Help needed please with a delicate problem

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AndersonLucy

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My GREY horse has a problem. He has a runny bottom!! His poos are firm, he is healthy, happy and a good weight and doer BUT when he poos he has a runny follow through. It runs down his legs and is staining his coat down to his hocks. I have to wash him every day but the stains remain and the same is back the next day. I have tried every thing, probiotics, brewers yeast, charcoal, herbs, no haylage, no cereal feeds and it's still there. He is perfect in every other day but this is getting me down. Any suggestions as to how to stop it and also how to keep him clean. It is driving me mad.
 
I'd be interested to know too! I have a coloured with the same problem. The really odd thing is that he has 1 brown hock and 1 white hock and the green slop only ever goes down the white hock :rolleyes:
I haven't really done anything about it, just grumble to myself on show day mornings! I have 4 horses who all eat near enough the same things and he is the only one like it, although it is worse when he's on haylage.
I suppose something like pink powder may help?
 
Why is it getting you down? My grey has this but it doesnt bother me. Never occured to me that it should! He's not getting it down me.
 
I don't think it matters what colour he is, you are doing the right thing to clean him up or else it could scald and irritate his skin if we are talking enough to run down to his hocks.

How long has this been happening? I've known haylage do this to horses but you say you've already tried eliminating that. Presume he is up to date with worming?
 
we've had the same problem on the yard this winter, 7/9 horses have this. normal poos but poo juice after which is really messy! went through everything, muck samples through the vet to check for nasties and worm resistance, nothing found. Taking them off haylage isnt an option for us atm, but i've bought the NAF haylage balancer and it seems to be making a difference to my horse, but not some of the others. The other girls are just bum washing everyday!
 
My grey is the same, gets cleaned daily and a proper wash behind at the weekend incl tail. Only happens in winter time, must be the additional haylage due to lack of grazing in winter.
 
Firstly it bothers me because I show and do dressage and it doesn't look great! Also I am worried he will be sore if I keep washing him. His tail freezes in this weather. I also want to get to the bottom of it, so to speak. There has got to be a reason for it I hope. Haylage may be the culprit but I have tried him off it for a while with no difference.
 
Ginge Crosby said:
we've had the same problem on the yard this winter, 7/9 horses have this. normal poos but poo juice after which is really messy!
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:D Poo juice... thought it was just me that used that word :D
My mare suffers as well - she has hay not haylage so no idea what causes it. I just resign myself to sponging her bum and back legs each evening.
 
An old horse I have is the same. It seems to get worse with cold weather. Have tried pink powder but doesn't seem to help. I just put up with the bum washing etc and hope it will get better when the weather improves.
 
This is an interesting thread because I also have this problem with my coloured horse. I am not sure if I just notice it more on him rather than the others who are bays and chestnuts or it actually happens more. He does have haylege, but only in the winter when in at night, I do most of my competing in the summer wheas mostly eventing but still find it a nighmare to clean up and he's usually bandaged to within an inch of his life before competing! At the moment I am waiting for it to dry then brushing as I was worried about him getting too cold to wash too often.

Sorry I don't really have a useful answer and might try some of the suggestions here, just sympathise with the problem...
 
Wagtail said:
Can you use a barrier cream such as udder cream or vaseline, then it shouldn't stick?
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That was my first thought. I used to do this to my horse when he was a foal and scouring. Really to prevent it burning his skin but I didn't have problems with stains either.

I used Vaseline.
 
I can only suggest Vaseline or similar, I am very lucky my white/grey boy is very 'anal' about not getting any poo on himself. He spreads his leg very far apart and raises his tail out of the way. Smart boy. ((hug)) on the poo juice problem.
 
My horse had same problem and would need washing twice a day as was getting sore. Tried all the things like you have and the only thing that worked was putting him on hay. The difference is amazing no more runny poos and his bed is so tidy it is unbelievable
 
My grey has the same problem, I use vaseline, then just baby wipe off. Or you could sponge off but we don't have a hot water supply and I can't be bothered faffing about with kettles :p

I also switched from haylage to dry hay and it's improved a lot.
 
Thanks for the help and sympathy. It's nice to know I am not alone with this problem. I have tried putting a barrier cream on him but it just makes a dark lumpy mess after a while. I will try hay (again) to see if it helps him. Can any one recommend a good shampoo or product that will get the stains off. Have used all the ' for white horses' products and chalk.
 
Pig oil is quite thick oil, often used as a barrier on legs/tail/to keep feathers protected. Originally for showing pigs, made from a coconut derivative. I stick on the boy's legs to make rinsing mud off easier-it slides off.
 
I put loads of show sheen on his back end, and it worked! Just used a baby wipe each day to wipe off. Probably not the ideal solution though! However it was only temporary, and stopped when we removed speedi beet from his diet.
 
Hi ive had a few horses on the yard have this problem and ive always used pink powder or haylage balancer powder ,and its seemed to have sorted it out. :)
 
Do you know, all the time I've heard people talking about Pig Oil I assumed it was somehow made from actual rendered pigs.

Very glad to now know the truth!
 
Nugz gets it when he is on box-rest or he's decided his straw is more appetising than his hay and it's had a lot of barley kernels mixed in.

As soon as hes out on grass it stops. Vet says it can be a sign of worms and/or a too acidic diet. Have you tried good old limestone flour?
 
Nohorse said:
Do you know, all the time I've heard people talking about Pig Oil I assumed it was somehow made from actual rendered pigs.

Very glad to now know the truth!
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When I first heard of it, I had visions of a pig on a spot turning and dripping oil. :D The New Rider forum thought it was hilarious!
 
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