Darkwater
Well-Known Member
A horse on my yard (not my own, but i'm helping look after him as owner is away) has over the last couple of days gone off his hay and started scouring.
The scouring deffinitely came after he started rejecting the hay, not the other way around - and i'm almost certain the reason he went off the hay to begin with is because this is a recent change from haylage.
The change from haylage to hay has been done over a several days by mixing them together to begin with, but he has mostly only been eating the haylage part of the mixture, and since he has been on only hay, has barely touched it, if at all. (He is turned out in the day so has been eating grass and has been seen doing so) He is eating his feeds but often isn't finishing them - but this isn't entirely unusual for him as he is on quite a 'boring' mostly sugar free diet so it isn't particularly tempting.
He has not visibly lost any weight and seems fine in himself, is drinking normally, accepting carrots and his grass nut filled treat ball with his usual gusto. Scouring only began since the haylage was completely swapped for hay 2 nights ago.
It was last night and more so today he has started scouring, and my feelings are that it is because he has barely eating anything in the last 2 days that is causing this - I'm really just posting in the hope that people will either agree with me and put my mind at ease that is what it us, or if I am completely wrong let me know!
As owner is still away I have made the decision this evening to put him back on his haylage - As I feel it must be better for him to be eating this than to eat nothing and I didn't really have any other alternatives at hand. In hindsight I should probably have done this last night but I thought if was hungry he may be encouraged to eat the hay. He was tucking into the haylage as I left - So no apparent loss of apetite unless the hay is involved. Should also note that temperature, pulse etc also normal and others on the yard eat the hay with no apparent problems so there isn't anything 'wrong' with it. He always has yea sacc to his feed anyway, but have upped this since problems started but as I say he is quite fussy with his hard feeds so not sure how much of it he actually eats.
Sorry if this is a slightly pointless post - I could just do with some reassurance that I have done the right thing, and that it is his lack of forage intake that is causing him to scour and not something more sinister. I will of course keep a close eye and he is worse later tonight or no change by tomorrow I will be getting owners permission to call the vet.
Thanks to those who have read this far!
The scouring deffinitely came after he started rejecting the hay, not the other way around - and i'm almost certain the reason he went off the hay to begin with is because this is a recent change from haylage.
The change from haylage to hay has been done over a several days by mixing them together to begin with, but he has mostly only been eating the haylage part of the mixture, and since he has been on only hay, has barely touched it, if at all. (He is turned out in the day so has been eating grass and has been seen doing so) He is eating his feeds but often isn't finishing them - but this isn't entirely unusual for him as he is on quite a 'boring' mostly sugar free diet so it isn't particularly tempting.
He has not visibly lost any weight and seems fine in himself, is drinking normally, accepting carrots and his grass nut filled treat ball with his usual gusto. Scouring only began since the haylage was completely swapped for hay 2 nights ago.
It was last night and more so today he has started scouring, and my feelings are that it is because he has barely eating anything in the last 2 days that is causing this - I'm really just posting in the hope that people will either agree with me and put my mind at ease that is what it us, or if I am completely wrong let me know!
As owner is still away I have made the decision this evening to put him back on his haylage - As I feel it must be better for him to be eating this than to eat nothing and I didn't really have any other alternatives at hand. In hindsight I should probably have done this last night but I thought if was hungry he may be encouraged to eat the hay. He was tucking into the haylage as I left - So no apparent loss of apetite unless the hay is involved. Should also note that temperature, pulse etc also normal and others on the yard eat the hay with no apparent problems so there isn't anything 'wrong' with it. He always has yea sacc to his feed anyway, but have upped this since problems started but as I say he is quite fussy with his hard feeds so not sure how much of it he actually eats.
Sorry if this is a slightly pointless post - I could just do with some reassurance that I have done the right thing, and that it is his lack of forage intake that is causing him to scour and not something more sinister. I will of course keep a close eye and he is worse later tonight or no change by tomorrow I will be getting owners permission to call the vet.
Thanks to those who have read this far!