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Bonnie Major
New Member
Username: Bonniem
Post Number: 1
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, Feb 6, 2003 - 9:37 pm: |   |
My 24 yr old gelding has had diarrhea for at least the past 3 months. I'm unsure if what he has is actually considered diarrea or not. His stools seem to consist of soft round balls that fall apart easily along with a watery substance, enough to mess up his blanket, tail and hocks. I can see little pieces of undigested hay in the balls, unlike in his pasturemates' stools. Sometimes when he passes gas he will squirt out a little of the watery substance as well. As soon as I noticed it, I immediately dewormed him with Zimectrin because I hadn't been keeping up with the proper deworming schedule. Two months later I followed that with a dose of Strongid. Although they didn't clear up the problem, the dewormers seemed to help a little. I'm not sure how concerned I should be for a few reasons. He has no fever, is eating and drinking well, gums are moist, capillary refill is almost instant, and he behaves as he always has with no noticeable wieght loss. Also, he is pastured with another horse plus 2 donkeys, all of which have normal stools. He is on permax for Cushings Disease, and eats 5 cups of oats and grass hay each day. The weather has been very snowy with very cold temps, so no pasture is available. Should I try the 5 day panacur treatment, like I read about in another post? Should I just worry if he starts to show dehydration? Or is this type of stool just normal for a horse his age? |
Sally Payette
Member
Username: 1sally
Post Number: 83
Registered: 10-2000
| | Posted on Friday, Feb 7, 2003 - 8:47 am: | |
I have a 35 yr old stallion that about 3 or 4 years ago had the same symptoms as your horse. I added some soaked beet pulp to his feed and the diarrhea cleared up immediately. Additionally, I added some Fast Track probiotics to his feed, too. Long term diarrhea is not good for any animal as it strips the gut of friendly bacteria.
P.S. You might also want to check him for ulcers as diarrhea and ulcers often go together. |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 7749
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Friday, Feb 7, 2003 - 9:04 am: | |
Welcome Bonnie,
Let's see if we can unmurk the waters a bit. Yes some horses, both younger and older, may have stools this loose normally, but this does not help you because the question should be, "is this normal for Bonnie's horse?" which cannot be answered with any accuracy without a good physical exam and possibly some laboratory work.
Not knowing the circumstances of parasite exposure, you could try the Panacur to see if it helps before calling out the vet, which is what we recommend. In the case of a disease process it strikes us as a bit extreme to wait until he is dehydrated.
For more information on possible causes and how to go about diagnosing them see, » Equine Diseases » Colic and GI Diseases » Diarrhea in Horses » Diarrhea an Overview.
DrO |
Bonnie Major
Member
Username: Bonniem
Post Number: 2
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, Feb 9, 2003 - 12:43 pm: | |
Thanks for your advice. I think maybe it is clearing itself up. I haven't been able to see an actual movement recently as he's been pretty sneaky about it. I try to watch him when I'm doing my work but he tends to go when I step out to get water or feed the chickens. I guess he likes his privacy! Anyway, the piles don't look like they have that watery substance and when he has been passing gas, there hasn't been as much of that water spray with it. I know I need to take the time to watch his hind end until he has a movement to make sure it's clearing up. But I'd still like to do the Panacur treatment that you've mentioned. Exactly how much (full dose?) and how often (5 days in a row?) do I give him the Panacur? Thank you! |
Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 7760
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Monday, Feb 10, 2003 - 5:57 am: | |
The Panacur treatment regimen is explained in Care for Horses » Disease Prevention and Health Care » Deworming and Parasite Control.
DrO |
