Stubborn horse :(

[CPT]

Hi!

My 10 year old mare was recently diagnosed with sand in her colon. Apparently, it's been there for a few years....she is a rescue horse and she picked up some bad habits.

The vet suggested we give her some Sand Clear mixed in with Equine Senior. My mare just sniffs and won't eat it. I've tried several times hand feeding it to her, but to no avail. Has anyone else had this problem?

 

[Ducksandchickens]

I don’t have a horse sooo...

 

[AngieMaesChix]

@CPT are you using pellets or powder?

 

[LainaLee23]

Hi!

My 10 year old mare was recently diagnosed with sand in her colon. Apparently, it's been there for a few years....she is a rescue horse and she picked up some bad habits.

The vet suggested we give her some Sand Clear mixed in with Equine Senior. My mare just sniffs and won't eat it. I've tried several times hand feeding it to her, but to no avail. Has anyone else had this problem?

 

[LainaLee23]

I’m an equine vet tech. Maybe I could possibly give you advice. So technically she is a “Sand Colic”. The sand accumulates in the large intestine...it acts like sand paper and erodes the intestinal mucosa (lining of the gut). One of the large intestine’s functions is to absorb water. Due to sand accumulation an irritation to the mucosal lining, water is not absorbed well, resulting in watery manure. This same theory explains why horses with a lot of sand lose weight or are unable to gain weight. Start feeding acouple tablespoons of garlic powder in the feed,then add in the Sand Clear.

Hope it helps!

 

[Zinjifrah]

I use psyllium for my horses, in pellet form, daily for one week out of every five. Sand Clear is a brand of psyllium, I believe. They get it before they get their hay, and there's no hay until they've finished it. However, where I'm at there's no graze, which makes it easier - if there are treats that she likes, you might try grinding some up and mixing them in. A little molasses or sweet feed works, if they like it. I have mustangs, so anything but hay was very suspicious to them at first, but once they realized that was all the food I was giving them - until it was gone! - it didn't take long for them to be polishing it off quick. Then I'll usually give them an hour or so, lunge them for maybe ten minutes at a slow trot to get everything stirred up without souring their stomachs or getting them sweated, then give the usual dry hay ration. It's worked for me, but I can't guarantee it'll work with all horses. I haven't tried adding garlic powder, but you can be sure I will be, next round of psyllium!

 

[CPT]

Hmmmmm.....she REALLY likes apples; I can try mixing in some apple sauce or molasses.

I got the Sand Clear Pellets.

That's what I had to do with my other mare, when giving her some medication/ pill form in a syringe. I mixed in some apple sauce and honey and she gulped it right down!

 

[AngieMaesChix]

I’ve always had to disguise meds and such apples and molasses’s has always worked best for me...with the sand clear it worked well ..I also switched to the senior ...have you read up on preventing sand as well? I’m sure your vet probably gave you some info as well..few easy tricks helped me a lot keeping hay off of the floor putting a mat under to catch what does fall and keeping it swept of debris..offering plenty of water etc..I had a horse years ago and at first I had no clue what was wrong she ended up needing surgery..hope the alternative methods work for your horse!! And thanks for rescuing!! I miss having horses dearly ..just got ducks five weeks ago and adding chickens soon..can’t wait until I can have a couple horses again someday..

 

[CPT]

Thanks for the suggestions! This particular mare was a rescue from the previous owner; she was a bit malnourished and they would be put her on a bone dry pasture, no irrigation, but she still had hay, but the alfalfa hay they fed her was not of a good quality. We have her on pasture right now, getting some grass in her gut so that she can poop better. She was laying down for a few days on several ocassions; it wasn't normal for her. If she does get alfalfa, we put it in a hay feeder, at eye level. We're lucky to have her; she is well behaved and super broke. I will get some molasses or applesauce today, mix it in with the sand clear/ equine senior and see if that works.

 

[AngieMaesChix]

Sounds like your doing great!! She’s very lucky to have you as well!! Keep us posted on her progress!!