What Does Your Horse’s Stool Say?
No account yet? Register
There’s a lot more to manure than mucking; your horse’s fecal production and appearance can be an indicator of good or poor health.
Potty talk is largely taboo among adults, but it shouldn’t be! There are tons of tidbits to share with friends and colleagues about poop (Did you know you can harness the heat generated by composting horse manure to warm your barn in winter?)—almost as much as the nine tons of manure the average 1,000-pound horse produces each year.
So don’t regard horse poop as just a pain in the butt to muck, pick up, and dispose of. Rather, consider it a valuable window into your horse’s gut and overall health status.
“A horse’s intestinal tract is approximately 100 feet long and finely adapted for various functions, but it’s also prone to development of problems. Things can go wrong quickly,” warns Scott Weese, DVM, DVSc, Dipl. ACVIM, a professor in the Department of Pathobiology at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College, in Canada.
In this article we will describe the importance of knowing what your horse’s normal manure looks like, and being able to identify dry feces, diarrhea, and even signs of dental and parasite issues, before a major problem develops TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com. Already have an account?Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.
Start your free account today!
and continue reading.
Related Articles
Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with