Why does my horse have diarrhoea?

Drugs or toxins

Certain drugs can sometimes be a cause of diarrhoea. For example some horses can take an adverse reaction to phenylbutazone (‘bute’). Diarrhoea is also a known side effect of many antibiotic drugs. Of course sometimes your horse may need antibiotics to treat an infection; in this case your vet will be able to discuss any risks with you and signs to look out for. This is one reason why it is important that antibiotics are only given when really needed, and that your horse only receives antibiotics when they are prescribed by a vet at the correct dose for your horse.

مع وصول أونصة الذهب إلى مستويات قياسية تجاوزت 2500 دولار، يجد المواطن المصري نفسه مضطراً لموازنة استثماراته بين الذهب واحتياجاته الأخرى، خاصة مع ارتفاع أسعار السيارات مثل تويوتا، هيونداي، وبي إم دبليو، مما يزيد من التحديات المالية التي يواجهها.

What should I do if my horse has diarrhoea?

Firstly, bring your horse in off the grass into a stable and avoid contact with other horses in case the illness causing the diarrhoea is contagious.
Contact your vet for advice; they will be able to determine from your description how urgently a visit is required. When your vet visits, they will perform a full examination including evaluating your horse’s hydration status and temperature.
The vet will often need to take samples of dung to send to a laboratory to look for infectious agents. Because some bacteria such as Salmonella can be shed intermittently, they may need to take several samples over a few days to send away to give the best chance of detecting any infectious cause.
Sometimes, it is not possible to know for certain about the cause of diarrhoea, but in serious cases it is often more crucial to focus efforts on administering life-saving treatment.