Loose droppings in older horse?

[Orangehorse]

My horse is only 19, so hardly ancient, but I don't have a great feeling about this. He has just developed loose droppings after always having the same, normal ones. He has definitely lost weight a bit this autumn although all through his life he has been a good doer and I have had to watch his weight. He isn't thin, in fact he is about right, but I wouldn't want him to get much thinner. There is little grass in the paddock, but he has ad lib hay at night and some in the field in the day and gets through quite a lot. They can go out on new pasture when the cattle have come in.

The last few days his droppings have been quiet loose. I know if it continues it is a vet job, but I just wondered what could be the cause. I rode him yesterday and he seemed the same as usual.

His companion pony is in the same field and eats the same hay, but is normal.
They are on a vet supplied worming programme and the last worm count was negative. Just due another wormer.

He gets level scoop of Top Spec Lite Chop mixed with fast fibre, 200 gm linseed, progressive earth Pro Balance and has mint, a joint supplement, a couple of handfuls of pony nuts and gets 1/2 danilon which he has been on since May. I can obviously increase the linseed and pony nuts.

But what conditions other than eating something that disagreed with him would cause loose droppings?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Has he had a Cushings test? I would start there, especially as the free tests end in just over a week.

 

[Orangehorse]

He hasn't had a Cushings test and if there is no improvement over the weekend I will get onto the vet.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

My mare used to sweat easily, drink and wee a lot and her droppings could be looser than you would expect. Since starting Prascend, all those symptoms have disappeared.

 

[Andalucian]

Also, check teeth, I had one 22 loose droppings when fed hay, fine on grass. Two back molars were displaced. Once removed she returned to normal.

Could also be many other things like hind gut inflammation, lack of healthy gut bacteria.

Hope you resolve it soon.

 

[Pinkvboots]

You could try protexin it's a gut balancer it might just be that the grass is a bit richer due to the warm wet weather we are having.

 

[leggs]

Can you rule out sand as a cause ?

 

[Orangehorse]

Actually looked a bit better today. Not sand, we are on heavy clay. Not much grass in the field, but I will have to be careful when they go on onto the winter grazing. Teeth due soon.

ALTHOUGH I noticed that a couple of times last week he hadn't licked his bowl completely clean as usual. But I'm feeling a bit happier.