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Chronic Diarrhea

5K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  Yogiwick 
#1 ·
I'm still having on and off struggles with my mare who has chronic diarrhea. About every two to three months she will have diarrhea for two to three weeks. And just as soon as we think we've figured it out, it comes back! I've been working with the vet and barn managers on this.

The horse outwardly seems absolutely normal! She is a healthy weight, and looks like she's been gaining some these last few weeks, she's bright eyed, got plenty of energy, never grouchy, or sensitive in certain areas, has been progressing beautifully with her training, 'talks' to you when it's time for dinner, and very personable. The diarrhea does not effect her in any way and there's no onset of symptoms to let us know it's coming.

So, she's on a regular worming program and the vet does a fecal exam every other month. She is within normal ranges with that. We've put her on an ulcer management program (not the treatment program), with no success. Digestive supplements with the digestive microorganisms have no success. Switching her from a grass pasture to a dirt paddock with lots of hay hasn't helped. (My last vet swore up and down it was the grass.) Her feed has been changed to one with the probiotics in it and it hasn't helped so far, but she just started that last week. And she's on depo to stop her cycle. I can't afford to have her scoped, especially with the holidays, but that is what is being recommended. My vet suspects ulcers, but holy cow is that an expensive treatment! And to do that treatment without scoping her first will only bring tears to my bank account without the certainty that is the problem.

I am wanting to sell her, but I can't sell her if she has this problem! I need other ideas as well. I will be moving out of state in June and there is a 90% chance I won't be able to take her. But gosh, I just want to know what the problem could be. Does anyone have any other ideas other than ulcers?
 
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#5 ·
She's on SafeChoice pellets with probiotics. She gets 1/2 scoop a.m. and p.m. She's also on Gastro-Ease which has even more probiotics and ulcer management ingredients. Grass hay fed three times a day. The quality seems pretty decent. Her diarrhea starts out with the consistency of water - just water! That lasts for a few days, then it turns into cow patties and eventually gets back to normal. It's about a two to three week cycle. Right now, she's on her second week of this cycle, and it's finally getting back to normal, with a few episodes of the cow patty type manure. Thoughts?
 
#8 ·
I never thought it could be hormonal. She is on depo and has been since about April this year. Does depo not stop the cycle like I had thought?

*On a side note to the hormones, last week when I was cleaning her rear end (again), I did notice her lifting her tail and 'winking'. Barn manager said one of the other mares on depo did the same thing recently as well.
 
#9 ·
Maybe she's trying to tell you she'd rather have it natural...... take that with a grain of salt,tho. I'm old school,I think if you can't deal with a cycling mare, get a gelding( nothing personal, by all means), keep the " regulators" for medical reasons.
I'd take her off the depo and try MareMagic, to calm things, without interfering with hormones.
 
#10 ·
I would guess it is the depo. That shot can have horrible side effects in some people yet others do fine on it. I'm assuming it is the same with horses.

Sand colic can also cause diarrhea.

You can try ranitidine for ulcers. It must be give 3x daily to work, but cleared my mare up in a few weeks. If she is on free choice hay or is fed every 5 hours it is unlikely she has ulcers. It takes about 7-8 hours without feed for ulcers to develop.
 
#11 ·
After reading a some of the responses that it could be hormones, I did some of my own research and it seems depo is a hit or miss for effectiveness. I asked the vet earlier this year what I could do to help her cycles, she was just a fruit loop, and he suggested depo. She was never really bad, just really ditzy. So, I said ok. We haven't had any problems with it as far as I could tell. My husband does tell me that he thinks she's on too many supplements as it is. And I might just see how it goes taking her off depo.

She does get sand clear once a month because of the area we live in. And because of the severity of her diarrhea, when her manure does become more solid again, it is checked for sand as well.

Thank you all for posting your thoughts. Keep them coming!
 
#12 ·
Diarrhea/loose stools can be a sign of ulcers in some horses. My friends gelding developed diarrhea when he started being taken to shows,he is a little bit of nervous personality:-(.Vet prescribed Omeprozole for him & things cleared up. She then put him on it profolactively prior to shows.He has never had any trouble since:D.
 
#13 ·
I had a vet tell me it is not "diarrhea" unless it's squirting out and hitting the wall. And trust me, you will know if when you see it.

It could be a feed intolerance thing but I agree with the hormones. Get rid of the depo (try something cheaper and more natural if you need it, but imo "ditsy" does not mean medicate) and see how things go.
 
#16 ·
Thank you all for your thoughts on this. Regarding why my vet suggested to put my mare on depo was because she became excessively nervous and high strung especially during her cycles. This made it very difficult to put any training on her. And although I know many people just ride through the problems, her problems became pretty intolerable. The depo shot is mainly for her nerves. I called her ditzy, because she was an absolute airhead. But this never seemed to go away even when she wasn't in heat. Depo has helped so much and I hesitate the thought of taking her off it right now, but I would if it would help her with these bouts of diarrhea.
 
#17 ·
No, I have not tried biosponge. I have looked at before though. And yes, her diarrhea is more projectile in the first stages, then it moves to being cow patties. I am going to have to pressure wash her stall walls before we leave - I feel absolutely awful about the mess.
 
#22 ·
Lots of replies about biosponge. It isn't too expensive, I could give it a try when this problem shows up again. The supplement she's on right now has magnesium in it..... I will be checking on her this afternoon when my daughter comes home from school. Thanks again for everyone's help here! It's good to have a few more suggestions.

I wish she could just talk to me to tell me what is going on!
 
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