Poor digestion, green manky droppings.

S

seabiscuit

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 July 2005
Messages
6,228
Visit site
This little exracehorse that I've just got in to sell is in pretty poor condition, he has a dull coat and you can see every rib. I noticed that his droppings were odd at his last home and they are still odd here- they are very loose, and green, and just generally manky looking. He seems to have a good appetite for his feed and grass but is not interested in haylage. ( He is out 24/7, with a stable that he can go in and out of when he likes) He does not poo all that much. He has been wormed recently. However, he does have LOADS of energy and seems very sprightly and well in himself.

He is not your typical exracehorse - he is 7 years old and lived in a field for most of his life. He only came out of the field for 6 months as a 5 year old to be put in training ! He then ran two races badly and has been back in the field ever since!

I will of course ask the vet and will email Roger Hatch at Trinity Consultants for advice. Any ideas in the meantime? I hope that he is not another one with food intolerances!
crazy.gif
 
What's the grazing like on your field; long, short, lush, non existent? That could well be something to do with the colour of droppings, it could also be because horses at grass nearly always have looser droppings than something stabled.
If it was me I think I would try him on Blue Chip for a couple of months to see if that makes any improvement as it seems like his skin/coat isn't up to much just now; I think it's worth every penny for situations like these as unless he is well on the inside he won't look well on the outside and I personally don't know anything it hasn't helped look better.
Have you any pic's as he is now?
 
The grass is very short, but very green. He is out in that field with another new horse and the other horse's droppings are perfect...Thing is his droppings were like that at his last home and he had no grass at all there, just a turn out pen.. Even if the grass is green, there is no goodness in it at this time of year is there?

I've only had him for 2 weeks now, (because it was a while before I could pick him up) He looks exactly the same as he did in those photos that I posted of him a few weeks ago...
 
Firstly I would get a worm count done, as you may still have them.
The grass at the moment coming through is spring grass and yes, it has got goodness in it which may be upsetting his tum.
I would put him on pink powders for three weeks which should stabilise the good bacteria in his gut.
Saracen's equijewel works very well on horses like him, it seems expensive but actually isn't as you use so little of it.
It may also be an idea to get his teeth checked, as he might not be chewing properly which would also cause funny looking droppings.
Some mineral supplementation might help too, Equine America do a liquid one which works well on dull coats.
 
Hi I have a thoroughbred and had similar problems. I can only offer suggestions on my experience?
First we ruled out worm damage with a droppings test from the vet, he also needed a blood count as certain worms do not always show up in the droppings. When that came back clear we were thinking along the lines of gastric ulceration (apparently 90% of racehorses suffer from it to some degree and can be made more likely by increased travel and stressy conditions.) Off we went to the equine hosital for a scope (the only real way to find out for sure). This came back totally clear which put my mind at rest. They were also able to investigate any other lesions in his tum which there were none.
Since all the obvious options were ticked off the list i have had him on two supplements which have been amazing and had instant results. Both are by Biotal, one is called GastroGold and was expensive (£180 for three months supply, still have half a tub left and putting it on ebay i think as it i know he is clear of ulcers)this is really for ulcers although it helps digestion generally, the other a cheaper option is their EquineGold which is a prebiotic. Since he has been on these his coat is back to full gleam, droppings are great and he seems much more comfortable.
Let me know how your TB gets on!
laugh.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top