Sand vs. Psyllium by Mike Tomlinson
D.V.M.
COLIC
Colic is still the number one cause of death of
horses today. It used to be that verminous colic
(caused by worms and other parasites) was the
primary type of colic, but now in many areas sand
is the most commonly seen form of colic.
Sand colic is the result of the building up of
sand in the intestinal tract of the horse. There
can be as much as 150 pounds of sand lying in
the bottom of the horse's belly.
The pain from sand is caused primarily by two
methods. The sand presses on the bottom of the
intestine, preventing blood from entering the
area (Just like when you press on your fingernail,
the pinkness (blood) goes away). This causes the
long term, low grade pain that can cause a horse
to eat poorly without ever really acting colicky.
You know how it feels to not get enough blood
to an area if you have ever tied a rubber band
around a finger for very long.
| Eventually the
sand can build up to the point that it totally
blocks a loop of intestine. At this point,
the horse becomes very painful from the buildup
of hay and water in front of the blockage.
Once this pressure builds to a certain point,
it either pushes out the sand blockage or
pops the intestine like an overfilled balloon.
The intestinal rupture is always fatal. |
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SAND
COLIC IS PREVENTABLE
Sand colic is one of the most preventable diseases
known. The buildup of sand is simply the amount
of sand being eaten minus the amount of sand passing
through. If the same amount is going out the back
as is coming in the front, there can be no buildup.
Prevention of sand intake sounds simple, but
often heroic efforts are fruitless. Horses eat
sand whenever there is sand below where they eat.
If they are fed in feeders that are not big enough
for them to spread out the feed, they will pull
the feed out and put it where it can be spread
out, usually on the ground.
Horses lick their lips between nearly every
bite of hay. If the horses eat off the ground,
every time these wet lips touch the ground, the
dirt will stick to the lips and be consumed with
the next mouthful of hay. Some horses simply must
vacuum up every last morsel of hay and in doing
so, they also vacuum up quite a quantity of sand.
Horses in pasture that pull up the grass, roots
and all, get a mouthful of dirt with the roots.
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Young horses all seem to
go through a stage, as do people, dogs,
and many other domesticated species, where
they feel that they need to eat dirt, often
by the handful. This behavior in young is
normal and you cannot stop the desire until
they outgrow it.
The overt eating of dirt in adult horses
is not normal. It is often found that there
is some form of deficiency in the adult's
diet. The most common is the lack of salt
or other mineral deficiency. Stress and
boredom can also drive an adult horse to
eat dirt. |
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MOVING
SAND THROUGH
Sand is moved through the intestinal tract by
the normal peristaltic movement of the tract.
Regular exercise can be the most beneficial way
to help the intestines move the sand out. Moving
sand that is in a hard lump may be impossible,
but shake it up with some good trotting and it
will break up and move right through.
After exercise, feeds play the next major role
in moving the sand out. Concentrates such as grains
and vitamin supplements do nothing to remove sand.
Roughages such as alfalfa, timothy, coastal, and
other hays are the traditional source of fiber
for horses. Hay alone can move through a small
amount of sand just fine.
| Bran (Red Flakey
Wheat Chaff) can be added to the diet to help
with the sand problem. Keep in mind that bran
is high in Calcium and low in Phosphorus and
as such must be used in moderation unless
feeding alfalfa as the primary roughage. Bran
has also been implicated in a few articles
as increasing the incidence of the enteroliths
(horse pearls, intestinal stones, rocks). |
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Psyllium is the best feed stuff known for the
prevention of sand colic. Psyllium cannot cause
enteroliths. It is fed in such small amounts that
your horse cannot gain weight from its use nor
will it cause any nutritional imbalance when fed
normally.
Many horse owners feed oil to their horses. Most
do it for the nutritional benefit (increased weight,
shinier coat, etc.). Some mistakenly belive that
it will help move through sand. Plant oils (vegetable,
corn, safflower, etc.) are digested and absorbed
long before they get to the sand. They do not
lubricate the digestive tract. Mineral oil (liquid
paraffin) is not digested or absorbed. It tastes
terrible to most horses. Horses will not voluntarily
eat mineral oil. Mineral oil does help loosed
up tightly bound sand, but it does not move it
out as well as psyllium.
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SIGNS
OF SAND COLIC
Sand takes months to build up in the average horse.
Diarrhea is often the first sign of the disease.
Sand is the number one cause of diarrhea in some
areas. Once the sand builds up to the point that
it blocks most of a loop of bowel, then the fibers
of hay form a beaver dam over the sand. Only fluids
and small pieces can get through the sieve.
Weight loss is also commonly seen with sand
in the intestinal tract. Sand, when not bounced
around, can form a hard lump almost like a form-fitted
piece of cement in the bottom of the intestines.
This sand covers a portion of the intestinal wall
preventing nutrient absorption in that area. The
pain from the weight of the sand (and also from
frequent plugging up) will often cause the horse
to be less interested in eating. Such horses can
lose weight rapidly.
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Sand can sometimes be heard by listening
to the very lowest part of the belly. The
sound it makes is much like the sound you
hear when underwater at the beach. Sand whooshing
through the intestine is unmistakable once
you hear it. Keep in mind that if it is whooshing
through, that is fine, it is the sand that
is not moving that is dangerous. |
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MASON
JAR TEST
The mason jar test is another method of assessing
if your horse is passing sand. Put six fecal balls
or their equivalent into a glass jar. Fill half
full with water and shake well. Let settle for
fifteen minutes and then check if there is any
sand lining the bottom of the jar.
If there is much sand at the bottom of the jar,
it means that your horse is moving a lot of sand
through (or you used manure that had touched dirt).
This is good in that at least it is coming out.
Prevention of ingestion must be increased.
If there is no sand at the bottom, it means
either your horse is not eating any sand or that
your horse is not passing the sand it has eaten.
In either case, repeat the test several times.
If it is negative every time, use psyllium every
day for a week, testing daily. If still no sand,
then your horse probably is not eating sand.
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TREATMENT
If you believe that your hose has sand colic,
first rule out other possibilities, such as hay
fever, injury, or other causes of colic. If you
horse will eat and looks bright and alert, then
there is hope of getting him over this without
the aid of a veterinarian.
Exercise is the best way to loosen a sand-induced
impaction. Walk your horse and jog a few steps
every now and then to really shake up the intestines.
Do not let the horse become exhausted.
Be certain to offer water
every few minutes. Water is the key to flushing
out sand. It is nearly impossible to get
sand of a severly dehydrated horse.
Bran is a good first aid for sand colic.
Besides being a good source of fiber, bran
is a great way to get more water in the
horse. Make up a bran mash as wet as it
can be ("bran soup").
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It is impossible to overfeed bran when the horse
is colicking. Getting the horse over the acute
stages of sand colic is much more important than
the small nutritional aberration from eating forty
pounds of bran. If your horse will not eat or
if he looks painful and a few minutes of walking
does not bring relief, then you should call the
veterinarian immediately. Do as your veterinarian
instructs you until he or she arrives. If no instructions
are given, attempt to walk if possible, but not
to exhaustion. Offer all the clean water you can
get your horse to drink. Try to make the bran
soup appear appetizing by adding chopped carrots
and/or syrup of any type. Once your horse is back
to normal, if it is certain that it was sand colic,
your horse still has pounds of sand inside. To
rid your horse of this residual sand, psyllium
should be given daily for one to two months.
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PREVENTION
Sand colic is preventable. Reducing the intake
of sand is primary. Where the horse eats is the
first place to start. Horses will spread out their
feed. It is their nature to eat the good parts
first. With no other horses coming into their
stall and no predator chasing them away, they
eventually do eat every last morsel, but not until
the tastiest parts are eaten.
The salivary and respiratory tracts of the horse
are designed for feed to be eaten with the head
down. The chance of choke, colic, and respiratory
diseases is increased when horses eat out of feeders
above ground level.Horses need to have a feeder
that allows the spreading and shaking of feed
without spilling onto the dirt. The ideal is some
sort of enclosure at ground level large enough
(at least 3 ft.) to spread feed out and with high
enough sides (measure from the ground to the base
of the neck with head down) to prevenet feed from
coming out. This type of feeder also makes feeding
easier in that even eople with poor aim can throw
a flake into such a large target.
A salt block is a necessity in many parts of
the country. Salt blocks come in many formulations
(colors). Generally, a white or brown block is
best. Consult your veterinarian for the best type
of salt block for your area. The larger salt blocks
tend to be the most economical as long as they
are kept out of the moisture. Often horses that
are bored learn how fun it is to chew up the smaller
salt blocks. It appears they get bored with trying
to eat the entire large block and go on to some
other toy.
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Boredom alone can lead to
eating of dirt. Place as many safe toys
in your horse's area as practical. Tires,
rubber road cones, milk jugs tied to a rafter
(with a few rocks as rattles) and similar
items can greatly relieve the boredom of
sitting in a stall all day.
Moving sand out once it is ingested can
be accomplished by two things: vigorous
exercise and feeding psyllium. The exercise
shakes up the intestinal contents mixing
it with the psyllium that keeps it from
settling back to the bottom and thereby
moves out with everything else. |
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Preventing
Sand Colic
If your pastures are sandy, and you're worried
about sand colic -- an accumulation of sand in
a horse's stomach -- here's some advice from the
experts.
From EQUUS Editors
__________________________________________
www.equisearch.com/care/illness/eqsandcoli776/
Psyllium, made from the seed
of the fleawort plant, swells and becomes gelatinous
when moist. Psyllium is a proven laxative in humans
and pigs, and many people feed it to their horses
as well, in hopes that it will prevent sand colic.
Psyllium is believed to help move small amounts
of sand out of the horse's gut, but preliminary
research calls into question its effectiveness
in moving larger accumulations of sand from equine
intestines.
The best way to avoid sand-related
colic is to discourage the horse from ingesting
sand in the first place. This can be accomplished
with minor adjustments to your feeding routine.
Feed hay from feeders or rubber mats, preferably
in an area where the horses can't scatter it over
sandy ground before eating it. Allow horses to
graze sandy pastures only when the grass is plentiful
and well rooted.
If you suspect your horse has
just ingested a lot of sand, you may want to keep
him in a stall for a few days so it can clear
his system. Psyllium may be a useful part of managing
a horse who grazes in a sandy pasture, but it's
not a magic preventive or cure.
The following articles were originally
published in EQUUS magazine.
EQUUS, the uncontested leader
for horse-care information, has helped shape modern
horsekeeping for 24 years by promoting the best
interests of the horse.
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Sand Colic and Feeding
Ingestion of sand and subsequent
accumulation can cause a variety of clinical symptoms
in your horse. Signs of large amounts of sand
in a horse's intestine range from poor weight
gain or weight loss in spite of an otherwise adequate
diet
to intermittent diarrhea or frequent to severe
episodes of colic.
All
horses in our area are at risk for having
problems with sand. The soil in our area is
naturally very sandy, so any horse that spends
any time eating feed whether it is in the
form of hay, green grass, or on the ground
is prone to ingest
some sand. Dietary changes can prevent problems
with sand. The first step in prevention is
to feed off of the ground in tubs, bins or
wall feeders. While many horses still pull
at least half of their feed out of any feeder
and finish it on the
ground, these horses are still spending 50%
less time eating on the ground. In addition,
placing rubber mats under and around feeders
will help prevent horses from eating directly
on the ground. |
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The second step in sand prevention
is feeding psyllium, the indigestible fiber
found in Metamucil or Equi-aid. Psyllium will
aid in the removal of sand from the
gastrointestinal tract and prevent build up if
fed on a regular basis. Beet pulp has
also been effective in preventing sand accumulation.
It contains an indigestible
fiber similar to that of psyllium. Its main advantage
over psyllium is that it is less
expensive. Beet pulp is also a source of soluble
carbohydrate so it provides
some extra calories and may be especially useful
for those "hard keepers." The
disadvantages of beet pulp are that to be effective
it must be fed daily and it must
be soaked for 12-18 hours before feeding or it
has the potential to cause
impaction colic. Finally, many people believe
that they are controlling sand by
feeding bran mashes. Although bran is a good laxative
, it is ineffectual at
removing sand.
______________________________________
www.loomisbasinlargeanimal.com/health/sandcolic.pdf
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We strongly recommend
that every horse owner take steps to prevent
sand accumulation and colic before it becomes
a problem.
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