Advice please... horse having toilet trouble.

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caramel

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Hi! Just need some advice really...

I have a 15yr old TB, he's recently been having trouble pooing. He's ok when he has come in from the field, and goes in the field. It's only when he's being ridden, he almost feels lame behind (but isn't), goes very sluggish and not keen to move much. He won't go in the school/on hacks.

However when he is in his stable after being ridden he'll stand like he's going to go, then moves around for a bit, tries again, moves around some more before he finally goes. He moans and groans (this is normal for him). It's becoming a habit now and not sure what to make of it, when he's not being ridden he's fine generally. He's on pink powder, plenty of hay, out all day and eats his feeds.
 
He sounds as if he might be a bit constipated, are his droppings firm and dry when he does go, if so he may be a little dehydrated. His diet sounds as if it is giving him plenty of fibre, do you wet his feeds or hay to get more water into him, I would give him sloppy feeds with some salt to encourage drinking and get the vet out if he does not improve.
It may just be that he does not like going when tacked up, my old eventer was the same and would colic if I was not really careful.
 
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. He always has plenty of water in his stable, never seems to be a big drinker, hardly touches his water overnight. Not sure how much he drinks in the field. His water buckets in his stable are always fresh.
His feeds are always rather sloppy, and his hay is soaked, so I guess he's getting water that way.
When he does go his droppings are always firm, and almost like he's holding on until he gets in the stable.

Last weekend we had an issue with nosebleeds, he had 3 in 4 days, vet was called and put him onto antibiotics and bute. Not sure if these are related?
 
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which type of oil is best? He's currently on Hi-fi molasses free. Is table salt ok.. in feed or water bucket?

Would electrolytes help?
 
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Table salt in feed not in the water, any oil might help, vegetable oil from the supermarket, linseed oil or soya oil from feed stores.
 
will give that a try :) He's not been right these last few days, I thought it was because there's been horses moving in and out in the stable next to him. Am worried as he's currently on Antibiotics, however he was like it before. Is it worth seeking advice from the vet? He appears to be very tired when he comes in, yet is eating fine. Everything else seems ok, just not himself when he's been ridden and like something is 'not quite right'. The first time he did it we were out on a hack, just walking and had to trot some of the way so he could go.
 
If he is on anti-biotics he will be feeling a bit off I would give him a rest tomorrow and phone the vet on Monday it is probably a side effect but needs keeping an eye on as could be a symptom of something else going on.
 
that's what I'm worried about, he's had colic in the past (spasmodic), and will keep an eye on him. He's been rested for the last 10 days, since the nosebleeds occured. Today we literally went for a walk, for about 10mins.

Will phone vet on monday for a chat, if they want to come out they're welcome to.
 
I think you are right to keep a good close eye on him, and call the vet if in any doubt.

Worth taking his temperature and pulse any time you are concerned, and jot those down, and keep a note on how his poos are in terms of size and consistency, so that you'll have an idea if he is becoming very unwell, and also it'll give the vet an idea of how well the horse is doing.

I'm not really clear on what you are seeing with your horse. Does he actually lift his tail and back ready to poo, strain and do nothing? Or is it that he stops, and you think he may be wanting to poo or wee? Or is he parking his back legs out behind him as if to wee, but doing nothing?

If you see him starting to look at his tummy at all, I'd ask the vet out straight away in case it's the start of a colic. Just not worth risking.

Otherwise, some of what you describe might fit with him having a bit of a tying-up session. The reluctance to move, and stopping as though to wee or poo but doing nothing, can be signs of a low level tyingup, even if the horse doesn't actually refuse to move at all.

If you're still unsure on Monday and decide to call the vet out, then maybe it'd be worth having a blood test including muscle enzymes (which would show if there's any kind of tyingup involved), especially if the vet can't account for it any other way.

Hope he's soon much better.

Sarah
 
I'd be very very wary of putting additional salt into the feed of a horse that's already not drinking much. You might think it would make him thirsty so prompt him to drink more but the opposite may happen. if he's not drinking for a different reason and continues to NOT drink, then adding salt will make him severely dehydrated and, if continued too long, very ill. Better to see your vet because he may have some kind of low grade colic going on.
 
Thank you both. I've got some veg oil to pop in his feed, will see what that does.
He lifts his tail and back as if he's going to poo, stands there but nothing happens. Weeing he seems ok, he really stretches out and groans a lot then too.
 
Is he on bute and antibiotics at the minute?
Id be calling the vet out esp if he is on bute....he could have right dorsal colitis i.e ulcers in the colon from the bute.
It sounds likes hes constipated,straining and having low grade colic....from pain in the caudal end of the Gastro intestinal tract which would show why hes uncomfortable urinating as well.

I would be keeping close eyes on whats hes passing and how often...see if gentle exercise imrpoves his motility etc..but to be honest he sounds sore...

Vet sooner rather than later...

seconding box of frogs no extra salt warning though....unless you know whats wrong I wouldn't be adding it.Its a prevention mesure to add it in a healthy horse to encourage them to drink more not a treatment in a sick one and your horse does not sound completely healthy right now....pain will also put horses off water thats why colic horses and horses after surgery have water monitoring.Going off the water is one of the early signs of issues....
 
Aru: Yes he is, he's on 1 sachet a day and 1 bute a day. I noticed 2 poos this morning, but he's a horse who scatters it and walks it in! so not entirely sure how much he did overnight. He did drink slightly more last night, which is a bonus, he's never been a big drinker, sometimes his buckets are completely dry, sometimes they hardly look touched.
I've put him out in the field, he's been out every day.
Think speaking to other liveries hasn't helped, they all think I'm paranoid and nothing's wrong. He is an older horse and he's colicked before.
Will take his temperature later, and will add a drop of oil in his feeds, to see if that helps. Can't see any obvious signs of infection, he has had a sinus infection but he's on them (vets recommendation), for nosebleeds (he had 3 last weekend). I'm at a loss to be honest. Ringing vets tomorrow.
 
Well today he's ok :) Did 2 poos when he came in from field no problem at all. Only seems to be a issue when he's ridden.
Put some veg oil in his feed so we shall see, he's still not happy about his tummy/stifle being touched, but eating fine, and seems fine in every other way, so problem sees to be isolated to when he's been ridden??
 
have called vet :( Handy's lost a ton of weight and looks awful, despite eating all his feeds, and plenty of hay. Vet said he wants him blood tested for liver and kidneys :( He's not at all right, very lethargic, can't touch his belly/stifles either side. Hopefully vet visit tomorrow will come up with something.
 
he's had the vet! and was a good boy as per usual. She took bloods which will be done today so will know more later. Going to put him on a high calorie feed (alfa a oil and alfabeet), to try and get weight on. If still not happy then will scope. But will see what bloods say, we wonder whether he's had a virus/infection.

thank you all for your advice.
 
the problem with sloppy feeds and soaked hay is the horse is getting some liquid in his diet but in fact not enough but because he is getting some he is not drinking enough, hope this makes sense, so add in some salt to his sloppy feed so that he wants to drink more, horses apparently do not drink to quench their thirst like humans, they drink to sustain their fluid levels in the gut for digestion, hope this makes sense.
 
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