My horse has digestive problems

Digestion & Gut

Free faecal water, diarrhoea, recurring colic, a sensitive digestion — the gut is a central system.

In choke, a feed bolus or foreign body blocks the esophagus so that feed and saliva cannot be swallowed. Unlike in humans, breathing is usually unaffected — nevertheless choke is an acute veterinary EMERGENCY.

Colic is an emergency with many causes — a substantial part of the risk factors lies in feeding and husbandry management and is controllable.

Diarrhea is a symptom, not a disease in itself, and ranges from harmless and transient to life-threatening. Acute, watery diarrhea with fever or apathy can indicate a serious infection and lead to dangerous fluid loss.

Dysbiosis describes a gut microbiome that has lost balance, e.g. after starch-rich feeding, antibiotics or abrupt ration changes. A stable microbiome is considered important for fibre digestion, nutrient supply and immune status; research on this is still young.

In free fecal water syndrome, free, often brown liquid is passed in addition to formed manure, soiling the tail and hindquarters. Causes are considered multifactorial and not yet scientifically settled; general condition is usually unaffected.

Damage to the stomach lining from acid load, feeding gaps, stress and starch-rich rations. Very common in sport horses.

In sand colic, ingested sand accumulates in the large intestine and can cause irritation, diarrhea, impaction or painful colic. Acute colic is always a veterinary EMERGENCY — sand accumulation can become life-threatening.

Horses practically always carry some worm burden; only a high or damaging infestation (e.g. small strongyles, ascarids, tapeworms) becomes problematic. High burden can cause digestive disorders, weight loss and an increased colic risk — growing dewormer resistance makes a controlled approach important.