Just when things began to calm down and I slept through the whole night without getting up to check on my mare, our second horse (of 3), got impacted.  This time I did not wait 2 minutes...took her in Saturday and had her tubed with mineral oil and today she passed a large amount of really foul smelling soft stool and is feeling just fine.  Vet still thinks it is combination of cold weather, poorer hay than normal, possibly tape worms, and taking them off most of the pasture in order to save it from getting trampled over the winter (which we do every year).  How can I keep track of number/amount of stools, water consumption, etc. and let them have free access to barn and pasture 24/7 which everyone says is the best for them?  Never had any trouble before this and am really baffled by it?

Horse mama,

I'm sorry this is so long but as I suspected you have a bigger problem then one colic. I dont get it. Does your vet know this is tapeworms or is he/she guessing? If it is tape worm, he should have told you to treat them with Equimax, at the very least, and right away. But enough about that for a moment. I'm going to write what I originally wrote and I'm sorry that it is so long.

Here goes: I’m really sorry  you’re going through this. The foul smelling stool means the food is laying in their gut way too long, it’s a bad sign. It just means you need to handle the situation, right away. First of all, taking them off pasture means you have probably taken away their best form of forage. That needs to be made up for.  I strongly suggest you rethink feeding them oats. There are some really good feeds on the market. You need something higher in fiber and nutrients. Oats are empty calories and really easy to impact.  It also sounds as if they do have worms. (Do you worm them regularly or have them on a daily wormer?)

It sounds as if you vet did not take a fecal parasite count. That is too bad. You really need to know what you are treating. Is it strongyles or is it tapeworms?  Since you don’t know you should use Panacur Power pack. More on that in a minute.

I would gradually change over their feed.  You might want to try Nuetrena’s SafeChoice, for example, it’s a really good feed for horses who colic. Gradually transition them over from the oats. Cut out the supplement for now and make their feed into a mash. Also, I’d put in a big scoop of Beet pulp (make sure you have soaked it for at least 15 minutes before you feed it to them. I soak mine for at least a few hours.)

Also, I don’t know much about the Timothy hay (are you feeding this from bales or from bags?)  but I do know I soak all my hay. Soak it for hours, until it becomes like pasta! Your horses need to get more hydration, All of this will push fiber through their body, keep digestion going and clean out their systems. Also make sure they have free choice salts and minerals.

In the next day or two put all of your horses on Panacur Power Pack (it’s expensive but worth it.) It’s a 5 day program of deworming. I would not suggest Quest Plus at this point, because I’m not sure how healthy their systems are.  Quest (Moxidectin) is toxic at 5 times its dose, Panacur and Safeguard (Fenbendazole) aren’t toxic until about 100-200 times their dose. I really wish however that I knew how bad the infestation is and what you are dealing with. If you are dealing with a really heavy load of worms the danger can be in worming them when the parasites start to die off. I really think you need a new vet. You should have a fecal count before and after you do this. If you want to really play it safe try a dose of Equimax (Ivermectin)- treats both stngyles and tapeworms- wait 10 days, get a real fecal count so you know what you’re dealing with. Then you can always re-treat them with the more powerful treatments.

I know this sounds confusing and I’m sorry, also it may seem like an overwhelming amount of work but it’s worth it. You have to get at the root of the problem as, right now, you are treating the very dangerous symptoms.

Good luck. I’m sure others will have different suggestions, I just hope you find the right answers.

One other thing, make sure you are not overfeeding, If you’re horse is 1000 lbs for example, for Safe Choice  you only need about 5-6 lbs. a day. Make sure you feed twice a day, not all at one time. Oats and supplements are a really bad combination for horses since it’s too easy to impact on oats and it will not give them the nutrition they need. Also, the SafeChoice has probiotics in it. You may want to put them on the Fastrack Probiotics on top of it. I don’t recommend any other brand. It will really move their digestion along and promote fermentation in their gut.

Also don’t forget the major reasons for colic (listed in my first post.) Always keep them in mind. Worms are a huge problem this time of year. They take refuge from the cold in your  horses intestines.

Thanks again for all the info.  To answer questions...fecals were done and were positive for some stronglyes, no sign of tapes but does not mean they don't have them, I do worm every two months with rotational wormers, had not done the Equimax for November when this started, they only get 1/2 cup of oats daily, their main source of food is timothy hay which they have been on for 7 years.  Yes, this years hay is not quite as good quality, I feed twice a day, 12 hours apart.  Gave the Strongid one week ago and have to wait 3 more weeks to give Equimax.  I have them back out on the whole 4 acre pasture again but it is past growing season and not a whole lot of feed on it at the moment.  Second horse doing just fine today.  I am holding my breath and keeping close eye on them.

1/2 cups of oats? What is the point then of feeding them?

Point of oats.....years ago, when they were fussy about eating their vitamins, vet suggested adding small amount of oats and we have done that ever since, still picky about vitamins but 90% get into them if oats in the feed tub.

Mom, I'm so glad the kids are doing better today. I hope it continues. It sounds like they might have resistance to Strongid (pyrantel pamoate), this happened with my mare even though they were on StrongidC2X daily! After a mild colic revealed a heavy fecal count, I gave them a shot of Quest Plus Gel. After that they came back zero for worms. I just  gave them a shot of Equimax an hour ago since it's bot season down here and plunging temperatures are another great trigger for colic.

I really hope you dont have to dump the Timothy hay. If it is a bad batch, as in not as good as previous seasons, it's got less moisture and protein (hence the suggestion to soak it and give them something besides oats.) It would be great if your local univ. or government office could put together a feeding program for you.

If they cant, I believe the formula is 10% grain, 20% hay. That means a 1000 lb horse should get 10 lbs of feed, 20lbs hay. I think that's a bit much but it does show that domestic horses need a combo of both. Although it's not like they get sweet feed in nature, so who knows! I do know however they are more likely to impact with oats. The SafeChoice is designed to guard against colic., it might be a good vehicle for you to use to get them to take their vitamins. It sounds as if they definately need more fiber in their diet.  It also sounds like you are getting a handle on things. I pray to God it all works out. I wouldnt wish colic on anyone! It's every horseowner's nightmare.

Best of luck and let us know what happens!

Anne