Sand Colic in the NW

[DianneC]

Last night my friend had colic surgery on Chickadee after five days of treatment. She's doing great but what a lesson! She had sand in her colon the size of a couple of long loaves of bread in a stack. It wasn't really sand but very fine gravel from the soil with the fiber from the hay that made a blockage the consistency of wet cement. Fortunately she hadn't rolled because rolling her onto the surgery table twisted the bowel because of the weight flopping around. Her bowel is somewhat abraded and irritated but she should recover completely.

Because of the incredible amount of rain we've had this year the pastures are super muddy. She had big tub feeders to keep the hay off the ground but the horses would kick some out into the mud and then eat it. Some of my horses are in a similar situation. She and I now have new hay racks with trays and stall mats under them and everyone is on Sand Clear. We're also feeding lower quality local hay to give the horses more to munch on during the day so they don't try to get every little piece that falls in the mud. I've never heard of horses up here with this problem. What a scare.

[nrly]

oh man i agree what a scare, thank goodness she was able to save her and she is doing fine with a full recovery in sight. I feed my horses 3 lbs of red wheat bran everyday it helps prevent sand colic. It is cheaper then the other stuff and my horse's love it.
nola

[lindaf]

Down here sand colic is something we are always on the lookout for since our soil is mostly sand, and the horses are constantly nuzzling around in the dirt looking for tidbits to eat even if we feed up off the ground. I use Sand Clear. Some people add oils, Some add more fiber like Nola. Oh, and some people use psyllium/Sand Clear off and on throughout the month, not just for a week.

I'm glad Chickadee is OK. It is so scary. One of my aquaintances on a Fjord list just lost a mare to complications from sand colic surgery. She made it through the surgery during which they removed 2 gallons of sand, had some problems, then finally seemed to be on her way to recovery. Then about 2 weeks after the surgery, she developed a respiratory infection and died that same day.

I'm sorry to see that sand colic has become an issue in the NW as well.

Nola, does the red wheat bran cause weight gain? All mine are easy keepers.

Linda F

[nrly]

it hasn't in my horse's so far. and some have been on it for 2 years while Riddle is just starting on it and has been on it for almost a month,
nola

[Michelle Clarke]

Glad to hear the mare made it okay, what a terrible thing.

We give 1/4 cup ground flax seed daily and that is better than even physillium hulls plus with all the other benefits! Physillium hulls can also be binding if the horse is not consuming enough water.

[DianneC]

Fortunately I've been feeding ground flax but the vets here recommend psyllium. Nola, do you just feed the wheat bran dry mixed with other things or do you make a mash out of it? 3 pounds is a lot! Do you introduce it gradually? I bought a 5# container of psyllium for $25 and it was enough for just one feeding for all 11 horses. Yikes! I'm going to see if I can get it in bulk without all the flavoring.

[nrly]

we buy it in I think 50 lbs bags it cost us almost 12 dollars a bag., and yes I introduce it slowly by the 2nd week though they are up to a 3 lbs coffee can. we give it dry, and every other day we give them pellets with it. they love it it is sweet tasting to them. they will leave their hay to eat their bran, then go back to the hay. and it also makes them drink more water.
nola

[Michelle Clarke]

Cautions with too much bran.....it is very high in phosphorus, so do not feed to growing horses because excess phosphorus can cause improper bone development by interferring with calcium metabolism. When fed wet, it will act as a laxative; conversely, when fed dry can contribute to impaction.

[nrly]

I have been feeding my horses bran from the time I got them. and no problem so far, and my vet says bran is good for them for that purpose of Sand Colic. But like with anything you can over do and cause problems. Now when Riddle first started on it yes his poo was like cow poo but now it is normal, and he is doing fine.
nola

[DianneC]

Update on Chickadee
She's doing great and has graduated from hand walking to turn out in the lunging arena for a couple hours a day. It will be another month before she is back to being ridden but should be good to go back out on trails this summer. We've continued to get really wet sloppy weather and the mud is so yukky. Fortunately they have a six acre pasture so they aren't in it all the time. Can't wait for the grass to come in and the ground to dry up.

[fantasykiger]

How scary indeed..I am so glad that Chickadee came out OK from her surgery. I have been OH so lucky (knock on wood and all that) with all the sand we have and horses always nibbling on the ground in their dirt pasture, hay feeders would make no differance, I have never in 11 yrs had an episode of colic. The thought is very scary to me. I do my best to keep them moving (Hay is spread out to simulate grazing pasture) provide with a mineral block and they get horse guard prescribed by my vet. They do drink alot of water, in the winter it is heated. They do prefer warm water in the winter that I have discovered over time and experience. But I am thinking it sure would not hurt to go down and get some sand clear product and feed them that for awhile and give their intestines a good cleaning as well. Especially after hearing stories like this.

[lindad]

I feed my horses out of super heavy duty hardwood crates that a 4-h club sold for a fundraiser. One of the parents got them from work and the kids checked them out for roughspots, rasp corners smooth and rounded the edges, etc and sold them for just $10.00! I've used them for 5 years now and they are still sturdy as they are put together with heavy duty screws. I like them because they eat in the head down position. In those metal upright feeders, horses have to eat in an unnatural position and chaff falls into their eyes. My friends horses have knocked them over and have also been caught in one. My horses still manage to toss out some hay and end up eating some off of the ground. Mats would be a good idea to use around them. Thankfully, I have never experienced sand colic. Bolero, being Bolero watched us move his feeder to a new location once and pushes it with his chest daily to eat the chaff that falls through the bottom. The mares have never moved theirs. They are very heavy. You might want to check in your area, for hardwood apple crates or shipping crates. Best $10.00 I've spent on horses. I think that I will get some psyllium to be safe!
Linda D

[DianneC]

Good idea on the crate. Her husband actually built one with sides that were about 2.5 feet high but silly Oso (two year old) would climb into it to eat and broke the bottom out. I don't care for the hay in their faces and manes but at the moment its the best solution. We have 40 gallon tubs that the hay goes into but they toss it all out onto the mud to get the leaves, then eat the stems out of the mud. Yuk.

[angelsdream]

Good News Dianne. That's a huge relief. My boys usually toss the hay everywhere, step on it, roll on it, etc Guess it tastes better with some grit in it.

[DianneC]

Yeah, I always thought it was a southwestern desert problem and we didn't have to worry. There is a thing you can do. Take some fresh manure and put it in a larger container. Add water and shake then wait for an hour or two. If there is sand it will settle to the bottom and you can see it. When Chick was in the vet hospital before they decided to go ahead and do surgery that night the vet did that with a rubber glove. He took what he had taken from Chick, turned the glove inside out and added water then tied the top and hung it to watch what settled. The sand and grit filled the fingers and a third of the way up the palm of the glove.