Diarrhea in Horses

Diarrhea or excessively loose stool is a sign that something is wrong with your horses health. Unless the problem clears up within about a day you should call your veterinarian. A horse can very quickly become dehydrated when it has diarrhea and dehydration can cause colic a potentially lifethreatening abdominal condition. The underlying cause of your horses diarrhea may be a serious health problem that can be difficult for you to identify on your own.
Why Do Horses Get Diarrhea?
Diarrhea is a symptom not an illness in and of itself and often indicates that something is awry with a horses digestive system. Usually a horses manure is a pile of solidly formed rounded buns or road apples. If the horses digestive system is altered in some manner resulting in abnormal motility and altered fluid absorption its manure can range from slightly runny to very loose and watery.
In severe cases the loose manure may exit forcibly and end up covering stall walls and anything else standing in its path. Frequently diarrhea may last for a day or two resolve on its own and you may never find the reason it occurred. But in some cases it can be extremely acute and severe or become chronic and require ongoing treatment and vigilance.
There are many reasons horses get diarrhea. While most episodes are not a huge problem diarrhea can also be an indication of a serious lifethreatening illness. Some of the causes of diarrhea in a horse include
Behavioral such as nervousness caused by being in a trailer or attending an event or the stress of moving to a new stable
Change of feedeither new feed the horse isnt used to or overfeeding its regular feed
Access to lush pasture
Food sensitivity or allergy
Spoiled feed
Antibiotics1
Parasite load
Bacterial infections such as Salmonella
Equine gastric ulcer syndrome or EGUS
Excessive ingestion of sand
Potomac Horse