Colic/ shavings and hives!!

[Flowerofthefen]

3 in one post!!
Got down yard this morning to find my tb down and groaning and breathing heavily. Got vet out, she gave him a rectal and tubed him. He was bunged up. Luckily once pain relief given and buscopan he was comfortable and recovered from the sedation with no problem. She thinks he had eaten his lovely straw bed!!

So on to the shavings. I removed his huge straw bed and now have him on shavings. At £9.45 a bag I would like to know what's the most cost effective way to keep a shavings bed please?

Thirdly hives. He was also covered in hives this morning. He wasn't itchy but he is now. He has been on alfa a oil for months with no issue. Could he just react to it like that? Or is not not related to that at all and related to the colic or vice versa?

Vet coming out again this afternoon to check all is well and to give him a steroid or medicated shampoo if he is still itchy. Sorry for the long post, it's been quite a morning!

 

[Birker2020]

3 in one post!!
Got down yard this morning to find my tb down and groaning and breathing heavily. Got vet out, she gave him a rectal and tubed him. He was bunged up. Luckily once pain relief given and buscopan he was comfortable and recovered from the sedation with no problem. She thinks he had eaten his lovely straw bed!!

So on to the shavings. I removed his huge straw bed and now have him on shavings. At £9.45 a bag I would like to know what's the most cost effective way to keep a shavings bed please?

Thirdly hives. He was also covered in hives this morning. He wasn't itchy but he is now. He has been on alfa a oil for months with no issue. Could he just react to it like that? Or is not not related to that at all and related to the colic or vice versa?

Vet coming out again this afternoon to check all is well and to give him a steroid or medicated shampoo if he is still itchy. Sorry for the long post, it's been quite a morning!

The most cost effective way for me was a bag of Platinum Plus pellets, premixed with water and laid down on the stable floor (on top of rubber matting) and then walked over really well to press down. A layer about 4 - 6" of shavings on top. The best thing I ever used was pellets, I would never go back to using just shavings again. Ever.

Mind you Lari was always a very clean horse, probably four poos a night, all in the same place and one wee. So very economical to keep.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

It could have been the straw he ate that caused hives.

I use shavings and muck out once or twice a week depending how long mine are in for, I do buy wood pellets and put 2 big stubbs scoops full on the bits where they wee then lay the bed, I have a very thick full bed without mats and the wet doesn't come through so lovely and dry on top, the pellets soak up most of the wet so you save on shavings I use between half and 1 a week most of the time may need more in winter.

I'm currently using mega spread I find they go further but they are not cheap.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Thank you both. I will see if I can collect some pellets at some point.

 

[criso]

I had a horse that was allergic to all types of wood based bedding, shavings, pellets etc. He had to be on straw or he came out iin hives.

Took a long time to work out as his immune system got so reactive other things would trigger it. Once everything had settled down I could reintroduce other things he had reacted to but the hives came back if he was on shavings even briefly.

 

[Sossigpoker]

My boy is out during day and in at night and I manage a clean, fluffy bed on 1.5-2 bales of shavings per week.
I found pellets to be dirty and dusty and needing to add a bag like every other day just to try and keep a dry surface layer

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I had a horse that was allergic to all types of wood based bedding, shavings, pellets etc. He had to be on straw or he came out iin hives.

Took a long time to work out as his immune system got so reactive other things would trigger it. Once everything had settled down I could reintroduce other things he had reacted to but the hives came back if he was on shavings even briefly.

Mine currently sounds the opposite. He has been on straw for a few years. We had a smaller round bale come out the baler at the farm so I nicked it for the horses so different straw to normal. It's lovely straw which is probity he ate it!

 

[Flowerofthefen]

My boy is out during day and in at night and I manage a clean, fluffy bed on 1.5-2 bales of shavings per week.
I found pellets to be dirty and dusty and needing to add a bag like every other day just to try and keep a dry surface layer

Thank you. Still sounds like it's going to work out expensive. Friend is on woodchip and it's awful. The shavings look lovely, just hope it doesn't break the bank!!

 

[Highmileagecob]

Check if the shavings are dust extracted. Or are they 'second' quality shavings, which often contain hardwood. This will be obvious from their darker colour, and will make you sneeze and cough. The hives may not be bedding related, and could stem from a reaction to something the vet gave him. I too find it easier to put wood pellets under a deep shavings bed, and then deep litter. Poo pick daily, remove the wet patch when it shows through the shavings, and replace dry wood pellets in the wet patch. Top up the shavings as necessary.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Check if the shavings are dust extracted. Or are they 'second' quality shavings, which often contain hardwood. This will be obvious from their darker colour, and will make you sneeze and cough. The hives may not be bedding related, and could stem from a reaction to something the vet gave him. I too find it easier to put wood pellets under a deep shavings bed, and then deep litter. Poo pick daily, remove the wet patch when it shows through the shavings, and replace dry wood pellets in the wet patch. Top up the shavings as necessary.

Thank you. It was the straw I think he reacted to, now on dust extracted shavings. He had the hives before the vet came but got worse during the morning after the vet had left. He still has a few bumps but the vet has given him something to help the itching.

 

[Barton Bounty]

I never use shavings as they are so expensive and huge wastage with them.

I use sawdust which is low in dust and you can get a base built. Think they are £6 a bale , I use 5/6 for a start then just 1/2 a week in winter

As for the hives … id give some antihistamines for that

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I never use shavings as they are so expensive and huge wastage with them.

I use sawdust which is low in dust and you can get a base built. Think they are £6 a bale , I use 5/6 for a start then just 1/2 a week in winter

As for the hives … id give some antihistamines for that

Thank you. I will look round for cheaper bedding. I was in a rush to get him sorted out so just bought what was there.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Thank you. I will look round for cheaper bedding. I was in a rush to get him sorted out so just bought what was there.

I like shavings but, they aren’t super absorbent. And they are so expensive. If you have a jewsons or similar near you, they generally sell bales of bedding too. Worth a try sawdust is really absorbed well. You could probably only need to lift the wet every week or so

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I like shavings but, they aren’t super absorbent. And they are so expensive. If you have a jewsons or similar near you, they generally sell bales of bedding too. Worth a try sawdust is really absorbed well. You could probably only need to lift the wet every week or so

Our local jewsons don't do it unfortunately

 

[Ceifer]

I use miscanthus bedding. Slightly cheaper than shavings and more cost efficient. I semi deep litter and just take out the wet patches when they start to get to the surface. My big horse uses a bale a week when he’s in overnight.

I have used in conjunction with pellet bedding in the past but I just haven’t found any cheap enough to combine lately.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Jewsons would ve been a good idea but the manufacturers of Ultrabed..which they supply ..I heard are stopping production.

 

[southerncomfort]

We get big bags of sawdust from our local timber merchants (Earnshaws) for the base. £4.99 a bag so very cost effective, although we do use straw on top.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Please tell me more about miscanthus?

Is it palatable?

I use sawdust currently and while I am happy to keep using it, wondered if the miscanthus bedding might be good.

He can’t be on Bliss as he eats it not allowed straw