Caring for Your Horse's Stomach

We often receive questions about horses suffering from stomach issues. This seems to be a common problem, but unfortunately, it's not always easy to provide answers since the causes can be numerous.

For effective intervention, it's crucial to identify the cause. Sometimes, the reasons can be so apparent that they are overlooked, such as insufficient water flow in the drinking trough, irritation from a stablemate, or improper storage and handling of feed. Therefore, we recommend all horse owners to consult with a 'house veterinarian' who is familiar with the people, animals, stable environment, and routines. Often, issues can be rectified through consultation before they arise, and you can work on preventive health care, minimizing the risk of unplanned competition breaks or operational disruptions. You also get quick and appropriate help if an accident occurs, along with advice and assistance with strategic deworming and vaccination programs.

Here is information about the products in our range that can be useful for various types of stomach and intestinal issues and when it is appropriate to use them.

Most gastrointestinal disturbances are related to feed. Today, somewhat generally, horses are fed too much concentrate, and many do not thrive on forage in ensiled forms. Therefore, always start by reviewing your feed plan and your feeding routines when such problems occur. Particular attention should be paid to the hygienic quality of the feed. At Eclipse Biofarmab, we work with the PC-Horse feed ration program and are happy to help calculate individual feed rations. Most of our products are included in the program.

During certain seasons, there may be little or no grass in the pastures, and the weather may not encourage much activity during turnout. This leads many horses to dig around and pick at dirt and gravel heaps. As a result, many horses ingest large amounts of sand which accumulates in the large intestine, negatively affecting bowel movements and the absorption of fluids and nutrients. This significantly increases the risk of colic and is a common cause of horses having alternately solid and loose stool, or solid stool 'floating' in fluid.

Sand tends to accumulate over time as it is heavier than other intestinal contents and therefore sinks to the bottom of the intestine and remains there while other waste products are excreted the 'usual' way.

By supplementing the feed ration with Psyllium seed, you can cleanse the excess sand. Psyllium works by forming a viscous 'slime' that binds the sand and carries it out the natural way. Once the intestine is cleansed, bowel activity and stool consistency normalize. In areas with sandy pastures, this is one of the most common stomach problems, but the issue occurs in all environments.

Psyllium is used by veterinarians to treat horses with sand colic but can also be used by individual horse owners to prevent problems. Follow the dosing recommendation on the package. Psyllium is also available with apple flavor for the picky horse.

If a horse has watery, loose, and/or alternating loose and solid stool, this can be due to sand accumulation and the risk of colic increases manyfold. Consult your house veterinarian.

Today, our horses also live in a stressful environment and many horses are sensitive both physically and mentally. Transports to and from training and competitions, combined with stress and performance demands, put significant strain on the animals, leading to a nervous stomach. Similar problems can arise with changes in feed or environment. Horses are creatures of habit, and even small changes can cause anxiety. In competition situations, it is not uncommon for horses to become nervous and have loose stool. This sometimes resolves spontaneously when the horse returns to its 'normal' life, but sometimes the imbalance persists. In such cases, Fiberplex can be of great help. Fiberplex is a dietary supplement based on fibers, fermented yeast, lecithin, methionine, and vitamins. The product combats acute and chronic digestive disorders and has a very high water-holding capacity. Fiberplex contains metabolic dietary fibers (prebiotics) which have a positive effect throughout the digestive system. This dietary fiber interacts with an added yeast culture that feeds the microorganisms in the cecum and large intestine. A healthy and well-balanced microflora allows the horse to better utilize the nutrients from the feed.

As some horses can be sensitive to yeast, we also have Fiberplex Sensitive. Sensitive is the same product, without yeast, making it also suitable for horses sensitive to yeast products.

There are many reasons why horses suffer from stomach issues, and the importance of collaborating and consulting with 'your' veterinarian cannot be overstated. An untreated diarrhea can, in the worst case, lead to the horse's death, but properly used, our products can help reduce the risk of this happening.