You Aren't Going to Believe the Size of This Thing
Corky, who we found down and rolling yesterday morning at feeding time, seems to be over the worst of his colic episode. And it looks like we found the internal culprit:
Check out this monster poop ball that I picked from his stall last night before bedtime! That's a normal sized one on the left. I have never, in all my years of having horses, seen a fecal ball of this size--have you??
I took six piles of manure from Corky's stall yesterday after treating him with Banamine and putting him under surveillance. Every one of the first five piles was normal looking. The sixth one had this record-setter in amongst a few normal sized poop balls.
No wonder the poor old guy was in distress as this thing moved through his system.
It just goes to show that you can be careful as can be during severe weather changes (we have heated watering systems, for instance, to encourage adequate water intake), and still be surprised by something. That poop ball is almost as big as the little gelding it came out of.
Corky (with Christmas decor and stethoscope hung on the front of his stall door) says, "Whew! That was almost like having a foal!"
posted by Juli Thorson @ 11:50 PM
20 comments
20 Comments:
Only horse people can have such a fine appreciation for poop... Did you break it apart? Was it more dry or moist that usual? Or are you saving it to show your vet?
I'm saving it (well frozen, LOL) for the vet, who is coming out Thursday to work on the oldsters' teeth.
It appeared to be the same consistency and moisture content as the smaller ones, which all seemed normal.
You're right--only horse people have such a fine appreciation for poop!
That IS huge!! Wow! Yeah, no wonder he didn't feel so good. That's the biggest horse poop I've ever seen!!
Lawdy! I have to forward this to my Vet!!! She has a collection of 'goodies' in a glass cabinet in her office. During a recent sheath cleaning on one of my guys, she removed a bean the size of a golf ball (nope, not kidding.) My neighbor just informed me yesterday that she was at the Vet's, and 'Cruiser's bean is famous. It's behind glass!'
OOOH, 7MSN! I think you just busted almost everyone of us reading this board (bunch of poop-pickers-LOL!) Years ago, I was routinely checking my horse's feces after worming...and my little boy (he was 4 at the time- 17 now)was horrified. I can still hear his scared little voice asking his grandpa, 'Papa! WHY is my mommy eating that poop!???'
Am glad that all passed well and Corky is doing better. I have several friends that were concerned also and will be very happy to hear and see this.
This is definitely one of those stories that can only be told to the horsie friends... the non-horse friends like the stories about the blind mare being rescued and Corky and his pal finding new homes in their retirement years.
THIS story, they just wouldn't "get" it. lol
Glad to hear Corky is doing better. Oh, and no I've never seen such a huuuuuge manure ball.
Poor ol guy!
That was one giant poo.
Yes, only horse folks can understand the menaing of poo and it's barometer function to the horses well being. Mine gets the runs when she is stressed/moved etc. So when I walk in her stall and only see solid Poo Piles I breathe a sigh of relief.:)
Word Verif: Oatier ..ha ha
As my mother use to say "horse people"! Maybe you can sell it on Ebay and pay the vet bill. LOL
Oy! That is one giant thing! I am dying to find out if there is anything inside of it!
OUCH.
Even among us horse people, there seems to be a special group that would be enthralled by such a thing. And I would be right there with you performing a CSI-type evaluation.
I spent the better part of graduate school collecting and studying horse poop for feeding studies. As some of us used to say, its a crappy job but someone has to do it.
I also would suggest a mineral or salt block to encourage drinking. Mine are always reluctant to drink enough in the winter! Yikes, that is ginormous!
Good point about salt. I add loose salt to rations at each feeding, in addition to keeping horse-mineralized salt blocks in all stalls and at outdoor locations in the pasture.
Anyone else take the loose-salt route?
Yep, all the hay is actually salted as it goes into the barn. This is a left over from my Dad's thinking that if any bales are slightly damp, the salt will help take that out. Might not work on the hay dampness, but does encourage drinking extra water. The 2 old horses, 31 and 29, get a sprinkle with their feed.
This is a thought coming from no solid knowledge on nutrition, other than basic horse keeping skills. Would a fiber-loaded mash at or before a weather change help?
Beet pulp maybe, with salt, water and maybe elecrolytes thrown in?
I usually set up a free feed situation with hay before a weather change,thinking the hay would keep their gut moving, but now I'm wondering.
Soaked beet pulp isn't going to hurt, and probably does do some good, if you can get horses to eat it. Our regulars have acquired the taste for it, but Corky and his trail-string buddy are still turning up their noses at it.
And just so people don't run out and start loading their horses up with beet pulp or bran mashes, I think you have to be a little careful about giving horses feed they aren't used to, thinking you're doing them a favor before or during a storm. That can cause problems itself if they DO eat it (gas production, for instance), which can also cause a colic. (Think about that time you took a second helping of your mother-in-law's coleslaw, and ended up gassing your way all the way back across Nebraska.)
The hard truth about colic is that it can and does occur even with the most careful and knowledgeable management. Which is why I think it's just as important to know how to recognize a colic, and how to render good first aid (and when to call the vet), as it is to be educated about prevention.
Hmm. Sounds like something that deserves its own post. Thanks for the prompt!
Good point. I know enough not to change diets before shows, after hard rides etc. And we already feed some beetpulp and flax.So I guess I was thinking about increasing the water and beet pulp...hmmm.I'd be really interested in an article on this.
I see no problem with increasing the water content of your beet pulp. But instead of increasing the amount of beet pulp per feeding, I would increase the # of feedings per day.
Wouldn't too much salt, as opposed to free choice (not saying these horses are getting too much) salt, actually serve to draw moisture out of the digestive tract?
In excessive amounts? Salt makes thirst, yes. How much is too much?
Could it possibly become a vicious cycle?
That's the most amazing ball of equine dung I've ever seen:)
Glad I came to look!
Ha! Seriously leave it to a bunch of horse girls to post and then carry on a lengthy conversation on poop!
That would be the biggest i have ever seen too!
I will have to hurry and catch up on your blog to see what the vet said...
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