Loose droppings

[suestowford]

I'm looking after an elderly pony atm and he has done three loose droppings over the past 24 hours. He's done about 8 normal ones as well, but the last two have been very sloppy.
We are on the fifth day of snow covering everything, and he has been digging up the snow to try to get at grass. He is eating a lot of hay, not soaked, and a small feed of chaff with his Bute in it. He has been drinking about what I would expect. I have been offering warm water to encourage him to keep up his intake. The other pony who lives there is fine and all his droppings are normal.
I'm hoping that this change in the old boy's droppings is down to the snow/grass being replaced with hay. Could it be that do you think? He looks fine otherwise. He's not breathing hard, or sweating, or looking uncomfortable in any way.

 

[PurBee]

I agree with your assessment, the fairly sudden change from eating grass to eating lots more hay - the hay having far more indigestible material than grass too, can result initially in some softer poops.
With that mixed in with more normal looking poops too, is very common with food changeovers.

It usually stabilises when the gut, via eating more hay, grows and develops more bacteria suited to that feed.

Sometimes a quick change in weather can itself cause their poops to temporarily change, especially stressful windy/cold weather conditions.

Its a great idea to add hot water to their trug to up the temperature a few degrees. Mine really dont drink their usual volume of water once we get to minus temperatures, as their water trug temp gets so cold, so the addition of hot water really does work to get them to drink their usual amount.
Even a flask with boiling water is enough to make it less cold. I usually add that last thing at night when its coldest and when they eat lots more hay. The trug is 3/4 empty in the morning, as usual.

 

[suestowford]

Thank you Purbee.
He's a dear old boy and with him not being mine I think I over-worry sometimes (the Not-on-my-watch syndrome) but you have reassured me