I desperately need some help. I have a 23yrs old welsh pony that i've owned since he was 10 months. about six weeks ago he suddenly got diarrhea The vet came out to him twice And he had blood and worm test. all came back normal.They put him on predisolone steroids and he's now on homeopathic tablets too. He dose'nt seem to be able to cope with grass. If i leave him in his stable he gets a bit better but when i put him out even just for a hour morning and evening he gets upset stomache again. Someone suggested i feed bran just dampened down as this will help bind him which i've done yesterday and this am but no luck so far. The vets said he has IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). If you look on the net there is no evidence horses actually get this. I'm hoping that someone out there has had a similar problem and they found a solution as he is my best friend and i don't want to loose him. x x

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sorry no idea but hope someone out there does.Hope he/she gets betterx

Hiya,

I found these sites:

Natural Remedies for IBS in horses - horse irritable bowel syndrome

and some research sites

How to Treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Horses | eHow.com
The Horse | Scientists Consider Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Horses

I googled this:

Google

Good luck and hope you can find something to help him.

Laura

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Dont feed bran!! Its a laxative!

Horses can get a form of irritated bowels, however i'd be cautious if a vet suggested it.

You can get tonics which can help boost the pro and pre biotics of the digestive system, but you need to be very careful as to what you are using.

They can get malabsorption, which is what my veteran got which nearly killed him. Have a look online at a few different pages of symptoms and see if this seems similar. If so i will help as best as i can on that. Although a second opinion from a qualified vet will be best (im doing vet nursing)

Although i dont know all the symptoms of your horse, if it is only going out on grass that is triggering this right now, see if you can stable him for a couple of days and give him a high level fibre, preferably soaked (cube/pellet form) the most crucial thing especially when they have the runs is to keep the fiber in them, or they will start to get weak and lose weight.

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Thankyou you all for your advice but I called the vet out again and the head vet came out this time and said he has kidney failure There is nothing more that they can do for him. They gave him some injections to make him more comfortable over this weekend and he is being put to sleep on tues at 2.30. I am completely devistated. He is and always will be my best friend. I love him so totally and utterly. He is the best pony anyone could ever of asked for and we had many many happy years together.

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Ah Im really sorry about this hun.... Hey you have givin your pony many good years and he will thank you for not allowing him to suffer... You obviously care a great deal to try and sort the prob....
Big (((((Hugs))))) to you guys...

I have known of older ponies who do suddenly get like this... And it quite possibly is due to the water and protein content of grass being to high for the pony to manage.. When i did my training I had two to look after Sonny wizz and falcon.. sonny was about 10hh and got like this.. I had to scrub his tail everyday... It was just like pure chewed grass in it.. It didn't take long for him to start loosing condition and we had to let him go.. Such sad times...

And bran is a laxative when fed wet not dry....

But you really sound like you care and have given your guy the best...xxx

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Bran is sadly a stimulus to the stomach and causes mild to severe laxative effects, dry, damp or wet. In small doses it aid's digestion, in other's it worsens it.

Im sorry to hear of your boys illness. Words on forums will not help you much, but know you are not alone, so reach out to someone if no one is around you to offer support. You clearly have worked hard to help him. Old horses deserve very loving homes, and he clearly has one with you. Hold on tight to your memories, you are letting him go with dignity, which so many horses are denied even that, and it is heart breaking.

Your boy is lucky to have you. Hugs to you for tuesday.

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Oh no I'm so sorry.

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Oh hun I'm devastated for you both ..thinking of you all at this very sad time. What's your ponys name? x