The Horse:Your Guide To Equine Health Care provides monthly equine health care information to horse owners, breeders, veterinarians, barn/farm managers, trainer/riding instructors, and others involved in the hands-on care of the horse.
Issue link: https://thehorse.epubxp.com/i/551477
48 TheHorse.com THE HORSE September 2015 TheHorse.com/Farm-Call This column features readers' questions on specific illnesses, diseases, and conditions, with answers from American Association of Equine Practitioners members or their designates. Send questions to FarmCall@TheHorse.com, or The Horse, 3101 Beaumont Centre Circle, Suite 100, Lexington, KY 40513. Questions will be edited for publication and must include the author's name, address, and daytime telephone number. Farm Call is compiled by Managing Editor Alexandra Beckstett. FARMCALL Q Why do some horses have seasonal runny manure? Like clockwork every late fall, one of my old guys starts to have regularly runny poop. And every spring around May 1, his manure goes back to normal. He eats the same type of hay year-round, the same grain, in the same area. It does not seem to relate to being on grass. He's been looked at by several vets with no conclusion. I've tried everything from probiotics, prebiotics, Biosponge, and Sand Clear to deworm- ing, low-starch feed, chopped hay, and soaked hay pellets. What else can I do? Maureen Wisconsin A This is a question that equine veteri- narians receive from time to time, often about older horses that may appear to be healthy in many ways. I have listed my approach to such cases so you can learn why some horses might have changes in their fecal character. If your horse experiences a change in fecal character resulting in soft (cow pie) or watery feces, first see if you can determine the cause. If there is no ap- parent reason for the change in feces, such as a recent alteration in diet (e.g., rapid switch to moist grass or legume hay), then talk to your veterinarian. He or she might perform an overall health check that includes a complete physical examination and blood collection for a complete blood count and serum chem- istry analysis. The physical examination will include an assessment of hydration status, a temperature check, and a careful listen (auscultation) to the heart, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. This part of the examination will allow the veterinarian to determine if any other organ system is abnormal or if the problem is confined to the gastrointestinal tract. We can generally detect primary gastrointestinal disease on physical examina- tion in combination with a fecal analysis. Perform periodic fecal exams to determine parasite fecal egg count. Based on this analysis, you and your veteri- narian can design a deworming program. Also float feces for sand to determine if sand may be involved with the altered fe- cal character. Additional investigations often include an oral exam to determine the status of the horses' teeth (dentition). In some instances a change in fecal water content results from an increase in fiber (hay) particle size, due to altered dentition that we can improve or correct with routine dental floatation. Specifically, when elderly horses have poor dentition (wave mouth with or without sharp points and hooks), they can experience difficulty breaking fiber down into a small enough particle size for digestion. In such cases, increased particle size leads to increased water being drawn into the intestinal lu- men, which results in feces with a higher moisture content—the soft feces or diar- rhea you see. In some cases the change in fecal char- acter may result from a primary gastro- intestinal pathogen, such as bacterial or viral challenge. Your veterinarian will be best able to determine if any of these or- ganisms may be present. Most commonly, if the horse has an infectious disease, he will appear lethargic, have a fever (possi- bly intermittent), and may have a change in appetite. In cases where the veterinar- ian finds a change in complete blood count or protein concentration, he or she can perform diagnostic testing, such as bacterial culture and/or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, to detect any microorganisms present. In some instances there is no primary health problem to account for intermit- tent loose feces or diarrhea. Working with your veterinarian will help you ensure there is no other cause for the increased fecal water content. Although these cases can be challenging, as long as the horse is able to maintain hydration (by consum- ing plenty of water) and electrolyte status, there is no major health problem caused by the passage of intermittent loose stool. Elizabeth Davis, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM-LAIM Professor and Head Equine Internal Medicine and Surgery Kansas State University Seasonal Manure Changes ISTOCK.COM A change in a horse's fecal character can indicate anything from internal parasites to infectious disease.