Smelly poo, advice please

[Ellietotz]

My mare's poo is completely normal looking but it smells quite bad. I thought maybe it was just me but other horses poos don't have the same kind of smell. Hers smells somewhat rotten!

She gets a small scoop of soaked grass nuts, a cup of linseed, salt and equimins vit and min supplement once a day.
Currently on Grazezy too which has really stopped her spooking. Won't be on it forever though according to the website, once the pH level is balanced again, it'll be fine? Who knows.

What could be causing the smelly poo? It was like it before the salt, equimins and Grazezy too.

Is it the grass nuts? Or should I be looking at something like Equishure for hindgut acidosis?

Thank you.

 

[Shay]

Its most likely to be an undigested metallic salt. Or possibly an over fast digestive transit - although that would normally result in flatulence rather than confining the methane to the faecal matter.

Is the change recent?

ETA - you mentioned on another post that your mare was on premier flex HA - but you don't refer to that in this post. What else is your mare on that you haven't mentioned? I suspect you have inadvertantly doubled up on something that is being excreted as not required by the body.

 

[Ellietotz]

Its most likely to be an undigested metallic salt. Or possibly an over fast digestive transit - although that would normally result in flatulence rather than confining the methane to the faecal matter.

Is the change recent?

ETA - you mentioned on another post that your mare was on premier flex HA - but you don't refer to that in this post. What else is your mare on that you haven't mentioned? I suspect you have inadvertantly doubled up on something that is being excreted as not required by the body.

The change as in the smell or food? The smell has been like it for about a month that I can recall. She's been on the same food for a while.

I mentioned Premierflex HA in the palatable joint recommendation post saying my mare ate it and that she is usually fussy. I didn't say she was still on it, just that she ate it when she was. I stopped that in summer this year.

She is not on anything else that I have not mentioned in this post as not disclosing everything would be counterproductive.

Thanks

 

[Leo Walker]

Its usually a sign of hindgut problems, and given shes previously had ulcers and treatment for that, that would be my first suspicion. The grass is still flushing on and off in some places as well due to the mild weather, which doesnt help. I have never ever known salt to cause smelly poo though?!

 

[Ellietotz]

Its usually a sign of hindgut problems, and given shes previously had ulcers and treatment for that, that would be my first suspicion. The grass is still flushing on and off in some places as well due to the mild weather, which doesnt help. I have never ever known salt to cause smelly poo though?!

Yeah I thought that too but she was treated successfully for ulcers a year a go now but it's only recently that her poo has started to smell like a rotting pigeon.
Never heard of salt making poo smelly either. Feel like I'm at a loss!

 

[tallyho!]

Candida infection?

 

[rabatsa]

Not likely in your mares case but we once had a pony that was finely balanced between laminitis and colic, the first symptom he was going to colic was sour smelling poo. This was over 20 years ago before people start giving advice on how to manage him. I am just letting people know that smelly poo MAY be a colic symptom that is never talked about in the what to look for lists.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I had a Dales mare in 3 or 4 years ago, nothing outwardly wrong, droppings intermittently sloppy, but always stinky compared with others.
Put her on charcoal to settle things, which in her case did the job.
Not saying thats yours problem tho. Hope you get to the bottom of it (literally!)

 

[Leo Walker]

Yeah I thought that too but she was treated successfully for ulcers a year a go now but it's only recently that her poo has started to smell like a rotting pigeon.
Never heard of salt making poo smelly either. Feel like I'm at a loss!

Hindgut issues can crop up at any time. Its fairly common for them to be triggered by a course of treatment for stomach ulcers, but obviously that's not the case here. I'd think in her case its worth looking into. something is obviously not quite right somewhere.

 

[Shay]

Not table salt! Mettalic salts. Salt is NaCl - Soduim Chloride. It is chemically a metallic salt becuase of the Chloride but immensely stable. I was thinking more of potassium, magnesium or copper all of which are commonly found in metallic salt form in electrolytes and balencers. The chemical bonds are weaker and if present in excess so as to be excreted they can bond with sulphur in the digestive process and cause a smell not unlike hair dye / Acetone. Hind gut acidosis would result in more methane / methanic compounds. Different smell. Too much protein, too much fat and persistent bacterial infections all cause a change in odour too.

The suggestion of charcoal above is a good one. Or possibly ask the vet to test?

 

[Ellietotz]

Not likely in your mares case but we once had a pony that was finely balanced between laminitis and colic, the first symptom he was going to colic was sour smelling poo. This was over 20 years ago before people start giving advice on how to manage him. I am just letting people know that smelly poo MAY be a colic symptom that is never talked about in the what to look for lists.

This is interesting. She has never had laminitis. Her poo always smells the same, never at one particular time.

 

[Ellietotz]

Not table salt! Mettalic salts. Salt is NaCl - Soduim Chloride. It is chemically a metallic salt becuase of the Chloride but immensely stable. I was thinking more of potassium, magnesium or copper all of which are commonly found in metallic salt form in electrolytes and balencers. The chemical bonds are weaker and if present in excess so as to be excreted they can bond with sulphur in the digestive process and cause a smell not unlike hair dye / Acetone. Hind gut acidosis would result in more methane / methanic compounds. Different smell. Too much protein, too much fat and persistent bacterial infections all cause a change in odour too.

The suggestion of charcoal above is a good one. Or possibly ask the vet to test?

I see. It's pure sea salt that she gets but the poo was smelly before this as well. The Grazezy is also supposed to balance out potassium levels/pH etc so not sure if it's that.

Could it be hindgut acidosis or does she need detoxing?

 

[Ellietotz]

So I have bought some charcoal and just got home after giving her a tiny handful of soaked grass nuts with a couple of scoops of Happy Tummy. Now I'm seeing on the Horses with Ulcers Facebook page that horses can colic from it and now I'm terrified!

 

[Snitch]

My mare's poo is completely normal looking but it smells quite bad. I thought maybe it was just me but other horses poos don't have the same kind of smell. Hers smells somewhat rotten!

She gets a small scoop of soaked grass nuts, a cup of linseed, salt and equimins vit and min supplement once a day.
Currently on Grazezy too which has really stopped her spooking. Won't be on it forever though according to the website, once the pH level is balanced again, it'll be fine? Who knows.

What could be causing the smelly poo? It was like it before the salt, equimins and Grazezy too.

Is it the grass nuts? Or should I be looking at something like Equishure for hindgut acidosis?

Thank you.

Does she have any mucus or even blood in her poo? The first thing that came to my mind was colitis, but then I have only experienced that in the human form. Colitis can cause poo to smell like rotting flesh. Has she been seen by her vet?

 

[Ellietotz]

Does she have any mucus or even blood in her poo? The first thing that came to my mind was colitis, but then I have only experienced that in the human form. Colitis can cause poo to smell like rotting flesh. Has she been seen by her vet?

Looks normal from what I can see. In fact it did smell more normal tonight and I gave her some charcoal a few hours a go, not sure if that's playing a part.

 

[Snitch]

Looks normal from what I can see. In fact it did smell more normal tonight and I gave her some charcoal a few hours a go, not sure if that's playing a part.

Oh that is good news. Here’s hoping she gets better soon.

 

[ihatework]

If this is abnormal and lasted over a month without sorting itself out I’d be inclined to give the vet a call. They might want to test a sample to start with.

 

[Ellietotz]

If this is abnormal and lasted over a month without sorting itself out I’d be inclined to give the vet a call. They might want to test a sample to start with.

I'll call them tomorrow for some advice. I've also ordered a pH testing kit.