Loose Stools

[Ed Thayer]

I know this has been discussed somewhere on here. My horse has really loose stools, he has for a while. No weight loss, or unhealthy behavior, but it is a mess back there. The gas comes with a liquid discharge sometimes and is preety gross. I know the hay came from a field that had potash spread on it earlier in the year. Could that have something to do with it? The stools are wet and regulare. I was cleaning the paddock tonight and noticed a black puddle under the poop pile, it had froze because it was so cold out.

Should I be worrried? My neighbor has hay from the same field and thier Canadian Percheron Cross has the same issue. What else might cause this?

Ed

[Anonymous]

We have a line of natural products that actually works for this issue. I am going to talk with our vets this morning and make sure of which product would be best for this horse and get back to you. Our products work when others have failed. I know, you’ve probably heard that before…but it’s for real. Will post this afternoon.

[near horse]

Hi Ed,

Do the stools have some form to them (ie. still some road apple appearance) or does the pile look more like a cow pie (plop splat)? I looked at the old post you mentioned and that consensus seemed to be don’t sweat it but you can try giving a probiotic.

[Tim Harrigan]

@highway 31472 wrote:

Should I be worrried? My neighbor has hay from the same field and thier Canadian Percheron Cross has the same issue. What else might cause this?

Ed

Not sure, Ed, but because a neighbor feeding the same hay has the same problem I would start looking closely at the hay. Could be some plants that are toxic to the horses. It does not seem like the K20 would be the problem but you never know. How much was applied, and was the hay harvested after the application? Can you feed another hay source for a while and see if it clears up?

[Scott G]

@highway 31472 wrote:

I was cleaning the paddock tonight and noticed a black puddle under the poop pile, it had froze because it was so cold out.

Ed, that black puddle could possibly be occult blood from a chronic gut bleed which can be the sign for several different possibilites. Get a stool sample and take it to your vet. If the black puddle is not very thick in consistency it could be urine, (azoturia) which could be a major issue as well. Given your description though its sounds like feces. Geat a fresh sample, if possible, of both “puddles” in separate clean non-contaminated, sealable containers and take them in.

-S

[becorson]

Some of the common causes of loose manure in horses are parasites, eating sand or dirt (“sand colic”), imbalance of the bacteria that normally live in the gut, and tumors. I agree w/ scott that you should get a vet to check it out if possible, but it can be hard, (even for a good vet,) to figure out what’s going on inside that big belly! for example, some of the most damaging parasites (e.g., cyathastomes) only shed eggs at intervals, so a parasite exam can give you a “false negative”. just saying don’t be too surprised if nothing clear cut shows up at first. good luck and let us know how it goes.
Barb Corson (VMD)

[Ed Thayer]

Thanks for input. I called the vet and will be taking a stool sample over first thing on Monday. I will keep you posted.
Most stools are just loose, but a few have been the cow pie type.

Ed

[Anonymous]

Because there are 2 horses in the same environment having this issue, our vets think it could be mycotoxins. Talk to your extension agent about having them tested. In the meantime, I can send you a bucket of Micron Equus Ultimate, which is a probiotic, prebiotic and mycotoxin remediation supplement. The strain of yeast is patented and registered to us, and along with the enzymes it’s all naturally occurring in a horse’s gut…it’s equine specific in other words. The live microbials stay live all the way to the hindgut. Again, I realize a lot of companies make that claim, but we have the science to back it up. This is in powder form and you just use it as a top dress on their feed once a day. Here’s a link to our website so you can read about the products and the company. We have all the certifications to sell in the US and Internationally and the products are actually “food grade”. The company is based in Buena Vista, VA. http://www.micronbio-systems.com Let me know if you want to try the Equus Ultimate…if it is mycotoxin related, it will likely take care of the problem and certainly cannot hurt anything regardless.

[Gabe Ayers]

When I was an apprentice we lost a mare due to complex set of cirucmstances, but ultimately it was worm load in combination with heavy work when she was not in good shape that did her in. Loose stool was present just before she had to be put down. I say this not to cause undue alarm but to urge you to get a vet involved ASAP. If anything, we should have been more proactive earlier in diagnosing and treating her. It sounds like you have a feed issue rather than a worm problem, but as other have suggested I would get some vet help sooner that than later.
-Brad

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