Filly with firm droppings, how to loosen them?

chrissie1

chrissie1

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My two year old has always done rather firm droppings, which has never been an issue. About 3 weeks ago she left half her breakfast, unheard of, and although grazed a little soon stopped and looked off colour. I took her temperature which was 102.9 from memory, and her resp. rate was a bit high.

Thankfully the vet was coming out anyway so had a look at her. She had been suffering a snotty nose and cough (vet saw said as long as she was eating and bright let it run its course, which it did), but her chest was clear. Her guts were quiet though, so we did an internal, found poo and removed it and there was more there. vet said it was hard, I said that was normal for her, but was worried that if there was a lot there and it was drier than normal we could have been heading for an impaction. Took bloods, clear, she had an anti inflammatory but was still sorry for herself and didn't graze until mid afternoon.

I turned her back out so that she could move around and keep her guts working 'just in case'. Took her a few days to recover and eat up normally again, but she did and has been her normal cheeky self ever since. I have thought about getting that new product whose name escapes me, to encourage her to drink, as she doesn't really drink enough.

What can I give her on a daily basis to keep her poo softer? Daily routine is, fed at 6.45, out at 7 with hay in field (they don't need it but I do it) in at 5 for half an hour while we poo pick, then back out until 10 when she comes in for the night. Fed on Winergy Low topped up with little Benevit, unmol. sugar beet, three times a day. Ad lib hay. Wormed with 5 day course and done for tapes. Egg counted earlier in the year at <50. This morning there were only two poos, large ones, she does quite big ones when she does them, which to my mind isn't enough.

I know Linseed Oil can laxative, but have also read that it can be an irritant. Don't think she'd eat a lot of an oily feed and at 16.3 and still growing but carrying plenty of condition I don't need her to gain weight either.

Sorry this is so long but have tried to answer the questions about regime in advance!
 
Plenty of hay fed morning and night so they get enough fibre - , and get lots of water in to the feed ie very sloppy wet feed and plenty of soaked hay. I was going to say Linseed Oil (or even Irish caron oil which is linseed mixed with something... i can't remember what..that is good for their gut) to, that is very good for their digestion apparently.

Mine get a tablespoon per feed of linseed oil and it doesn't do them any harm, only good i thnk!

Probiotics or plain live yoghurt is good too!

A pinch of salt or electrolytes in the sloppy feed will keep their water intake up too.

Hope you get it sorted!
 
Thanks, I was on the verge of ordering some Carron Oil as I have used it before as a conditioner for the coats etc. There is a limit to how much water I can get into a feed that is mainly Winergy, since there is well soaked beet in it.
I should have said she is having Baileys Digest Plus as well, since the vet episode, which should help remove harmful bugs from the gut, and salt in each feed!

I know that bran is frowned upon these days, and isn't as good as it used to be, would that be a huge nono?
 
Bran and a young horse is not a good idea because of the high phosphorous levels.

I used to have a horse like this in my riding school - in winter especially when being fed more hay he would get impaction colic, vet taught me how to clear the over hard dung out and suggested tha he get some liquid parafin in his feed as this is a non digestable oil so lubricates as it passes through.

I would increase the amount of Sugarbeet she gets and reduce her hay levels - being a very dry food it can be a problem. You could replace the hay with haylage. One place I worked in had a problem pony with constipation - soaking his hay worked - just enough to wet the hay.

Have her teeth checked as she may have a retained molar cap which may prevent her chewing properly - digestion starts with the saliva and if not enough is mixed with the food the effect is seen at the other end.
 
Thank you for your suggestions, in fact as time has gone on I have wondered about teeth, although of course they weren't at the front of my mind at the time the vet was here. I have some LP so could try that, at present she isn't eating a lot of hay due to grazing all day and evening, with hay out in field. I can soak her overnight hay, did it when the vet had been, but she didn't like it and I worry about the gut not having anything in it while she stands in overnight, as the fibre does retain water in the gut as far as I know.
 
chrissie1 said:
Thank you for your suggestions, in fact as time has gone on I have wondered about teeth, although of course they weren't at the front of my mind at the time the vet was here. I have some LP so could try that, at present she isn't eating a lot of hay due to grazing all day and evening, with hay out in field. I can soak her overnight hay, did it when the vet had been, but she didn't like it and I worry about the gut not having anything in it while she stands in overnight, as the fibre does retain water in the gut as far as I know.
Click to expand...

No need to soak just dunk to damp hay - too wet and a lot of horses won't eat it.
 
I'd second the bran warning - it would be hard to feed enough to throw off her mineral balance completely, but with a growing horse it's not a risk you need to take.

Also, fibre does retain water in the gut but it's only beneficial if the horse is taking in enough water to start with. (It's an old dealer trick to feed LOTS of dry bran to a horse without sufficient water, effectively mildly dehydrating it, before a situation where they want the horse to be unnaturally quiet.) Same with salt - it only works if it does, indeed, increase the amount the horse is drinking.

Does she drink enough? Some horses can be very picky - I had one that colicked in the winter before we figured out she wouldn't drink if there was ANY ice in the water at all, even though all the other horses managed fine. Obviously ice isn't a issue but there might be something else putting her off drinking, either outside or when she's in. The thirst reflex is tricky because it can be "turned off" by drinking a small amount, even if the horse isn't really taking in enough liquid over all. Does she drink more after you clean the trough/bucket? Does she drink more from one source or another?

Wetting the feed can be helpful - many horses wet their own hay, given the option - but it still won't provide enough fluid to make up if she's not drinking well.
 
Thank you for your detailed reply, and yes I share your concerns with bran!

Briefly this is something (not drinking enough in stable whatever the season) is something her grand dam did, and a few of the progent/descendents are the same. We have a single yard tap, all the water is from it. We use trugs in the paddocks which are scrubbed out religiously, no chemicals, and fill water containers and take down in the muck picking trailer. The water in the stables is therefore the same as the field water, and those buckets are also kept clean and changed daily. I stand the water outside the stable all day for her now, so that it warms up and any smell to the water subsides during the day.

She will go out in the morning, or for the evening after being fed and field poo picked, and drink from a trug. Her haynet is hung to one side of the door, her water is hung on the wall on the other side, she could easily dunk her hay, she doesn't. She never soils in her bucket (unlike her mate next door who thinks any recepticle in stable is poo worthy) so that isn't an issue.

I think it is just something she does, or doesn't. I have the Carron Oil now and she is passing more poo and softer, not too soft just less firm. I hope that the rain which has now arrived will get more water into her via the grass.

Thanks again!
 
My first reaction is lack of fluids and if you think she doesn't drink enough, what about adding a carton of apple juice to her water to make it more palatable?
 
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