Constipated???

[coen]

when I went down one evening last week my horse seemed constipated, he lifted his tail done a really small poo then kept lifting his tail, 10 mins later done little bit more ect. But was still eating & seemed perky.

Well last night the same thing happened, and his belly was making quite a bit of noise. I rode him and he seemed ok when going forward but I noticed he kept lifting his tail, when I stopped to do up his girth he refused to move on again so I got off.
He done another really small poo.

He is on calm & condition which needs to be soaked for 10 mins. And is on part livery in the week so they make it up, he had already had the night feed so I checked the mornings and it wasn't soaked enough.

Could this be the cause or do you think something else is going on?

 

[vetsbestfriend]

Passing small amounts of poop, particularly if harder than normal, can be a sign of an impaction brewing, which can lead to colic. Is he being turned out daily or is he confined to the stable. Mobility can help keep the guts moving.

Definately keep an eye on him for the next few days and make sure his food is properly soaked before feeding. Also keep an eye on his fluid intake to make sure he is drinking enough.

If you are worried about him or he starts to show any signs of discomfort, best course of action is to speak to your vet.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

As vbf - this could be trouble brewing if it's not normal for your horse. I'd give him really wet feeds for a bit and watch him like a hawk. For longer term, couldn't you make up say 5 days of his C&C and leave it in a bucket for staff to use? No offence to anyone intended but depending on the quality (and time, training, etc) of the yard staff, he might not be being fed properly on a regular basis. I have personal experience of this: full livery yard, 18 livery horses, big whiteboard showing am/pm feeds for each horse, yard staff come along and make up 18 identical bog standard feeds.

 

[coen]

Yes it's impaction colic I am worried about. I thought it might have passed but last night he was the same, and when I checked this morning he only had 2 small poo's in stable and hadn't drunk much water but was happily eating and seemed ok in himself.

I am taking him off the C&C as I don't think that is helping. I have left a message for the vet & am waiting for him to ring me back with advice.

I wet his hay & small feed but is there anything else I can do to help it pass.
He really isn't good with vets or needles so want to avoid if poss before it gets bad.

Do you think I should try to limit his hay or starve over night - I no this isn't generally a good idea but that is what you do after impaction colic.

Also yes he is out every day for around 4 hours.

 

[vetsbestfriend]

Sorry to hear that he is still not quite right.

Really your vet is the best person to be advising you on his care as he knows your horse and what is normal and what is not.

In the past when either of my 2 have been a bit hard or not passed many poops, I have added a good 2 handfuls of Epsom Salts to their dinner. Epsom salts help soften what is in the gut and also encourage the horse to drink more water. Gentle exercise, wet grass and turnout can help as well. I still offer hay, but not their normal quantity. Enough to help keep the guts moving.

I hope your vet is able to help and your boy improves over the next few days.

 

[katia]

Hi,

Whats the update on this?..

I was curious as my mare has just recovered from a nasty pelvic impaction. She however went off fairly rapidly..constantly wanting to lay down, flat out. Vet nose tubed her and gave extra electrolytes as she had stopped drinking. Lots of various jabs and 3 days of camping in her stable with her until it cleared! I was advised to with hold food the night before it cleared so maybe there is something in that??

In retrospect I suspect she ate too much straw bed (she is now on shavings!!) and this formed the impaction.

Let us know how you got on.xx