Prevention
Some cases of diarrhoea can be prevented by following these tips:
Ensure that your horse doesn’t have a heavy worm burden by carrying out worm egg counts every three months. When changing your horse’s diet, or switching to a new batch of hay, ensure that this is done gradually by mixing a small amount of the new feedstuff with the old so that the change is less sudden.
Have your horse’s teeth checked every 6-12 months by your vet or equine dental technician to ensure that he is able to chew his food effectively.
Regularly use a weightape and perform a body condition score on your horse so that you can tell if there has been any weight loss — see page 74.
A blood sample can be performed at the time of annual vaccination to check your horse’s vital organs. Any abnormalities can then be investigated before the signs of diarrhoea begin to show.
If your horse needs to be on oral antibiotics for any reason, ensure that your vet knows about any previous reactions so that they can either use a different treatment or use gastroprotectants alongside the antibiotic medication.