This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Colic, Diarrhea, GI Tract » Diarrhea in Horses » Diarrhea an Overview »
  Discussion on Can Chronic Diarrhea be hereditary?
Author Message
Member:
Juheefa

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 31, 2005 - 3:16 pm:

Hi there, I have been reading the posts on diarrhea and the diarrhea overview. I have a 2 year old gelding with chronic diarrhea. History: he had some diarrhea with his mother's foal heat, and this cleared. At 10 months he developed watery shooting diarrhea in May. Temp 100-100.8. Tubed with Peptobismal and treated with Bananine. Blood test negative for dehydration. Had couple days SMZ then stopped when diarrhea worsened. Tried probiotics, keaopectate, noni juice, beet pulp and Sand clear (psyllium). Battled with the cow pies for about 2 months. Beet pulp seemed to help so kept him on this and used sand clear when stools became a little loose again, as would happen off and on all last summer. Late fall and all winter his stool was perfect!! and I though my problems were over. This May again he started with the loose stools again off and on all spring and summer but not to awful bad. He had absolutely no diet change when this started again and was not yet on grass. Now he is getting very watery stools, fluid running down his legs frequently.
His mother has always had slightly loose stools much of the time and often had episodes of cow patties. Another thing of interest is they both seem to get the loose stool at the same time. They both have gotten severely watery now again, at the same time. I have 3 other horse, unrelated, all pastured together who have never had this. We have been having a lot of rain for a couple days, and I am thinking there may be a pattern with dampness and loose stools in the gelding but am not sure. (But my horses have a run in shed year round and are in barn in box stalls for bad weather- barn is nice and dry and I clean stalls daily and use WoodyPet bedding and have rubber stall mats). The mare was still loose off and on thru the winter but the gelding had normal stool then. I did a panacur power pack in May and plan to repeat in October. They were due for a worming first of August but I was afraid to make the diarrhea worse. My gelding does get loose with any changes in diet. Both mare and gelding eat and drink well.
Can this be hereditary? It is very exhausting trying to clear it up (and keep them clean). I feed: sweet feed and first and second cut hay with no alfalfa (orchard grass and timothy) twice a day, they get minimal grass- I do not have much pasture. I have started my mare on Triple Crown Senior for higher fat content and beet pulp base, she is now 24 y.o.
A friend has some Metronizole to try which I may do. My Vet did not seem to want to try this last year but I think I would like to try it. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated. If this is hereditary, could it be managed thru diet?, is it allergies, is it like irritable bowel synDrOme in humans. There seems to be a lot of horses with this problem and I wish there was a lot more research on the matter and better help to manage it. There are all kinds of feed mixes for old horses, young horses, performance horses, fat horses, underweight horses, everything but horses with whatever sort of digestive problem these horses are having.
Sorry this was so long. Well, I'm off to buy and try some more Sand Clear.$$$$$
Thanks, Betty (Desperate for my horses health and comfort!!!)
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC