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Post by hooti4me on Nov 19, 2008 15:39:32 GMT -5
So my new horse, (3 yr old Hungarian WB gelding) is having some issues. I believe its food related. First I was told by my chiropractor to add alittle alfalfa to his diet for the bone spurs. (he has 2 of them, one in right pastern, and one in the neck) So we purchased 2 tons of alfalfa/grass mix to give to him (its more alfalfa though) I started giving him a flake of alfalfa with 2 flakes Orchard grass morning and night. He pretty much eats it all. I noticed after started him on the alfalfa he started getting goopy eyes. Just within the last several days I've noticed him pooping alot of liquid before the poop. He then grunts alittle and poops the rest out.. its not runny, just a pile of poop. I tried backign off the alfalfa some, splitting the flake in half per feeding. Today got home from work and he was colicking. Trotting around his paddock, and kickign out. He wouldn't let me catch him, but I finally did. I squirted alittle Dynapro in his mouth. Then began walkign him. My neighbor came to help too. He was stressed out walking, kicking out, and bucking, acting like he wanted to roll. He calmed out some.. and abotu an hour of walking, he started nipping and biting me. (knew he was feeling alittle better) I decided to put him back in his paddock.. he quickly pooped a pretty big pile... no diarrhea. I can see the whole pasture from my kitchen window, so I am keepign an eye on him. His behavior is pretty normal. Just went outside to check him, and he pooped again.. this time poop balls.
I think he isn't doign good on either the hay I have him on.. or something isn't quite right. Before he was fed 1 flake TImothy and 1 flake alfalfa, and I don't know of any colicky episodes. ANy ideas?
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Buena
SAFE Volunteer
No horse will ever teach you as much as your first horse.
Posts: 1,929
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Post by Buena on Nov 19, 2008 17:21:27 GMT -5
Call your vet. Have your hay tested. Do a fecal test to see if there is any sand in his poops.
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Post by hooti4me on Nov 19, 2008 18:01:03 GMT -5
So far so good, after a couple of hours.. and a couple more piles of poop. THis time they are round poop balls.
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Post by cutiepiepmu on Nov 19, 2008 22:22:51 GMT -5
I agree with Buena - Get the hay tested - I have had several clients that have had their horses suddely start having colic issues and when theyt ested the hay it came back as having a high mold spore count. The hay LOOKS fine and smells fine, but tested pretty high for mold - and in one case tested VERY high in sugars.
I would just put your kid back on the timothy hay as long as it is high quality - make sure he is getting a well balanced,, HIGH quality vitamin mineral, definately check for sand in the poo and if youa re concerned about their not being enough calcium in the diet - consider adding a calcium supplement rather than the alfalfa in the way you are currently.
Sara
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Post by winterlakesfarm on Nov 19, 2008 22:39:35 GMT -5
Pretty odd the recommendation to add alfalfa which can be all over the board nutritionally instead of a balanced feed ration or supplement........
Nothing wrong with alfalfa unless your vet tells you to remove it from his diet- but I have been on tons of vet calls and managed breeding farms and have NEVER heard that one from a vet to address growth/bone/development issues. I have had plenty say to remove it from the diet for a while but never to add it to fix something.
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Post by leahlady on Nov 19, 2008 23:14:56 GMT -5
The only thing I can think about adding alfalfa for bone spurs is the high calcium content - maybe to make them heal more quickly?
The only thing I am sure about is that CHIROPRACTORS ARE NOT VETERINARIANS.
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Post by hooti4me on Nov 20, 2008 12:23:37 GMT -5
My boy is doing much better today. I have him on extra Probiotics right now. He started having alittle issues when I changed hay, from the 1st cutting stuff (more chorse, much like timothy) to the Orchard grass. I am thinking he can't have the orchard grass with alfalfa. I cut him back on the alfalfa (1/2 flake morning and night) so see how he does on that. Alot of horses can't take the Orchard grass and alfalfa together. Afew people I've told about the recommendation I was given to add the alfalfa to his diet (for the bone spurs) are pretty shocked by that one too. He wasn't on ANY alfalfa, and was doign fine. I got some (2 tons worth) to add alittle to his diet. But I am sure now, its probably not a good thing.
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Post by schwung on Nov 20, 2008 12:45:50 GMT -5
Personally, I would take him off the alfalfa completely. While its not uncommon for horses to get a little bit of diarrhea with a change in hay (I have had it happen even when just getting a new load of hay of the same type/cutting), a colic is another story and I wouldn't mess around.
What is Dynapro? I have never heard of it, so I am curious. It's always a good thing to have Banamine on hand - I hate to make a horse in pain walk.
I also second the comment about doing a sand check. This is very easy to do if you don't know how. Take a couple of poop balls (nicely formed ones) and put them in a latex exam glove - you probably won't want to use more than one poop ball with a regular sized glove, if you can get a hold of one of the big exam gloves the vets use those work even better. Then fill halfway with water, and tie the glove at the top. Then mash it up with your hands until it is nothing but poop soup, and all the manure is completely broken down. Hang the glove up from the tied end and let it sit for 15 minutes or so. The sand weighs more than the manure, so if there is sand, it will end up in the fingers of the glove and be easy to see, and depending on how much poop you started with, you should be able to get an idea of your sand content.
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Post by hooti4me on Nov 20, 2008 12:57:36 GMT -5
Dyna-Pro is from Dynamite its a Probiotic. He was never in big stress. He quickly came out of it, after giving him a big squirt of Dyna-pro in the mouth. He wanted to walk, everytime we stopped he drug me to keep going. (I've seen some colicky horses, you have to pull and push to get walking) About an hour after the Dyna-pro he started nipping and biting me.. (good sign he was feeling better) Still no poop though. As soon as I put him in his paddock, he pooped. I watched him alot thru the day, and he had pooped 8 times, all solid round poop balls. Banamine didn't do anything for him.. we did give him a shot of it, to be on the save side. It just pissed him off, to have a shot in the neck. Between the neighbor and I we have banamine, tranquilizer, and bute.
I agree about the alfalfa, I've been adviced to pull him off it also.
Will do the sand test today, and report back.
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Post by winterlakesfarm on Nov 20, 2008 16:22:17 GMT -5
Dyna pro is great stuff!!!! When Parelli colicked for a week a couple of years ago one of the board members here(might even have been Hootie) sent me some........also when Heidi had chronic loose stool. I really appreciated it!
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Post by efboldknight on Mar 6, 2009 3:51:12 GMT -5
I am having the some similiar issues with feed causing diarrhea. But I think mine is related to NW Horse Supplement. Amyone have this problem? He is just on hay/grass right now.
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lisam
Full BB Member
Posts: 178
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Post by lisam on Mar 6, 2009 10:28:44 GMT -5
I've fed NW Horse Supplement for years without any problems.
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Buena
SAFE Volunteer
No horse will ever teach you as much as your first horse.
Posts: 1,929
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Post by Buena on Mar 6, 2009 11:20:23 GMT -5
I used to feed NWSupplement and never had a problem.
I have a friend who has had problems with her eastern WA grass hay causing diarrhea in one horse. Once off that hay and switched to something else his runs completely disappeared. He gets a combination of timothy and my local hay now and is a much happier, and cleaner, boy.
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Post by hooti4me on Mar 6, 2009 13:19:22 GMT -5
I guess I should update on how my young guy is doing. He was doing pretty good for awhile, then I started noticing classic ulcer signs. (cribbing, diarhea, very sensitive belly, colicky) He was being super picky on hay, and would only eat the leaves on the alfalfa, and he lost a bit of weight. I had my equine dentist come out, as I was thinking retained caps, but he had lost them by the time he came out. I had a hair analysis test done on him (reading on UDBB) and he came back with an ulcer, low probiotics, high acid. We are treating him with a 6 week program, and one week he is already changed. No more diarhea, no more colic, no more cribbing. I had plans to send him for training the whole month of March, but that got postponed. Its great to see a happy horse again!
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Post by cutiepiepmu on Mar 6, 2009 15:14:06 GMT -5
That is good news Hootie - I know that ulcer treatments are spendy, but for the horse that has the ulcers it is the only real thing that ever fixes it Definately talk to your vet about a post treatment plan as well - I have found that a horse with serious ulcers tends to be alot more prone in general and keeping the horse on a quality daily supplement to help buffer and protect the tummy can be really important. There are a few really outstanding products on the market - I really like U-7 by Select the Best, Ulc-r-aid by animed(one of my absolute favorites, and U-Guard 2x powder! As far as diarhea startign on the NW supplement - I have seen this in a few horses. If the horses hay has not been changed, and the only thing added is the vitamin, I suggest trying a different vitamin that has a different carrier base instead of alfalfa. HorseGuard vitamins are OUTSTANDING and actually work out less in price to feed daily - and overall are a better quality product Might try that! Sara
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