Need some advice

[Forever Fern]

Hiya,
My horse has now had diarrahea (sp) for a month now on and off. It is not that bad but it is bad enough to get in her tail. She is fed on haylage, could this be the cause?

Any ideas why she keeps getting it then i would be greatful
Thanks :) xXx

[nutkin]

Quite possibly. There are other causes though such as a worm problem. Try worming and maybe a prebiotic and see if it helps.

[JOJOBA]

My tb has been like that as he's gotten older. Now we've switched him to hay instead of haylage and it's (so far) working.
Vet thinks it might be an allergy or something. Is she losing weight? Maybe get the vet to check her? If she's getting on the digestive system can get more sensitive.

xxx

[Forever Fern]

Hiya
She is only 8 so i dont think age is a problem, she has not lost any weight yet, but she just seems to be getting it regulaly. She was on haylage last year and she was fine. It started on christmas eve and she has had it quite often on and off since then. She has not had a change in diet or anything like that either.

thanks :) xXx

[clipclop]

I would swap her on to hay. Haylage can often cause this problem in some horses.

It is probably down to the type of haylage offered and how coarse the grasses are in it. Haylage can vary and it didn't agree with my horse

Find some of the coarsest hay you can find in your area.

[Forever Fern]

Thankyou, she has got her vaccinations in a weeks time, so if she has still got it i might ask the vet to have a look at her. But i am definately going to try her on hay instead as other people have also said that it could be the haylage.

Thanks :) xXx

[x..Dolly..x]

Diarrhea is an increase in the water content of the feces and/or the frequency of defecation. Upsets causing diarrhea may include:

Change in diet
A sudden change in diet can cause diarrhea too [As well as colic !!!] So don't know whether you have changed anything in this area?

Haylage
Haylage is a good feed for horses but you must be sure it is of good to excellent quality as botulism forms when it is not properly made and horses are very sensitive to this toxin.
Haylage should have a pleasant, slightly acid odor and taste. The ph should be betwenn 3.5 to 5. There should be no visible mold and not mushy. The moisture should be uniform and color should be a green to light brown. Medium to dark brown with a burnt odor indicates excessive heat during making and black means rotten. So Hay may be a better feeding option for you and your horse.

Inducing Plants
Poisonous plants are but one of many causes of colic and diarrhea in horses.
A variety of common plants also may be incriminated as a cause of colic and diarrhea if horses are deprived of normal forages. Invasive pasture plants such as leafy spurge, wild iris, horsetail or scouring rush, bitter weeds, and a variety of mustard plants should be considered as a cause of colic and diarrhea when other causes are not found.

[dressage1anja]

well.. you might want to bring her to a vet.. maby the feed your giving her.. or just her digestive system acting wierd.. like a virus.. or just something wrong :D kk

glad if i helped

jaclyn:o :o

[Carab]

Is it winter over there? Is she drinking icey water? An old Tb I knew got the runs slightly when he drank really cold water in winter. It didnt affect him in anyother way though.

[Forever Fern]

Yeah it is winter over here, so that could be the problem. She had it again today, it was all down her legs and in her tail :( I am definately going ask the vet when they come and vacinate her.

Thanks for your help :)
xXx

[Mary Poppins]

My horse has the same problem but is much, much better on hay. If she accidently has some haylage the problems start again.

[Forever Fern]

Heya,
Thanks for your advice, i had the vet out for her jabs today so i asked them. He has taken a sample and he seems to think that even though i worm her and she is up to date it could be worms or something wrong in her blood. So i should here within the next few weeks.

Thanks for all your advice

xXx :)