Very loose droppings. Ideas please

Wagtail

Wagtail

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I will get the vet, obviously if this continues and I can't rectify it. My mare has always suffered from loose droppings in the winter due to haylage. I tried everything such as haylage balancers, and other supplements for the gut. In the end I just fed her hay and the last two winters she hasn't been that bad. Again this winter it started but now is worse than ever and she is only on hay. No haylage at all. Every day her bum cheeks and legs get caked in it and she hates me washing it off each day as it must get sore. It seemed to have started when a recently gelded pony was moved int the adjacent turnout area. She's in an all weather sand turnout with hay in the wettest part of the winter. She seems to be constantly in season since he has been next to her. I am trying to integrate him with the others so I don't want to isolate him as he's had enough of that being a stallion for 8 years.

Could the loose droppings be a result of this, do you think? Can being in season and excited by a new boy cause such loose droppings? Can anyone suggest a supplement I can give her?

She is very well in herself. No ridden problems, is a good weight and has a very shiny coat. Thanks
 
If the timing is linked to the new horse & being in season then it is quite feasibly prostaglandin related.
Short term some protexin quick fix wouldn’t hurt but if it continues you will need to get her seasons settled down so I’d split her from the gelding if she is being a tart
 
have you tried KERX EQUISHURE® i have one that needs to have this when on rye hay but is fine on meadow or Timothy..........haylage is out and i have put the difference down to the rye being made early in the season when full of sugar.
 
Have you tried Global Herbs Black Salt? Worked wonders for my messy pony, downside is it stinks like sulphur so a picky eater would most likely turn their nose up.
 
My mare is definitely wetter and her droppings are looser when she is in season. Tbh it's often the first sign as she doesn't really change behaviourally. I routinely feed her Happy Tummy charcoal but up it when she gets a bit looser and it does the trick. It's great stuff.
 
I use protexin gut balancer with one of mine who gets loose droppings if the haylage is slightly richer, works really well.
 
Another vote for Protexin gut balancer! I nearly cut the tail flap off her rug as she got so messy I was having to wash the rug and pony every day - not good in the middle of winter.... Was a bit sceptical at first but within a couple of days, droppings were no longer a sloppy mess and pony is much happier, drier and rug still has a tail flap!
 
Thanks for the excellent suggestions. I have tried to answer each individually but my internet connection keeps dropping out.
 
I have a similar problem with a gelding over winter, he is also better on hay but it doesn't clear it completely. I've had the Vet out in the past and they didn't find anything. It does seem to be getting a little worse as he gets older so pehaps it is exacerbating by age too?
 
Another for protein. I used a double dose for a week before settling for 1 scoop daily. The scouring settled within a couple of days,thankfully.
 
Thanks, everyone. I tried the quick fix protexin a couple of years ago with no effect but worth a try again. After reading the reviews I have ordered some of the equishure from saracen feeds. Will give that a try first as never tried anything which has the same action on the hind gut before. It's expensive so have just bought a small one. Worth the money if it works!
 
If the eqishure works, you could try what I did which was once it had cleared up I started reducing the amount I added and now just dose at 5g and this seems to work for mine. Every horse is different and if you are the company you would want a high dose as you would sell more.
 
hollyandivy123 said:
If the eqishure works, you could try what I did which was once it had cleared up I started reducing the amount I added and now just dose at 5g and this seems to work for mine. Every horse is different and if you are the company you would want a high dose as you would sell more.
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Yes, that's a good idea. I just hope it works as I really have tried just about everything.
 
I have a little mare who has been struggling to cope with the change of hay (its very nice stuff and ticks every other box), so much so I was chiselling muck off her bum and tail (not helped by the fact the mucky thing leans against the back of the stable to poo!). I’ve put her on thunderbrooks daily essentials balancer and only a few days in its made a difference. I’ve had her on thunderbrooks gut balancer in the past too which helped with a similar issue (that was next if this didn’t work).
 
Anxiety can make droppings loose. If the newcomer has only recently been gelded perhaps he still has enough testosterone in his system to be intimidating to your mare, or perhaps she just finds him intimidating anyway, for some reason.
Have you tried the old-fashioned remedy of feeding just damp bran?
 
Ceriann said:
I have a little mare who has been struggling to cope with the change of hay (its very nice stuff and ticks every other box), so much so I was chiselling muck off her bum and tail (not helped by the fact the mucky thing leans against the back of the stable to poo!). I’ve put her on thunderbrooks daily essentials balancer and only a few days in its made a difference. I’ve had her on thunderbrooks gut balancer in the past too which helped with a similar issue (that was next if this didn’t work).
Click to expand...

I was going to try bio sponge next, but will add Thunderbrooks balancer to my list of things to try. This batch of hay is much greener than the last lot but is the same brand of compressed wrapped hay. I've a feeling it's the hay that's doing it.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Anxiety can make droppings loose. If the newcomer has only recently been gelded perhaps he still has enough testosterone in his system to be intimidating to your mare, or perhaps she just finds him intimidating anyway, for some reason.
Have you tried the old-fashioned remedy of feeding just damp bran?
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Well she goes up to him and stands there a lot of the day, posing. I think she loves him. lol. Maybe it's excitement? She is on a small scoop of bran in her feed (dampened) and I do think it reduces the severity of the problem slightly. But I still have to hose her down the insides of her legs and bottom daily. At least she's got used to that now (warm water) so it's not quite the problem it was when she was lashing out.
 
I do two things when this happens to any of my horses .
I feed them dried grass as a chop I do this two three or four times a day .
And I feed almost dry bran twice .
Does she get an speedi beet or similar because it’s my experiance that you have to be very careful with the Sugar beet products and haylege.
 
Wagtail said:
I was going to try bio sponge next, but will add Thunderbrooks balancer to my list of things to try. This batch of hay is much greener than the last lot but is the same brand of compressed wrapped hay. I've a feeling it's the hay that's doing it.
Click to expand...

Mine is def the hay but she’s bright and happy otherwise and my other hay supply (meadow hay) was getting very dusty. This is new one is richer but much cleaner - my other too were also a bit sloppy initially but she’s Not managed to adjust like them so needs some help! The thunderbrooks Gut balancer is for ulcer/hind gut issues but if the daily essentials I have works I’ll be happy!
 
Goldenstar said:
I do two things when this happens to any of my horses .
I feed them dried grass as a chop I do this two three or four times a day .
And I feed almost dry bran twice .
Does she get an speedi beet or similar because it’s my experiance that you have to be very careful with the Sugar beet products and haylege.
Click to expand...

No she just gets Pure feeds easy and has always been fine on it. I just mix the bran in with it and wet it with water. The cause is definitely the hay or the newly gelded boy. Both things coincided with the looose droppings. She's very well and happy apart from this and is nice and forward in the school, good to tack up etc.
 
Ceriann said:
Mine is def the hay but she’s bright and happy otherwise and my other hay supply (meadow hay) was getting very dusty. This is new one is richer but much cleaner - my other too were also a bit sloppy initially but she’s Not managed to adjust like them so needs some help! The thunderbrooks Gut balancer is for ulcer/hind gut issues but if the daily essentials I have works I’ll be happy!
Click to expand...

None of the others are affected. I often wonder if she's so sensitive because she was only fed grass for her first two and a half years. She'd never seen a hard feed. Now she can only have pure feeds easy. Anything else gives her sloppy poo including Pure feeds working mix (which I switched her to when she first started properly working but had to switch back). I am pretty sure it's the hay.
 
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