This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > "Sue" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Peppin is now 3. Some time ago, I wrote > in asking what the cause could be for chronic runny stool in the three year > old. We worm every 3 to 4 months, however Peppy still has "the runs". He is > only normal occasionly with the "runs" being common for him. It seems, > every green thing he gets hold of gives him gas and causes the loose stool > though he is not at all sick. They have very little grass, their main food > source is sun cured timothy hay....with 2 cups sweet feed per day....( 1 > cup twice daily). He is also spitting out clumps of hay. Would he still be > cutting teeth? [...] (I am wondering if it could be the > grain. Randy is trying to get his weight up so he gets grain daily.)
It could be his teeth. Equines continue to teethe until about age 5 or 6. At this point, he might have a "retained cap"---a baby tooth that didn't shed properly, and the adult tooth under it is coming in anyway. This can cause his teeth to not mesh properly, so he can't grind his food properly, so it "goes right thru him"---he has the runs, and can't get all the nutrition out of the poorly-ground hay, so doesn't gain weight well. Spitting out clumps of hay is also a symptom of a tooth problem. Sounds like he needs to see a dental specialist. The sooner you get it fixed, the less likely that the permanent tooth under it will grow in crooked. Some vets are good at dental problems, but many only took one dental class in vet school. My old Fjord mare had tooth problems, because I trusted my equine general practitioner, who didn't know nearly as much as she pretended to; an equine dentist showed me what the problem was, and did his best to help Nansy chew properly. Good luck! Marsha Jo Hannah Murphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 15 mi SW of Roseburg, Oregon
