Stomach Problems on Stall Rest
Topic: Dental and GastrointestinalThursday, July 08, 2010My horse is on stall rest due to a stitched cut on his leg. I noticed he looks a bit bloated in the flank area when I was brushing him. He's on two weeks of handwalking, antibiotics and we had to put him on Bute for a few days because he was pretty sore, a little swollen and it was hard for me to dress his wound, he didn't want me to touch it. The Bute has really helped, his leg looked better and he was happier last night.
Is there anything you can suggest I do to help with that little bit of bloating? Would less grain & more hay help to keep things moving through, or something like that?
Provided By: Melissa McKee DVM
Thursday, July 08, 2010If your guy is on stall rest he probably doesn’t need much grain at all, so I think that cutting back his grain and providing more hay is an excellent idea. Bute can irritate the stomach in sensitive horses so the addition of a gastric-coating supplement to his diet may alleviate some discomfort. In addition, antibiotics can alter the bacterial population in the intestine, favouring the growth of gas-producing organisms, giving him probiotics might help keep the bloating under control. I would double check with your vet that the products you want to use won’t interfere with the medications he is on. Once he is able to go back to more normal exercise levels his intestinal motility and comfort should improve.