He is wormed every 7 weeks (last one was Equimax, one before that quest plus) He is turned out alone…he is proud cut and rather aggressive…so he is only in contact with his own *****..and i clean his paddock and run in am and pm. all the other horses on the property are utd with worming
but.. he gets loose manure every now and then..it was terible for a few weeks during the summer, like liquid and my vet had me put him on a 30 day probiotic. the last 2 weeks ive noticed one out of every 3-4 piles are loose. i dont know if my worming program is not working properly, its the change in weather…or he just has a sensitive system
any ideas?
yes the probiotics worked
i have him on a skin/coat supplement now that also contains probiotic cultures in it
simi valley horse property
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It doesn’t sound like anything is really wrong, if you are truly concerned I suggest asking a vet for their advice. But the next time you worm, I suggest using Panacur Power Pac, bought at like Jeffers, and will clear his system. Symptoms of worms are usually more obvious such as a nasty coat, fading, and getting skinny quickly. Good luck!
It is always wise to have periodic fecal egg counts done on all horses. That way you know if your worming program is truly working. To do this collect a freah sample of manure in a zip-lock baggie and bring it to your Vet. They will do the count and let you know if there are any eggs and of what type of worm.
Having him tested for worms is a good start, and probably worth it - but I doubt his problems come from worms. The fact that he is on a regular deworming program means he should be ‘fairly’ safe… and also his runniness is inconsistent so it probably isn’t worms.
Did the probiotics work? If so then he may just have a sensitive digestive tract that needs some help. Talk with your vet about possibly changing the type of hay or grain he eats… He may need a different amount of protien or fiber. Sometimes it could also be that he needs less feed (the feed he doesn’t need is not being digested properly and thus his manure is runny) He may simply need a digestive supplement.
Another possibity is sand… Depending on the amount of sand your horse comes in to contact with you should purge his system of all sand reguarly…. Here in Florida we do it monthly as we have a lot of sand… in some areas you can do it once a year. There are several sand purge supplements available… You add it to his feed once a day for 7 days.
Talk to your vet and work closely to find a solution. This is a situation that is very individual and will have to be investigated and monitored until his digestive system is more stable.
Well, if he has always had this problem I would say just a sensitive system. If this is a newish thing i would be worried. Talk to your vet. Only he/she could know since I can’t be right there with you. It may just be something he keeps eating, or if you have switched his foods. Talk to your vet, that is what I would do.
The place to begin would be with a fecal exam for parasites. That may reveal the cause and deworming may be the solution. It is also possible that something in the diet is causing the symptoms. But, there are many conditions that may cause your horse’s symptoms, and it may require blood sampling or even scope examination to investigate further.Sometimes it takes several dewormings to eradicate a heavy parasite load, so it is very possible that worms are the problem, but I would verify that with fecal exam and have the vet determine the best treatment. I disagree with posts that indicate this can be normal. This is never normal.
