UPDATE- Bio Sponge for Horses with Recurrent Diarrhea- Maintenance Dose working well

[_bj]

WFH, I guess we are on the same page….that was my plan. I left him on the pasture (@ 6 hrs), @ 4lbs alfalfa and all he will eat (which isn’t much) grass hay, since that is what he was eating when he started firming up.

Instead of going back with the ration balancer and oats I started him on a ½ dose of Platinum Performance supplement in some chopped alfalfa. I figure I can add back some oats to that if I need to later.

I had been buying short loads of hay, (same type, same supplier) but just got in a larger qty (last of last years supply) that I can reserve for this horse so I will pull some samples and get it tested just for haha’s…….thought those days were over since I lost my last IR/Cushings girl in Feb.
I didn’t know that the Platinum Performance Equine had bio sponge in it. They never mentioned that to me during our conversations……and although I found it once in a paper, I cannot remember exactly what bio sponge is… do you know how much is in the supplement?

Thanks for the suggestions!

[hey101]

So my mare’s diarrhea came back after about 4 or 5 days off the Bio Sponge. I contacted them and they told me that the Platinum Performance Equine does have a small amount of Bio Sponge in it but they would not share the amount as they consider this proprietary. They consider it to be at such a low level that it’s purpose is to maintain gut integrity, not resolve chronic issues such as my mare has. I asked about dosing the straight Bio Sponge on a daily basis and at what level would be considered safe; they responded that they suggest starting out at 4 oz/ day (1/2 of the amount for the 7-day intensive treatment) and then dosing down to see what works on a long-term basis for my particular horse.

I think I’m going to go even more conservatively than that and try 2 oz/ day to see if that resolves it for her, and dose up or down from there.

Once again, very highly impressed with Platinum Performance’s customer service and response time!

[purplnurpl]

@sublimequine;4949514

My mare has had loose manure since I bought her. It’s never diarrhea, but always “cow patty”.

my horse had this issue for years. Turned out it was MSM. He’s fine unless he’s on MSM.

What supplements do you have your horses on?

[_bj]

I’ve got my guy pretty much back to normal. Formed manure with a little that runs down the leg sometimes, but on a scale of 1-10, 10 at his worst, he is maybe a 2 on some days. He is feeling much better, pretty good, considering the heat……

I have been talking with the Platinum Performance Equine folks quite a bit and I agree that they are top notch. They even called me back to get more information regarding my possible “complication” just to have the info on file for future reference.

I have decided to try a couple on their supplement; I going to try “soy free” for a while.

I have to say, their distribution method is a little confusing, but I kept looking until I found a way to get the product with reasonable freight. All I need is their general supplement but if you need/want a custom blend they are happy to do that for you too. It comes in a single serving pouch like the samples that they sent me. I got spoiled in 2 weeks with the convenience.

I still don’t know what caused the diarrhea in my guy, and maybe never will. I have a feeling it’s not over and so I have my supply of biosponge on hand. At least I know what it wasn’t!

[Whitfield_Farm_Hanov]

Heh BJ, so glad to hear your boy’s doing better. Good luck with everything. You might also try to find that feed by Buckeye, “Gut Health”. Might give safe calories he needs it in the future. Keep us updates. Anything dealing with GI issues is truly scary to me. Good Luck with it all.

[Zevida]

I wanted to say thanks to everyone for posting in this thread and sharing your stories. Since this past winter, I’ve been having problems with my boy having “cow patty” BMs rather than “horse apples.” Some days are worse than others, but it is definitely making him uncomfortable and I’m tired of having desitin all over his rear and getting in his tail.

I talked to my barn manager and I’ve ordered the Bio-Sponge to try for a week and see if it helps. My boy has always had issues for a week or two in the spring right when the grass comes in, but this has just gone on and on - six months or more.

[mpsbarnmanager]

Papaya Puree

I had a boarder’s horse that had chronic diarrhea last year. He has on bio-sponge for months and it did help a lot, but it was not totally resolving. Owner found some stuff called “Stomach Soother” at our local tack shop. It is just 100% papaya puree. We gave him a few ounces a day in his feed and he dried right up. We took him off of it this spring and he stayed normal. Might help someone out!

[li_l_bit]

This is just an idea, and I don’t know if it holds true for horses, but when dogs have an ongoing loose stool or diarrhoea, a teaspoon of plain canned pumpkin a day firms up the offensive mess. Oddly enough, when their stool is too firm, the pumpkin will also put it back into balance.

I know that it is OK to give pumpkins and squash to horses in moderation, so I am wondering if it might help in their situation also. Has anyone ever tried it? I would think it might be more like 5 or 6 Tablespoons for a horse.

BUT, I don’t know if you have noticed, but there is no canned pumpkin anywhere to be bought. I guess this will continue until Thanksgiving time. Something about a bad season last year. So, for my dog I have been substituting butternut squash and it does work (in just a couple of days). She developed a loose stool when I switched her to a different feed. What were once little cow patties is now normal, firm stool.

Easy and cost effective to try. Also OK for IR horses. Ask your vet. If nothing else, you horse will think it got extra treats for a week or so.

[easyrider]

I’m a huge fan of Bio Sponge. But I have seen it stop working after some time. What worked then was a cup of dry wheat bran am and pm for five days added to his ration balancer. Bingo. Permanent end of problem.

[Zevida]

Did anyone have any trouble getting their horse to eat the Bio Sponge? I just got mine today and it seems like a lot of volume. I have a plus sized horse, so he’s getting 6 oz instead of four. I’ve never had him on any other supplements except an occasional electrolyte and I’m worried about him rejecting the Bio Sponge.

[_bj]

Zevida, When I started my guy on biosponge he was getting 1/2 lb ration balancer and 1 lb oats. I agree that the volume of the bio sponge was almost as much as his meal, so I added some dehydrated alfalfa, the bio sponge and wet it all.

The first feeding he knew something was different but ate it, by the second feeding he had forgotten all about it and by the third I had decided to take him off all grain so he was just getting the dehydrated alfalfa and bio sponge. He was fine with it. Apparently the moistened dehydrated alfalfa masks everything or its so yummy that they don’t care!

I have not added any grain back, just the 1 lb of alfalfa and platinum perfomance supplement (along with hay and pasture) and he really is doing well.

He was on the bio sponge for a week, a few days off and then another week. He has been off of it for over a month and is still doing well.

Good luck!

[tallygirl]

i have both of my big tbs on biosponge and have been using it for 6 months. it has worked miracles for my horses diarrhea. i coudnt be happier with the product. i love platinum performance!! glad other people are having the same results as me!!

[SSS4]

Used Bio-sponge for mare with E-Coli- saved her life!! Recently for chronic diarrhea I tried Assure at the recommendation of the hopital at UGA-gone after 2 days and the horse has put on 100 pounds!!

[hey101]

Upate- a daily maintenance dose seems to be working

I’ve been meaning to post an update on this thread for awhile. I’ve had my mare on a 3-4 oz daily maintenace dose of biosponge for the past few months and it seems to have cleared up her diarrhea really well. It’s not 100%- she is still on the looser side with her stools, but the piles have relative shape to them instead of a big cow patty, and I no longer show up to a huge mess on her backside and tail - she is relatively clean except for some backsplash spots on her inner legs and pasterns. I did also switch her to full alfalfa, but I feel like the biosponge is really the success story here. Platinum Performance was super to work with, answered all my questions, and again shipped my order overnight for free even though I selected the cheapest 5-day ground shipping.

I hope the rest of you have had similar success with your horses!