My horses have eaten excessive wheat straw and have swollen belly's, what should i do??

Question

Horses have eaten lots of their wheat straw bedding due to being left in for the day. One was considerably sweaty and the other hadn't drunk much water at all. What should i do?? How can i prevent it??

Answer 1

CASTER OIL DRENCH.......................................

Answer 2

I have never had my horses be interested in eating wheat straw. Was there not any hay available for them to eat. Why were they left in all day. I live in northern Vt. and I never keep them in. They have a shelter to go into if they want and they have hay always available. It would be pretty rare for a horse to choose straw over hay. You should talk to your vet and while you are doing so ask about leaving them out.Every vet I have ever had say they are healthiest being out with a barn or shed to run into.A barn that is all closed up tight is a bad environment -dust, bacteria, etc. As you know a horse can colic very easy and a swollen belly is not a good thing. Call vet.

Answer 3

Horses should not be ingesting straw, era, and if yours are, then you definately would desire to locate some opposite direction to mattress your stalls. Straw has little or no nutrient value to it, and horses that consume lots of it are susceptible to colic and intestinal issues. It will additionally provide your horses a hay abdomen in the event that they consume too lots. the main elementary bedding is shavings or sawdust. Pellets from a woodburning range additionally make large bedding, as a results of fact they destroy down into sawdust while a horse walks around on them. that's what we use, and that they are lots extra low-value than baled shavings. Shavings would desire to be offered in bulk and via the truckload, not via bales. it somewhat is lots extra low-value to transport a load of loose shavings than it somewhat is to transport bales, as a results of fact the bales would desire to be loaded and stacked via human beings. loose shavings can basically be dumped right into a truck via somebody with a front end loader or tractor. nonetheless, you ought to use peat moss as bedding. that's in lots of cases a sturdy selection for horses that are persistent bedding eaters, even inspite of the shown fact that it somewhat is annoying to maintain sparkling. interior the yank south, there are people who will use shredded newsprint as bedding, or dried and floor peanut hulls. those additionally make sturdy options as a results of fact they're mushy and absorbent. Of each and all of the forms of straw accessible, oat straw is the single that shouldn't in any respect be used as bedding, as a results of fact it seems and scents too much like hay, and horses will oftentimes consume it.

Answer 4

it sounds like they could have colic, even if it is only acute colic. why was he left in for the day? if you had ridin him till he was very hot, then gave him cold water straight away when you put him back in his stable, then this could have triggered colic,it may explain why he doesnt want anymore water aswell.
or if he was sweaty and did not have a rug on all night this can also cause colic, it may not be the straw causing the colic.
if he has always been eating the straw i would put it down to something else.
but either way i would call the vet out and ask him what he thinks caused it, good luck.

Answer 5

CALL THE VET. Try not to panic as this will upset the horses and cause them more stress. They could be suffering from colic which can be fatal and needs immediate attention. While waiting for the vet to arrive do not allow the horse to lay down and roll, keep them walking around and do not allow to eat anything more.

Despite having hay available horses often turn to straw and Wheat straw is not easily digested and can be a problem to pass causing impacted colic. I would call the vet, especially as one is sweating up (horses often sweat like us when they are uncomfortable). The vet is the best person to advise you.

To avoid this happening again you could change your bedding to shavings (which can prove costly I know!) or buy a horrible tasting spray that is especially made to put on a horse's bed to discourage them eating it (available in most horse shops). Ensure you are feeding the correct amount of hay to them (the vet can advise), horses are trickle feeders and so always require something to nibble on. If my horses were to stay in for any period of time (which despite best efforts we all tend to have to bring them in at some point due to Field damage, extreme weather etc!) I always ensure they have plenty of good hay and water available. I don't like haynets but they can extend the time that your horse will keep his hay going for. My 16.2 horses tend to have two big haynets each for long period in, I use large haynets with small holes on these occassions so that they are eating through to the early hours.

By feeding plenty of hay you also keep your horse warm as it acts as internal heating while its being digested. This will keep their weight on and save you money on hard feed! The BHS do supply leaflets on colic and there is alot on the net, its very common among horses some being more prone to it than others. The best owners horses get it so don't beat yourself up but learning more about it will help you prevent it infuture, best of luck, sj.

Answer 6

call a vet asap lead them around at a quick speed while the vet is on his way
don't let them sit down no matter what do as muck as you can to get their bladder to move (use the bathroom)

they might have colic keep a close eye on the

if it is colic the same as up above

Answer 7

if you are mega worried i would just give a vet a call, but there are lots of horses that do that, if you are planning to leave them in i would recommend that you should use wood shavings and plenty of hay. i have a 14.2 cob and i kept him in on Christmas eve and i gave him is usual amount of hay plus half a bale of hay as well as hard feed. if you didn't want to change bedding i would sprinkle the bed with disinfectant i have tried this with a pony i had once.

Answer 8

You have horses but know so little about them?
What's the usual diet of a horse? What CAN they eat? What will do them harm? Does the bedding have toxic chemicals on it? If so, why the hell did you give it to em as bedding!?

Let em out to run.

give em fresh water.

give em fresh food.

dont panic.

Most Important Though, ' DON'T STAND BEHIND EM '
it could be messy

If you're really concerned, watch em for a few days and if they appear to suddenly worsen then call in your vet.
REMEMBER, don't panic!

Answer 9

+++EDIT
that was days ago, they either got well or died. Can you update and let us know?+++
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Quick,what are their temperatures? Your vet will ask and you need to know,asap. Elevated heart rate? Groaning and trying to roll,biting at the flanks? Call vet fast! minutes matter.Give vet their ages,temps,what they ate, and that it seems to be colic.
COLIC: #1 killer of horses.
*Have somone else call Vet or use your cell, don't take your eyes of your horses.
*Can you have somone trailer you to the vets clinic or will your vet come out this late at night?
*While waiting for you'r vet,keep them from rolling by any means. (Horses stomaches cannot twist, but that half mile of gut most certainly can,and if surgury is necessary your looking at a minimum of $5-8 thousand.) Survival rates are best when horse is treated quickly.Do you have surgical coverage on your Equine Insurance?
*Walking tires out a sick horse, though it does distract him from the pain,which is incredible.
*Gas (as opposed to torction ) colic is a buildup of gasses that can press on the heart and stop it.
I hope everything turns out well! .
Nothing a horse eats surprises me. Straw eating is a common enough especially as they had to be left in. We're seeing a lot of this behavior during storm season..Occasionally horses will simply take a notion to eat something they otherwise would ignore.
For prevention,switch to shavings from a reputable source to avoid recurrence

.pardon typos wanted to get this to you fast

Answer 10

You will get the best advice form a vet. Don't delay-Call the vet today!!!

Answer 11

im not 100 percent sure but get them out i a field to eat grass and the usual foods given to them. keep them walking and if there are any signs of colic call a vet, also call a vet if the swelling gets worse or it doesnt go down. swithc over to a sawdust bedding or something that they wont eat.