This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Steven A White) Has anyone personally had a horse get impacted by eating straw? I sure don't know of any. I think in theory that it may be possible if it ate enough (i.e. a starved horse where that is all there is to eat). I've done a lot of colic surgeries and can say that I have never found straw to be the source of impaction on an adult horse. I did find one foal that had some straw in an impacted small colon but there was lots of other stuff too. It seems he was over curious and was eating anything he could get in his mouth.
Also, I had just read in a recent veterinary publication where they suggested bedding a foaling mare on straw because (for one of many reasons) the mare may ingest some straw which will add more fiber to the colon. This then holds water like a sponge and makes the manure easier to pass, thus reducing the chances of post-foaling colic. I would appreciate anyone letting me know if they have had a problem with straw bedding in the past that DEFINATELY caused and impaction (not just suspected). But unless I hear otherwise, I don't think you should panic and change your bedding routine. Steve White Waterloo, Nebraska, USA
