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Post by linika on Feb 19, 2008 3:07:09 GMT -5
lol whoa lots of questions.
I am still getting anwsers to those.
today I asked about if it was a good idea to treat horses for sand even if you think they don't need it.
They said yes. there are many things you can do. the problem with sand is that it can just sit there. and clear slowly or not at all. You can't tell without an xray. but to have a program where every once in a while to do sand clear can help. Its not the beat all end all solution but it helps.
it wasnt a rock to stuck together but it just was not clearing. he would eat and then poop it out but the sand/dirt settled to the bottom and just sat there like a beach.
Some horses will start to get a taste for dirt and will eat it. but they think he is not one of those. They did say the there is drit and sand in hay, grass, pastures etc. they can get it everywhere and depending on the horse will determine if its a problem or not.
so much to learn... argh..
I just wanted to get the word out the sand colic can happen to any horse even when you don't think it can. A hard lesson.
He most likely continued to accumulate after he left yur place but its possible he had some to start from mine, I will never know.
But its a good lesson for others and I hope to help warn people of the possible dangers. You don't know you have a problem horse untill its almost too late. I got lucky.
I will be treating my others with sand clear or pylenium soon, just in case.
and the main thing I learned is, Sand is dirt and dirt is sand.
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Post by bridgetah on Feb 19, 2008 10:14:32 GMT -5
I keep my horses out in the Delta area - they get psyllium on a regular basis. BTW, I buy it in bulk at the local health food store.
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Post by quatzie on Feb 19, 2008 10:33:55 GMT -5
He does look good, I am so happy for you and a great out come for him God's Speed
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Post by wendyp on Feb 19, 2008 11:01:41 GMT -5
I buy the psyillium at walmart. I have also read that ground flax helps clear sand.
Another important item - when Dezi (my PMU mare) died from sand colic last year, I had done alot of reading, and found that oil doesn't do much of anything to clear sand. It's the tubing with pysillium that helps the most. Dezi must have eaten a bunch of sand, and she was totally plugged in the intestines, and turned septic - the vet did a stomach tap, and the toxins were coming back into her stomach - thats when we let her go. There is only a 4 hour window to have any decent chance of success, when it is intestinal........we were way past that point. And the rotten thing is, you don't know when your four hours starts, so surgery is just a crap shoot, and at $7,000-10,000, and such poor odds, it really wasn't an option for me.
I'm so happy to hear your guy is doing better. I give my horses pysillium regularly, but I had given it to Dezi regularly too - sometimes it just doesn't work....................but I do it anyway, maybe it's working for one of the others, you just never know.............
WendyP/Bend, OR
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Post by lucy1994 on Feb 19, 2008 13:50:16 GMT -5
I agree, my vet is very big into giving them sand clear or equiade of some type. I do it so that hopefully it releaves some of it from there tummy. Removing some of it is better than nothing. IM SO HAPPY HES OKAY.
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Post by watermarkfarm on Feb 19, 2008 14:01:17 GMT -5
Dang, that is one long incision!!
He sure did lose weight. How scary.
Love the $4000 body clip, too!
Hope he continues to do well. He is in great hands @ Loomis!!
Katie
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Post by rescuestoribbons on Feb 19, 2008 14:08:24 GMT -5
How long did the vet say it would take for the incision to heal? I know when my pony coliced we were going to take her in for surgery if we could have gotten her up.... but the vet said she would of had to stay for around 3 months because the incision was going to be like that?? Just interested to see how it will heal! Glad he is all better now
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Post by pnp4kidz on Feb 19, 2008 15:42:41 GMT -5
We had a foal who had surgery for a patent urachus at UC Davis 3 years ago... his incision was not nearly that long, probably only 10 inches... but they only kept the stitches for 2 weeks! then he was good to go! (well, we never got the stitches out... thank god they thought to put absorbable ones in case he wouldn't let us pull them, cause he was havin' NO way with us pulling stitches from his belly, and they didn't want to sedate him again as he was a 3 week old foal... ) I bet it isn't as long as you think! He will be growing hair and everything... it will just be a while before they let him be athletic... and use that tummy again!
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Post by horselovin on Feb 19, 2008 18:17:47 GMT -5
What good news! I am glad he is doing well.
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Post by cwinterburn ( RIP) We love YOU on Feb 20, 2008 0:20:40 GMT -5
Even those of you who have feeders, not much sand in the ground, or your horse lives in a stall and never gets out- hay is raked up off the ground and gopher mounds get scooped into the bailer with the hay- so you can deliver the sand in the hay itself. I was taught to put a fresh lump of manure in a styrofoam cup add water - stir until it dissolves- then slowly pour out the liquid. The little ridges in the styrofoam catches the sand- you'll be amazed how much sand there can be in only one lump - if the sand is visible- you've got sand in their gut.
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Post by Tockita on Feb 20, 2008 0:52:10 GMT -5
I was taught to put a fresh lump of manure in a styrofoam cup add water - stir until it dissolves- then slowly pour out the liquid. The little ridges in the styrofoam catches the sand- you'll be amazed how much sand there can be in only one lump - if the sand is visible- you've got sand in their gut. We just poach a fresh turd off the top of the pile in a ziplock bag, add water and smoosh the poop. If its bad, you will feel the grittiness of the sand through the bag as you smoosh the poop. If it's not too bad you will just see some sand as it settles on the bottom of the bag. I feed on a manure base, and that has been better for me then feeders, or mats. It might not keep them from eating some sand but it does help cut it down. While not all horses can do well on it, my stangs do fine on bermuda grass in the summer, it is easier for them to pick up the wisps of leftover grass then it is leftover alfalfa. Sassy and Tiff are on Integrity which is beet pulp and rice bran so I think that probably works much like psyllium, anything viscous enough to move the sand rather then pass over it is a plus. Keep in mind that Charity coliced AFTER Angi started her on sand clear. The vets were hoping they could get her cleared but the sand had scoured her intestines, and she went septic and had to be put down. So if a horse is extremely sandy, or has been sandy for a while, moving the sand too quickly can be bad too, so please consult a vet if the sand test is bad.
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Post by cutiepiepmu on Feb 20, 2008 14:41:43 GMT -5
IMO a good rule of thumb no matter WHERE you are located is to do 14 days monthly of a high dose psyllium product. I purchase the Equate brand metimucill from walmart and actually feed daily, year round. I used to only do a couple weeks a month - but our soil here is sandier and the teff hay I hauled in this year does have more dust it seem(although excellent hay) For a 1000 pound horse I feed 1 cup daily - I do not use the orange flavor or smooth formulas since it sort of defeats the purpose. Also - if you have a Win-Co foods near you can buy psyllium in the bulk food section for way cheap. Add some water to make it stick to the feed - not many horses are keen on eating a big mound of powder Sara in WA
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Post by beckybee on Feb 20, 2008 15:51:32 GMT -5
I saw bulk psyllium husks at our local co-op in the health department. I was curious if anyone feeds the unprocessed husks and if so, how much?
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Post by cutiepiepmu on Feb 21, 2008 1:40:19 GMT -5
Yup - I feed them - if they are really course I run them through a grinder first though. Once ground to a fine state - I feed 1 3/4-2 cups daily for 7-14 days. Depends alot on the horse. I also feed a very high quality probiotic during the treatment. The other thing I have found gives more success is to feed the psyllium with a small amount of grain/pellets (maybe 2-3 cups) then wet it down. Feed 30 minutes prior to any other feed and make sure they eat it all before feeding regular feed/supplelments. Also - make sure to wet the mix down so it goes down a little easier Sara in WA
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