Diarrhoea
Signs
Disease recognised if dung is cow like, or dis-coloured fluid.
A horse with diarrhoea is usually recognised by the state of its tail and hindquarters.
Some horses show signs of discomfort when passing motion, switching tail, looking at flank or tucking up abdomen.
Colour of faeces may vary from pale to yellow to black with streaks of blood and mucus.
Horse's appetite fluctuates from normal to non existent. If diarrhoea severe may show signs of colic.
If diarrhoea continues horse loses weight, becomes weak depressed and dehydrated.
Causes
Bad teeth, broken teeth, teeth with sharp edges which can all lead to incomplete mastication. Quantity and quality of food too much.
Diabetes Insipidus
(POLYUREA)
Cause
Mouldy, musty oats or fermented chaff, hay or fodder.
Symptoms
Horse wastes in condition becomes weakened, coat harsh. Floods his stall/stable with frequent clear emissions of urine of aromatic odour.
Treatment
See your veterinarian.
Dysentery
Cause
Caused by eating foreign substances, poisons, poisonous weeds, or by neglected bowel complaints, worms or contaminated water.
Symptoms
Purging with bloody colouration, blood may form almost a total percentage of the evacuations.
Horse is thirsty, loses strength and condition quickly. Very dark brown motions, pain.
Treatment
Sulphonamides, antibiotics. No solid foods until recovered, fresh boiled water.
Dehydration
They are thus more susceptible than most animals to dehydration, that is, they lose more than normal amounts of fluids and electrolytes that cannot adequately be replenished by normal diet.
Daily feeding of an electrolyte mixture will ensure that electrolytes are replaced as they are lost and this will prevent dehydration. There is a limit to the quantity of electrolytes a horse will accept in its feed.
Signs
Dry harsh coat, sunken eyes, lethargy, loss of appetite, tying-up, poor performance or poor recovery from exercise.
Cause
Continual loss of electrolytes and fluid through faeces, sweat and urine. Diarrhoea, loss of appetite.
Treatment
Balanced electrolyte mixture can be administered orally, in feed or drinking water.
Blood tests can be done to evaluate which electrolyte is deficient. Drugs that act on the kidney
can be injected into the horse, causing retention of certain ions in the body.