Yearling mini with Diarrhea?

Question

I own a yearling mini that has had diarrhea previously but it has turned out that he was colicing or this last time had a few tapeworms. He just started with the diarrhea again and has lost a good bit of wait, his coat is dull, and he did not want to eat this morning or last night. Just wanted to get a few opinions. Thanks and let me know if you have any questions.

Answer 1

Call a vet ASAP. Foals often die of diarrhea but even yearlings can get so dehydrated that they quickly go downhill and you lose them--especially mini's.

Answer 2

This could be anything  from scouring, worms to colic or even a stomach ulcer, if he has not been wormed for 2 weeks you could give him a dose of paste. If you think he's scouring from rich lush grass or has a stomach ulcer, get some pepcidine from a vet normally they will give you this over the counter with instructions on dosage without a consult and take him away from any grass.

To rehydrate a horse i give a 45 litre bucket (approx 10 gallon )of water add 4 litres (1 gallon) of pure mollasses and add 1/2 a cup of electrolytes, if its a cold day try and give warmed water if possible as it will help stop the gut from spasming.

But always if in doubt  CALL THE VET!

Answer 3

This sounds like colic.

I wouldn't know what type unless I knew more of the surrounding area he lives in. Sand colic is the most popular in my area due to large amounts of sand in their body blocking any p**p from coming out! ^-^

I'm very sure you know this, but all I need to know is if she has been going to the bathroom. If not, you need to get water into her, and lots of it. This pushes things out of her system. If she hasn't gotten better call your vet

hope I helped tell me more ^-^

Answer 4

It could be a lot of things. I would call a vet before he gets dehydrated and is even worse off.

Answer 5

Has he been wormed recently? He may be wormy. Worms can cause a number of problems including a dull coat, weight loss, etc...

Have you changed his feed and hay? Is the feed old or bad? This can cause all of these symptoms also.  To check inspect your grain, look at it, does the color look faded, has the texture changed and is there bugs in it? Take a scoop of it and look at it under a bright light. Some bugs are so small we don't realy notice them under typical dull barn lights. If the feed has anything wrong with it, throw it out.

For your hay smell it, does it smell musty? Has the color changed? Is it spotted? If you slap a bale or shake it does dust come out of it like crazy? Good hay should have little dust, a good feel and smell to it, and the could should be uniform, no spots.

To me it doesn't sound like colic.



It can be a number of other things. Your best bet would be to CALL THE VET! Tell your vet what is wrong and have the vet check him out. You can also ask your vet if he thinks it would be okay to give him some pepto bismol. I have a horse that gets diarrhea from too much grass and I give him only a little bit. If the vet says that its okay to give it to him, ask how much. If he doesn't say I would start with about 1/2 tsp twice daily to see if it helps until the vet comes. The pepto can change their stools to a black color.

Until the vet can get there I would be sure that he has access to plently of clean fresh water. And is comfotable. If you have some electrolytes that you can mix into his water do it. And keep him on them to help with dehydration year around.  Give him something that you know he will eat that is light, like hay. Don't give him alfalfa for right now. And try to keep him off of the grass. Grass can attribute to diarreha.

See what your vet says. If it has been a while since he was last wormed ask your vet to worm him. Your vet should take blood samples, a fresh stool sample and do a number of other things.

I hope he gets better soon and good luck with him.

Answer 6

Take him to the vet. Young horses tend to go down quick...Minis in particular. If he has lost weight and doesn't look good CALL THE VET KNOW! It could be alot of things and if he has had an episode before I wouldn't take a chance again.

Answer 7

I would get your vet out ASAP.  Even if he is drinking, the diarrhea can lead to dehyration.  Dull coat, weight loss, and decreased appetite all dont sound good.  Call your vet!

Answer 8

papaya pills would help with this =]

Answer 9

it sounds like hes dehidrated.