-Home remedies for horse constipation are very important because constipation in horses becomes a life-threatening problem if it isn’t treated properly.
-Constipation affects older horses more than younger ones.
-Recovery and management of constipation depend on the medical reason and severity of constipation.
If constipation is mild and can be treated with home remedies for horse constipation, the horse will be back to its normal life within a few days.
If constipation is severe and needs hospitalization, recovery will take more time and the veterinarian should make sure that there aren’t any constipation symptoms before allowing the horse to get back to normal life.
-In this article, we will discuss different subjects about constipation, its causes, home remedies for horse constipation(its types), and how to prevent constipation.
-We also will show you how to diagnose constipation.
Before we talk about home remedies for horse constipation and its importance, first you need to know what constipation is and why it happened.
What is constipation in horses
–Constipation in horses means the difficulty of eliminating feces from the digestive system or stopping feces from eliminating at all.
-Constipation happens when the horse doesn’t have proper bowel movements and is unable to digest the food properly.
-Horse manures(feces) become dry, in small amounts, and may be covered in mucus.
-The severity of horse constipation differs from one horse to another.
-According to constipation severity you can detect if your horse just needs home remedies for horse constipation or may need emergency care to treat constipation as a surgical correction.
What are the symptoms of horse constipation
Home remedies for horse constipation can be given when you notice these symptoms:
- Hard and dry manures
- Lack or stopping of manures
- Mucus covered manures
- Lethargy
- Loss of appetite
- Lying down
- Pawing
- Exercise intolerance
- Sweating
- Unthrifty coat appearance
- Depression
What are the causes of horse constipation
1-Lack of water intake
Water has an important role in softening stool and improving the digestive system.
2-Poor diet
-Lack of fiber diet leads to constipation.
-Depending on pellets more than hay and grass also leads to constipation.
3-Dental disorders
-If your horse has problems with its teeth and can’t chew its food well, that will affect its digestive system and lead to constipation.
-Dental health is very important so you must go to the veterinarian constantly.
4-Parasitic infection
Intestinal parasites affect the digestive tract and prevent nutrient absorption.
Parasitic infection is like Clostridium and Ascarides.
5-Stress
Stress can affect the digestive system and lack the ability of food digestion.
There are some other causes for horse constipation
1-Age: as we mentioned older horses are at higher risk than younger ones.
2-Some medications can cause horse constipation as long-term use of NSAID medications.
3-Eating too quickly can be a reason for constipation.
4-Poisoning associated with constipation such as:
- Oak and Acorn poisoning
- Black locust poisoning
- Heavy metal poisoning
- Pyrrolizidine alkaloids toxicosis.
5-Some mechanical problems of the digestive system can cause constipation as:
- Volvulus which means torsion of intestine
- Stomach dilation and rupture
- Enteroliths which means stones form within the colon and obstruct the intestine so leading to constipation.
- Pedunculated Lipomas(Strangulation) are benign tumors that arise from the small intestine and are attached by a pedicle.
6-Some digestive diseases as:
- Hyperlipidemia
-Hyperlipidemia means high levels of triglycerides in the bloodstream.
-When triglyceride concentration exceeds 500 mg/dl, it is diagnosed as hyperlipidemia.
- Cholangitis
Cholangitis means inflammation in the biliary system which consists of organs and ducts( bile ducts, gallbladder, and surrounding structures).
- Cancer of the gastrointestinal system.
You decide to find out home remedies for horse constipation so you should know how you can diagnose constipation.
Diagnosis of horse constipation
There are some signs you can notice by yourself and some need veterinarians to detect constipation.
1-Physical examination:
The first sign of constipation is mucus-covered or dry manures.
Horses try hard to pass manure but without production.
Rolling, Pawing, and looking at the side are considered marks of constipation.
2-Rectal palpation:
–Rectal palpation is a main part of horse rectal examination.
-This examination evaluates if there is abdominal discomfort or not.
-It is preferred to do rectal palpation by veterinarians.
3-Nasogastric intubation:
-Before you give home remedies for horse constipation, you can go to the veterinarian and ask about nasogastric intubation.
–Nasogastric intubation is used for performing gastric impaction.
4-Blood work:
-CBC is useful for constipation diagnosis.
-It reveals if there is dehydration or infection.
5-Cultures to identify if there is a bacterial infection.
6-Parasites fecal egg count
7-Ultrasound
Now we get to the main point of the article which is home remedies for horse constipation and what their types are
1-Water:
-You must ensure that your horse has enough fresh and clean water at all times.
-Lack of water increases the risk of constipation, especially in horses over 6 years old.
-The horse which is performing little work and its weight is 1000 pounds needs nearly 12 gallons of water per day.
-This amount increases in hot weather.
-Lack of water reduces horse saliva amount that softens what it eats, so dry food will move the digestive system slowly and lead to an increasing risk of constipation.
2-Salt:
You can try to add 2 ounces of salt to the grain to stimulate thirst if the horse doesn’t drink enough water.
3-Exercise:
Exercise has a significant role in the prevention of constipation.
4-Some natural laxatives:
Valerian root
-Valerian root in humans is used as a sedative and can be used in horses to relieve stress and nervous tension.
-It can be used with chamomile to provide a soothing effect on the horse’s nerves and also improves the unsettled digestive system.
Dandelions
–Dandelions are rich in many minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, and beta-carotene.
-It is very useful as one of the home remedies for horse constipation because it improves appetite and boosts digestion.
-Dandelion can be used as a mild laxative.
Chamomile
–Chamomile flowers have a pleasant taste so horses prefer them.
-It is effective in constipation treatment.
-It is known as a digestive relaxant.
Peppermint
Peppermint is one of the home remedies for horse constipation because it has a great effect on normalizing digestion.
Peppermint is used in alleviating stress as it has an invigorating effect.
Meadowsweet
Meadowsweet can be used for many gut issues.
It has an anti-inflammatory effect on arthritis in horses.
5-Type of food:
Use food based on hay or grass and decrease the amount of grain.
6-Probiotics:
To keep the gut functioning smoothly, give your horse equine probiotics as home remedies for horse constipation and you will get good results.
7-Mineral oil:
–Mineral oil is an effective and one of the home remedies for horse constipation because it helps anything that stucks to pass through the intestine.
-You can give your horse a large syringe filled with mineral oil.
8-dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate:
-You can add the powdered form of dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate to your horse feed.
-It is just one dose per day and does not exceed 9 mg per pound for horse weight.
-It is given when manure is dry and hard.
9-Milk of magnesia:
It is used as a laxative for mild to moderate constipation.
Constipation prevention in horses
-You can do some steps to reduce the incidence of constipation in hoses.
-Providing fresh water regularly.
-Avoiding horse feeding in sandy areas.
-You can feed your horse grain or pellet feed when it is necessary only.
-Monitor the constipation symptoms.
-Dental care regularly by veterinarians.
-Veterinarians recommend doing a fecal egg count 1-2 per year with the deworming program.
-Pasture turnout
How many are poops for a normal horse
Normal horses defecate 8-12 times per day and produce about 13-23 kilograms of poop per day.
Changing horse diet from fiber to grain-based affects horse poop.
Normal color can range from green to brownish color.
The healthy horse eating a fiber-based diet, its poop looks like small-egg shaped balls, and when they hit the ground, they slightly break away from one another.
If the feces don’t crack when hit the ground, this is considered as a dehydration sign.
Summary
Constipation is a big problem that cannot be overlooked, although it appears as a small problem and only needs home remedies for horse constipation, but it can result in major problems if it is not treated well, and for this you should always follow up with the veterinarian constantly.
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