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  Discussion on Watery discharge with stool
Author Message
New Member:
Jerre

Posted on Thursday, Dec 19, 2002 - 3:53 pm:

This is my first post -- I hope I am using this appropriately!

I researched this topic thoroughly here in the past six weeks.

My 3 year old mare had these same symptoms. There was no change in her feed or management and she was healthy, energetic and had good appetite. Pepto gave 1 day relief, but the symptoms returned. Cutting out grain had no effect. Psyllium made the symptoms worse. A 1 tsp./day dose of Probios (dosage recommended on the container) made a mild improvement.

After six weeks of chronic, low-grade diarrhea with formed stool accompanied by water, I had the vet out. He said she was not metabolizing water out of her lower colon and prescribed Metronidazole and Probios (50-60cc in a slurry 3x/day). My mare's symptoms resolved in 48 hours.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Dec 20, 2002 - 8:20 am:

You did fine Jerre. The treatment / results suggest you treated a low grade infection sensitive to the metronidazole (an antibiotic).
DrO
Member:
Spamflam

Posted on Friday, Dec 27, 2002 - 3:24 pm:

I have a 2 year old Mustang gelding with the same problem. I am an ICU Nurse - so I thought I could figure this out. No such luck. And the vet cannot give me any definitive answer. His symptoms are:
1. afebrile
2. fairly normal stool accompanied by a stream of watery discharge - sometimes squirts across the stall.
3. He has regular deworming (Ivermectin) and is not underweight.
At times the diarrhea disappears - but then returns with a vengence. He plays with the other horses - and is growing well. The vet said that some horses just have this type of colon. I should also tell you that he has had this since we adopted him at 9 months of age. We have treated him with psyllium but never with antibiotics - maybe this could be a fungal infection that requires flagyl. Could he be allergic to alfalfa? This is my 14 year old daughters horse and I do not want to overlook something that will cause permanent damage.
Thanks,
Sorry for the rambling - I give a better ICU report. Ha!
Sara
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Dec 28, 2002 - 10:43 am:

Hello Sarah,
Yes your vet is right some horses do just have loose stools and yes it is possible the alfalfa exacerbates the problem but until a complete exam and lab work up is done how can we know for sure? Fungal colitis is unlikely. For more on a historical prespective, possible causes and diagnosis see: » Equine Diseases » Colic and GI Diseases » Diarrhea in Horses » Diarrhea an Overview.
DrO
PS, When you post a question about your horse you should start your own discussion and not post it at the bottom of someone else's discussion. When you create your own discussion, it keeps discussions easy to read and you will get more responses quicker. For more on this see the "KNOW THESE POSTING RULES" topic at the top of every "Add a Message" form. Lets go ahead and finish this here and later I will move it into its own discussion.
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