Leaky bum

[texsuze]

Subject line says it all. My 25 y.o. retiree recently developed a leaky butt--takes place only when he f_Rt$. I hate to be graphic His fecals have been negative for quite some time, so I only de-worm based on those results. I don't think the problem is worms. Using the "tent" test, he is not dehydrated, and drinks his usual summer quantity of water, so far. He is otherwise his usual self.

Right now I'm attributing the leakiness to his dislike for the current batch of hay (16 bales remaining.....), which is a bit stemmy. He doesn't finish his hay, but has no problem with his appetite for his feed. He is out on native pasture during the day. I'm thinking that being picky about his hay means he is not getting the amount of roughage he needs. His poops are 50% fluff/50% horse apples---not total cow plops, but not total formed poops.

I'm on my way to the feed store this morning to pick up a bag of hay cubes that I can soak and give in addition to feed and hay. I've used these soaked cubes in the winter to bump up his weight a bit. My thinking is that if the leakiness subsides using the cubes, I'll need to get another batch of hay (making certain it is not stemmy). I'll probably get another batch of hay this week anyway.

Any experience with, or thoughts on this problem?

[Srhorselady]

I've used Saccharomyces successfully for similar problems. It's one of the few products thought to help hind gut problems. You can find it at some human health food stores. The Vitamine Shoppe carries it. I just open the capsules and add to supplements, about 8 capsules (4 x 2) daily depending on weight of horse for about 4 to 10 days. Mine tend to get this problem occasionally and sometimes I can identify why sometimes not. Eating Palo Verde Tree blossoms, seed pods, and fresh greenery can do it! Other times who knows?

[Quelah]

Freeway had this sometimes. Not related to gassiness. His appeared to be intolerance of long fibers for lack of a better explanation. He got hay pellets, which totally solved the problem. He always had hay available recreationally, but the bulk (hah, punny) of his diet was good quality (not all are, you should see some of the shit hay that goes into mills) hay pellets. I don't/won't feed cubes. We had a thing around here many years ago where a bunch of horses died from cubes with fiddle neck in them so I have a semi irrational cube phobia.

ETA- ironically, my new horse, who lives in Freeway's stall (as it will always be known) seems to have to some degree the same problem. He's definitely intolerant of grain hay, reasonably formed manure but major poop juice if he gets oat hay. He was fed exclusively beardless wheat hay when I got him and his otherwise cute white (of course, if he had a dark rumpus he wouldn't have this problem) butt had a nice orange streak down each side, and his massive white tail was a mess.

A dear friend of mine who is a vet suggested allergy testing on him, and possibly allergy shots. She said that's worked in quite a few cases she's seen.

FWIW, and not to go recommending you go to "TOB" but if you go on there and search "poop juice" there's quite a thread. Either way, you now have the term "poop juice". You're welcome

[texsuze]

Many thanks for the replies. Yesterday I started feeding an enzyme supplement by MannaPro, which, according to label, is comprised of many of those unpronounceable microbial components. Also started him on the soaked hay cubes (coastal/alf combo), which has stood him well during the winter. And tomorrow, I'll check with my hay guy to see about getting another bundle of better quality hay. I still feel I'm on the right track WRT coarse hay as the culprit. I'm impatient to see results, but I know things have to fall in place, from an intestinal standpoint. And I will be using the "poop juice" terminology now, hopefully for only a little while longer

[StraightForward]

Haha, I call it leaky butt, too.

My last horse had it, apparently it started with a soy allergy, as it cleared up considerably after taking her off of LMF. However, with somewhat stemmy hay, the issue returned, and being a boarder, I have limited control over the hay supply. Anyway, I did the probiotics (equiotic brand, they stay refrigerated in individual packets, supposedly to maintain viability of the good bugs), aloe juice, and also a clay supplement (forget the name, but I can look next time I'm at the feed store if you'd like). It seemed like getting her off the stemmier stack of hay, along with this supplement protocol for a couple months, was enough to give her gut time to heal. She was not having any issues when I sold her last fall, and with the warning to avoid soy and stemmy hay, the new owner has not mentioned any issues.

[texsuze]

Well, I wish my update would read "Poop juice stops flowing" but leaky butt hasn't completely cleared up. I am moving my guy between two different pastures right now, due to the weather (blazing hot, then lightning storms) chopping and changing. And although I have plenty of pasture grass, my picky guy is being picky, so his forage intake is affected.

I did pick up a bundle of fresh, fluffy hay last week which seems to have reduced the poop juice a bit. Still on the enzyme supplement from MannaPro, but I stopped feeding the soaked hay cubes for now. If he finishes the enzyme supplement and still has juice, I might go for the Equiotic brand--too bad it requires refrigeration....
I guess it will take time for the better quality hay to kick in, too.

If the poop juice stops, I will give a final update. Fingers crossed.