Re: Re: Sand Colic avoidance

["Susan Garlinghouse" <suendavid@worldnet.att.net>]

Wheat bran does NOT help whatsoever with moving sand, and psyllium in
clinical trials has been shown to only be effective to a significant degree
in horses that already have a deficiency in gut motility---ie, post-surgery,
etc.  It moves a little, but not to a stunning degree.

By far, the most effective 'treatments' are good prevention.  One, make sure
the horse isn't eating sand with his hay by putting it in a big feeder (like
a truck tire) or on rubber mats or something like that.  Make sure that the
hay source itself doesn't contain alot of dirt and sand, which it often
does.  Check it out by dunking a flake into a big tub of water and seeing
what settles out---I once measured 18 pounds of dirt and sand from a 100-lb
bale of "premium" hay.  And the best way to remove sand from the gut is to
maximize motility, and that's not through diet, that's through regular
exercise.  Gut motility is at its peak at around 40% VO2max, which is a
brisk walk or a slow trot (this is part of why vets will sometimes have you
briefly exercise a colicky horse).  So just by getting out there and riding
the horse, you'll naturally move alot more sand from the gut than any
supplement will.

Good luck,
Susan G
----- Original Message -----
From: Cora <bandc@teknett.com>
To: <APKBUICU@aol.com>; <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Friday, June 22, 2001 9:33 PM
Subject: RC: Re: Sand Colic avoidance


> Beet pulp couldn't hurt.......Cora
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <APKBUICU@aol.com>
> To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
> Sent: Friday, June 22, 2001 8:09 PM
> Subject: RC: Sand Colic avoidance
>
>
> > Does anyone have any suggestions for sand colic preventative other than
> > psyllium? I treat once a month for seven days and have had no problems.
> > However, my friends horse has gone through a short stomach cramping
> problem
> > that lasts about an hour and then he has passed from 6 to 8 piles of
poop
> in
> > the next two hours. After that he is fine. Both times this has happened
> about
> > three days into the treatment. Obviously this horse is not going to get
> the
> > psyllium anymore, but we live in Arizona and most vets recommend that we
> > treat for sand by giving bran every day, or the psyllium. If anyone has
> some
> > other remedies please let me know.
> >
> > Laura and Angel
> >
> >
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