficial bacteria in his gut so he needs a course of probiotics after deworming as well as anytime they have been stressed, injured, on lay-up.
It could be overly rich grass and hay.
So, to understand better…What exactly does your horse eat? And what kind of hay is he eating now? Does he get a balanced vitamin/mineral supplement?
Certainly I would add pre and probiotics to his diet… after he were PP’d. 18 months and no PP… well, that’s the place to start!
Thank you both so much! He has lived on pasture his entire life (grass and hay only, no grain). I don’t think he was on a good worming regimen before I bought him either. I need to find out exactly what kind of hay he is being fed, but I do know it is a good looking timothy mix. He is totally fine otherwise (weight, brightness, coat, etc.).
I’ll give him a PP this weekend and get some alphafa cubes for him. Can I give him a does of probiotics that will be effective or is this something that needs to be given on a regular basis (daily, etc.) to be effective?
I would recommend doing one thing at a time. He might not need the alfalfa anyway if he isn’t getting any grain. I’d try it in this order. Power Pack, follow-up with probiotics for a week. Then see if he is doing better.
The thing about timothy is I think it is high in sugars. Have you read www.safergrass.org?
I would do probiotics on a fairly regular basis. Try it for a week once a month and see how he does. I buy the powder and put in grain meals but that won’t work for you. I would think your boy needs some vitamin and mineral supplements because he will be missing out in the grass and hay. Also, he will be low in Omega 3’s and Lysine which is an essential amino acid. You may be able to find a supplement that covers vitamins, minerals, Omega 3’s, Lysine and probiotics. I know you can find the first four together. I just started one of mine on LinPro from www.foxdenequine.com This is produced by one of our COTH resident equine nutritionists. And if you are giving him some pelleted supplements it may be easy to put powdered probiotics in there. NOt sure if there are pelleted probiotics, I’ve never looked. Of course you could always give a handful of alfalfa just as a carrier to get the supplements in him.
He does have access to a trace mineral block all the time and seems so healthy overall. I will start the PP Friday, and follow that up with probiotics, then see where we end up.
He is also a very good eater of all things that are offered, so to give him supplements won’t be a problem. I can give him a handful of anything with the powder in it and he will devour it.
THANK YOU!!
HELP!
So the old guy is back to scratching. All over. Before he would not scratch in the pasture…just beg me to scratch his belly. Now I see him on fence posts rubbing his hind quarters and he attacks me to rub his belly.
We just PP and the 1.5 Anthlecide was give on 12/8.
Worst thing - his weight is dropping…again. I cant let this happen.
I took him off the alfalfa pellets and added organic iodide per my vets (holistic side) request. She thought his immune system was compressed therefore he couldnt fit the itchies on his own…well that isnt doing the trick.
Should I DD EM 14 days from 12/8???
He was doing SO good after August when we first started this. He was fat and happy and shiny and NOT itchy.
Ugh!
Thanks for any help!
HB - ask her to do a scraping on his midline, where his itchies were the worst before.
If you just dewormed him on the 8th, he could be dealing with more dieoff. Considering his age and the degree of infestation you suspected he had, perhaps when you switched classes of dewormer you killed off a whole bunch more.
Have you tried an antihistimine on him?
EqT: thanks! I just wish he didnt have the weight loss which I think is a result of the worrisome from the itchies.
I will call the vet out soon. Now he has a gooey eye. Ugh!
Handsome… maybe boosting his immune system would be beneficial. Vit E, Selenium if you are in a low area, and Vitamin C which recycles the Vit E. Vit A wouldn’t hurt either.
Good luck.
Thanks gabz. I do the supp of Vita E & S. I think he gets sufficent Vita A thru the GroStrong minerals which I switched to over the summer and has helped the chronic gooey (both) eye horse (another horse).
The old guy just wont cut me a break. 
The vet that wanted to boost immune system had be take him off Alfalfa stating it was a suppressent. I think he has lost weight since then. And I have recorded his temp for 2 weeks now and he is still in the 96-98 range on average. Maybe the iodide takes longer to effect him?
Will look into the Vita C.
Is he getting any oil? Oil will block Vit E.
I was thinking along the lines of mega doses for a week or so. As in loading doses of immune boosters.
I didn’t know that about Alfalfa being a suppressant. hmm…
Is the iodine to help his thyroad AND boost the immune system or just the thyroid issue?
Makes you want to stop everything and and start all over sometimes, doesn’t it?
[QUOTE=Huntertwo;3423620]
Heck, I’m so freaked out, I think I’ll get a tube for myself too!!! :dead:[/QUOTE]
I was just thinking the same thing!:o
[QUOTE=gabz;3728527]
Is he getting any oil? Oil will block Vit E.
I was thinking along the lines of mega doses for a week or so. As in loading doses of immune boosters.
I didn’t know that about Alfalfa being a suppressant. hmm…
Is the iodine to help his thyroad AND boost the immune system or just the thyroid issue?
Makes you want to stop everything and and start all over sometimes, doesn’t it?
[/QUOTE]
Oh heck. He was getting oil. I stopped that when he got too plump. He was GREAT after about 4 treatments of DD em and weekly Ivermecs. Fat and happy (Sept thru mid-Nov). But I never really solved the itchy belly. Wasnt horrible itchy - just itchy.
So then when vet came ( she is my holistic one ) I asked for a skin scrapping and instead got the iodide to help immune system/thyroid. And removed alf per her. Taking temp for two weeks also.
I was afraid as belly got itchier and he started loosing weight I was in for it. His mood is good - he was a beast before I learned of this thread (almost put him down) so he is still eating and happy - just itchy. Now it is all over his body again.
As EqT said maybe it is die off. I do have a new gooey eye as of yesterday and this AM. So I will watch that. Vet due back out this week for diff horse so I will have her re-check.
Weight is holding, not ideal. And not like he was a month ago.
So sorry it’s such an ongoing thing.
I guess you still have the option of doing a skin scraping though.
Remember too that the adult onchocerca live for years and years and years and are always producing new NTWs… so conceivably, he could still be infested with them.
I can’t see your location, so I don’t know if seasonal changes make a difference or not. Doesn’t seem like it would after reading everything here. It’s just no midges to pass along new infestations that stops when it gets cold.
