Diarrhea

STEVE: Well, diarrhea in a horse can be a transient problem due to something as simple as a change in diet, maybe a short term infection, something they picked in the water, or something they picked up from exposure to other horses. But, it can also be a real big indicator of a horse that has colitis or something a lot more serious. E. Coli infection, certain viruses are known to create diarrhea, EVA, things like this. So you want to be really, really careful. When you get acute diarrhea, obviously, the hydration status is at risk right away, along with potential side effects of Laminitis and all the other things due to toxicities and things causing it. Certainly, salmonella is another concern. People tend to think diarrhea is not a big deal, and they certainly can be a real big deal.

Obviously, you want to isolate that horse as soon as possible. You want to try to minimize the population that would be exposed to that horse, and you want to make sure you know what you’re dealing with. Diarrhea, when it’s a fairly acute problem where it’s real watery, you want to get it looked at right away, and you want to take their temp, and you want to know what’s going on with this horse. The chronic, cow pie, long-term diarrhea can be effectively taken care of other ways, but the acute, watery diarrhea where the horse’s hydration is at risk, you certainly want to be proactive and consider it an emergency problem, in my opinion.

ALEX: You could have rapid consequences from something like that.

STEVE: No doubt. You could lose your horse right away due to that.

ALEX: That’s why it’s important, I think, for people with horses to really examine the manure every day. Know your horse every day, so you know what to look for. If there’s a sudden change, then a red flag should go up.

STEVE: Most definitely.