sand clear/psyllium?

[jellen]

I do the sand clear (psyllium) supplement for my horse for 7 days once every 28 days. He doesn't eat much hay off the ground, as he has a mat, and my area isn't that sandy. Do others do this as a precaution, just in case there is some sand around, or can it cause more harm than good if there isn't any sand? I am not a "dirt" expert, so I am not sure. I do know, however, that the supplement shouldn't be given all the time, as then it becomes ineffective. I have seen it in top line food stores for people, too. Thanks!

 

[Tiddlypom]

I give all my 3 a 5 day course of psyllium husks every 3 months as advised by Feedmark, who I buy the psyllium husks from. It doesn’t upset their tummies.

There is a faecal sand test available to check sand levels, though I haven’t used it.

https://www.westgatelabs.co.uk/shop/by-season/spring/wl016-faecal-sand-test.html

My grazing is loamy, and I could sometimes see the grains of sand glistening in the poo. Sand colic is a thing, so I thought that I had better address this.

 

[alibali]

You can check for sand in poo yourself by dissolving a poo in water, giving it a good shake to ensure its well mixed then putting it down and leaving it to settle. The sand will settle at a different rate than the organic components and so you will get layers of different materials. Would certainly be enough to tell you whether or not there is sand in there. I'm not sure how much sand constitutes a problem but it would be a starter for 10 at no expense. Edited to add need to do this in a glass container in order to see the settled layers, an old jam jar is perfect

 

[ycbm]

Surely horses only get sand colic from grazing very close cropped grass grown in sandy soil? I haven't ever even considered giving anything to clear sand from the gut.
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[HappyHollyDays]

I check for sand/soil in my two every so often and use a long latex hand up the backside glove. Any sediment sinks into the fingers and is really easy to see.

 

[Tiddlypom]

It is horses grazing short grass, like mine in summer on their equicentral track, who are most at risk of sand colic. A healthy horse should be ok and sand should not build up in the gut, it should pass out in the droppings.

A friends older horse sadly had a fatal stomach rupture due to an unsuspected build up of sand, so it’s something I am aware of. I took me a while to work out that what I can sometimes see in their poo is sand grains.