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No problem! It's very well possible it could be worms! Are goats will tend to be like that when they have worms so! :D |
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Well I say call a vet because you never know what people say on the internet.
Plus there is the health issues. Diarrhea can lead to dehydration. Constipation can lead to impaction colic. If he is impacted or dehydrated a vet can put a hose down his nose into his stomach and pump him full of water or something along the lines of castor oil which would help loosen things up.
And being that there is such a quick dramatic change, I would be calling the vet if this is my horse. A horse poops approximately every 15 minutes. Are you going to be available to constantly help him poop? If the answer is no then he is more than likely going to get impacted.
Edit: also if it is a parasite the vet can take a fecal sample and test it so they can tell you exactly what kind of parasite it is. If the horse has been on a crazy amount of medication like you said then target medicine will be best because at this rate the horse will get ulcers from being on so much medication. |
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Jericho Stables said:
Well I say call a vet because you never know what people say on the internet.
Plus there is the health issues. Diarrhea can lead to dehydration. Constipation can lead to impaction colic. If he is impacted or dehydrated a vet can put a hose down his nose into his stomach and pump him full of water or something along the lines of castor oil which would help loosen things up.
And being that there is such a quick dramatic change, I would be calling the vet if this is my horse. A horse poops approximately every 15 minutes. Are you going to be available to constantly help him poop? If the answer is no then he is more than likely going to get impacted.
I understand what you're saying and I agree. This forum was more for advice other than the obvious take him to the vet. We are friends with his owner and know that he has been to the vet before and we will continue to take him if he doesn't get better. But so far the vets he's been to haven't helped so I was looking for more out side the box thinking. But thanks for your concern :) |
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When our foals get constipated, rare occurrence but does happen, we usually give a warm water enema to loosen things up. We don't out enough in there to hurt, but enough to help get things moving. If he's tried a lot of different medication, the constant changes had probably weakened his digestive system. I would try giving probiotic paste to see if that helps. I wouldn't deworm if he's sick because the poison may hurt him when his immune system is compromised. If he's switching between diarrhea and constipation, then his gut is pretty messed up. I will try to get him straighten out there before worrying too much about his weight. As long as he isn't losing any, I'd focusing on lining out his digestion.
Once his gut is good, I would slow switch to a high protein pelleted grain to help put weight on. At this point in development, protein is more important than fat. His frame and muscles are developing, and while he does need fat, he needs much more protein than that. I have some old horses that have had digestive problems and they do best when eating either a lot of alfalfa or 14% protein pellets. I wouldn't recommend alfalfa for your boy with his diarrhea issue though. We haven't had any major illnesses at my place in years, other than with calves, so I'm a little rusty on treatment for horses other than small wounds.
I'd love to see a full side view of the colt if you have one. I love draft crosses, especially gypsy and friesian crosses, so I'd like to see what he looks like. We just have thoroughbreds, quarter horses, minis, and ponies, so I've got a much lighter herd. |
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