Sand Colic

[lizzietex]

Howdy all, this issue has gotten me completely frazzled.

Does anyone know how to get sand out of the horses gut???

Tex and myself had a nasty sand colic experience the other night the vet came out and drenched him. Usually Tex passes what ever it is and is better, this time the vet had to come out the next night and give another drench. I dreaded going to the stables the next morning for fear of a dead horse but there he was right as rain demanding his food.

How can I clean him out I have tried psyllium husks which havent done that much.

Help.

Lizzie.

[galadriel]

Some people think that regular feeding of beet pulp will do it.

Have you tried regular dosing of psyllium, as in every day for a week? for a month? If your horse has enough sand in there, it might take a while to pass through.

I was talking to someone today who said that she'd attended a necropsy where they removed six gallons of sand from the horse's gut. If the psyllium does work, and it clears out, say, a cup of sand each time you use it...it could take (er...um...2 cups in a pint, 2 pints in a quart, 4 quarts in a gallon...16 cups in a gallon?) ...well, let's just say it could take a lot of doses ;)

I grabbed that "cup" number right out of the air, by the way. As far as I know, there is no actual research to say what psyllium does or doesn't do. But since it's one of very few options (NONE of which has conclusive research supporting them), it's what most people use. And most vets, around here anyway (Florida, no soil, just sand), tend to recommend it too.

Good luck with Tex. That really sounds distressing. I hope you & your vet can get him taken care of.

[lizzietex]

Howdy thanks heaps

I havent given beet pulp a go yet that might be the next step. I have had Tex on the psyllium for almost a year, two weeks a month, and I thought it was working perhaps not. I was told of warm milk and honey in bran, but I am not so sure what do you think?

Anyhoo thanks again

Happy riding

Lizzie

[stephydoo]

i will tell you a little story about my old horse.
he suddenly started to drip urine constantly, getting so bad that the hair on his legs was burning off.
i had the vet out every day for a month and every test and exam came back with nothing.
we took him to the vet hospital and they did loads of tests.
turned out he had sand colic and his insides were so filled that even after the 12th draining it kept filling up. he was put to sleep and sadly i had only had him about 3 months. the vet said he had had the begginings ages before and afer tracing back, his old owner had been told and sold him!! of course my vet didnt know that he had been kept on a field by the beach for 10 years or we could have known sooner although we still wouldnt be able to do anything it was too bad. good luck with yours and i hope it goes well