what causes horses to have runny poop

Causes of Diarrhea in Horses

Full Answer

What can cause diarrhea in a horse?

As previously stated, diarrhea is a common symptom for many different diseases. Listed below are a few causes to some of the more common forms of diarrhea in horses. Chronic Diarrhea. Parasites. Excessive ingestion of sand. Chronic Salmonella infection. Inflammatory or infiltrative bowel disease.

What causes diarrhea and colic in foals?

Clostridium perfringens is a common cause of foal diarrhea. “Sometimes we’ll see it in very young foals, even in the first day or two of life, causing diarrhea and colic signs,” Nolen-Walston says. “We also see it in adult horses, especially in horses that have been treated with antibiotics.”

What does it mean when a horse has loose stools?

Frequent, loose stool in horses can range from mild, chronic diarrhea that is a nuisance but does not affect the horse’s overall health to severe, acute diarrhea that is a medical emergency. A related condition is the newly described Fecal Water Syndrome or Free Fecal Water, in which a horse passes normal, solid manure separately from fecal liquid.

What causes diarrhea in horses with cyathostomiasis?

Intestinal Parasites are an important cause of diarrhea in young and debilitated older horses, the most severe associated with cyathostomiasis. Cyathostomes are small strongyle worms and during their lifecycle they migrate through and encyst (curl up and 'hibernate') in the wall of the cecum and large intestine.

What causes chronic diarrhea in horses?

Chronic diarrhea in horses can be caused from a variety of medical issues including parasites, gastric ulcers, neoplasia, stress, and inflammatory...

What can I give my horse for diarrhea?

Depending on the cause of the diarrhea, it is up to your veterinarian’s recommendation. A horse gastrointestinal supplement or probiotic is always...

When should I be concerned about my horse's diarrhea?

Diarrhea in horses can be serious because they can quickly become dehydrated. Contact your veterinarian as soon as your horse develops diarrhea. If...

What causes loose manure?

Use of antibiotics and overzealous use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can also cause digestive upsets and shifts in the microbial population, leading to loose manure. Alfatoxins or mycotoxins, feed contaminants typically occurring at low levels, might also cause problems in some individuals.

What are the effects of hay on the hindgut?

This means a higher-than-normal availability of energy for the bacteria results in rapid growth, declining pH, shifts in the make-up of the population , and gas production . These changes in the hindgut can cause loose manure, colic, and— in severe cases—laminitis.

Can hay upset horses' digestive system?

Introducing hay containing larger quantities of easily fermentable fructans can really upset some horses’ digestive systems . I had a barn that was feeding a hay containing 8% water-soluble carbohydrate and switched to another orchard hay that had more than 20% water-soluble carbohydrates, the difference being fructans. Unfortunately, the barn managers had started feeding the new hay with no gradual introduction before test results came back, and the majority of the horses in the barn experienced issues ranging from loose manure to mild colic. Gradually, the horses recovered, but a couple took longer and needed additional gastrointestinal support.

Can horses be sensitive to feed changes?

Knowing that your horse is possibly sensitive to feed changes, consider providing a good-quality prebiotic during times of stress or diet change.

Can stress cause diarrhea in horses?

Stress can also potentially allow bacterial population shifts. Pathogens, such as salmonella, that typically exist at low levels without causing problems can take hold in stressed horses. This can cause infectious diarrhea, which is why you should discuss all loose manure cases with your veterinarian.

Can hay change affect horses?

I tend to see this fairly often. A hay change might upset a number of horses with the majority recovering just fine without intervention, but one or two have lingering issues—or only the one or two ever have an issue. This was the case in a barn that fed wheat hay. Only one horse was having a problem. The hay had some grain on it, and I hypothesized that possibly the horse had a faster rate of passage through his digestive tract than others in the barn. This would mean undigested grain might arrive in the hindgut, causing a hindgut fermentation disruption. Or, possibly, he produced less of the enzyme in the small intestine needed to digest starch. We reduced his wheat hay intake, added alfalfa, and his chronic loose manure cleared up.

How to treat diarrhea in horses?

Typically for acute diarrhea, the horse will undergo electrolyte therapy, thereby re-hydrating the animal and restoring the fluids lost because of diarrhea. For parasitic diarrhea, a de-worming agent (anthelmintic) will get rid of the parasites. Bacterial causes for diarrhea can be difficult to treat, as are inflammatory bowel cases.

What to do if your horse has diarrhea?

Your veterinarian will first perform a thorough physical exam on your horse, taking note of any dehydration or other problems secondary to the diarrhea that will need immediate attention. Your veterinarian will then likely take a blood sample as well as one or more fecal samples.

What tests are done on horses?

Depending on the clinical signs the horse is exhibiting, the vet may test the feces for parasites, or may submit the sample to a diagnostic lab to test for bacteria such as Salmonella and Clostridia.

Can diarrhea be cured in horses?

Diarrhea can often be a simple thing to cure. It is , however, important to pay attention to the signs and symptoms of diarrhea in your horse in order to seek treatment before it, or the more serious disease causing it, becomes severe.

Can diarrhea go unnoticed?

Mild diarrhea may go unnoticed for long periods of time if the horse is always out at pasture. As the severity of diarrhea increases, you may see fecal staining underneath the horse’s tail. In general terms, diarrhea can be classified as acute or chronic.

Is diarrhea a symptom of horses?

As previously stated, diarrhea is a common symptom for many different diseases. Listed below are a few causes to some of the more common forms of diarrhea in horses.

What causes diarrhea in adult horses?

The horse's intestines, especially the large intestines and cecum, contain large numbers of 'normal' bacteria, of many different types, that are an essential part of the normal digestive processes . If the normal 'balance' of these bacteria is upset by a sudden change in diet or antibiotic treatment, digestion is upset and diarrhea may follow. When the normal bacterial population reorganizes and returns to normal, digestion and fecal consistency also return to normal. Treatment with probiotics (see later) may help a speedy return to normality and, if used early, before diarrhea develops, may sometimes help prevent diarrhea.

How does diarrhea affect horses?

If the lining of the gut is severely damaged or, in certain intestinal bacterial infections the lining of the gut, is so severely damaged that the horse can become toxemic, i.e., toxins produced by bacteria in the gut are absorbed into the blood stream. The toxins can damage large intestinal blood supply irreparably, the gut wall dies and these horses develop shock and die or require euthanasia quite quickly despite treatment.

What is diarrhea?

Diarrhea means the production of feces that are softer than normal. Normal equine feces are produced in formed, non-offensive smelling, greenish-brown, semi-solid portions that will break up in the hand, revealing varying degrees of fibrous content depending upon diet. The softness of diarrhea varies from non-formed ('cow-pat') to liquid (like colored water) and there may be an offensive smell. Liquid diarrhea may be produced apparently involuntarily in a projectile manner ('pipe stream') or may involuntarily run down the hind legs (incontinence), resulting in skin 'scalding'.

What is the significance of diarrhea?

Diarrhea is a relatively common condition in the horse and in most instances is transient. Due to the anatomy of the adult gastrointestinal tract it is normally only conditions that affect the large bowel and cecum that result in diarrhea. In foals, before their large bowels are fully competent, i.e., before three months of age, small intestinal conditions can be involved and foals can quickly become very ill.

How are the causes of diarrhea diagnosed?

In most cases it is obvious when a horse has diarrhea but often the difficulty is in diagnosing the cause. A veterinarian will perform a clinical examination and take a history, that will include medical and worming history, the duration of diarrhea and dietary changes, exposure to stress or surgery or other medical treatments and any history of other illness. Blood and fecal samples may be collected for laboratory analysis. The fecal sample will be examined for parasitic worm eggs and cultured for bacteria. It may be useful to perform a rectal biopsy. This is accomplished in the standing sedated horse. In chronic or severe cases it may be necessary to take large or small intestinal biopsies either by laparotomy under general anesthesia or laparascopically in the standing sedated horse.

How is diarrhea prevented?

Diarrhea is best prevented by good management, with provision of good quality pasture and feed and any changes in diet made gradually. A strategic parasitic worm control program appropriate to the management is essential, with twice yearly (spring and autumn) anthelmintic dosing specifically to control small strongyle worms (cyathostomes) and tapeworms. Contact with known Salmonella spp. carriers should be avoided.

What causes diarrhea in the small intestine?

Less common causes of diarrhea include intestinal neoplasia (cancer) and granulomatous enteritis (a chronic, i.e., long term, inflammation of the small intestines). Both may result in damage to and malfunction of the intestines, resulting in failure of reabsorption of water by and loss of protein through the intestines (malabsorption syndrome).