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Topic: Coastal hay and ilium impaction (Read 2441 times)
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WendiK
FEI
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Posts: 147
I love my Trakehner!
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Well, this has been the worst week! On Tuesday we put down our old gelding, and then last night we had to rush Abby to UF vet clinic due to colic. The vet told me of a link between coastal bermuda hay and ilium impaction colic. Was wondering if you guys have heard of this. Thanks!
Wendi
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fuzzy
Guest
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Wendi, no, but I'm not in that part of the country. Very sorry to hear about your troubles. A client lost her 30-something mare the other day to impaction. How cold is it where you are? That does seem to be an instigator of tummy troubles. It's pretty brutal in NW IN where I live, and will be so for several days.
And my mare is not herself tonight. I hope she was just cold (she was shivering a bit even under her bear-like coat). I gave her a bucket of warm water with a little sugar in it, and will check on her in an hour or two.
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sportn
Novice
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Posts: 17
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I have heard of this and it has been an ongoing debate for years. Personally, I have fed Bermuda for over 20 some years and never had a problem with it. I am sorry to here about your recent loss and wishing and praying for Abby to have a speedy recovery.
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TwinGates
ata
Old Hand
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Posts: 2,342
Performance Matters!
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Fuzzy's comment about cold weather (and her 'home remedy' - which we use as well - of warm water) hits home w/me. I've never had issues w/Coastal bermuda, but have seen horses reduce their water intake when temps fall below 40 and water in buckets is icy and that's when problems ensue.
When temps are in the 30's everyone gets a full bucket of warm water at our final barn check of the evening. We'll walk to the stall w/a 'steaming' bucket of water, and barely make it into the stall before their head's in the bucket, drinking greedily. Many times I've had one drain nearly 1/2 of the bucket while I stand holding it.
This is the best trick I know for keeping 'em hydrated in cold temps. Best wishes for a speedy recovery for Abbey!
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Eileen
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This is an issue here. In fact one very well respected vet here absolutely pitches a fit if he knows you feed coastal bermuda. He feels there are lots more episodes of impaction colic with it -- he thinks because it is so fine.
I have used it for years and years and never had a problem with it, but I feed soaked beet pulp as well as soaked alfalfa cubes the last 5-6 years and maybe that keeps it moving and keeps everything hydrated. I also feed other types of hay (tifton bermuda, orchard, and mixed grasses, bluestem, etc.) We feed round bales primarily and alternate types of hay and origin although I'm sure they all use similar fertilizers.
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Joy
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Old Hand
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Posts: 1,270
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JMO, but I don't think the issue is round bales. If the horses are not used to having hay accessible all the time, that could be the reason they're stuffing themselves. I've fed square bales and round, but I have hay available 24 hours a day, and my horses never pig out. I'd guess the problem may be the hay itself, possibly the fineness, or perhaps because it's not a mixed hay. Here in Maine we have several pasture grasses growing together. You almost never find just one type of hay in a field.
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Eileen
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Posts: 523
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My vets also feel it is an issue of the fineness of the hay, not the fact that it is in a round bale. They just don't chew it like they should --- and like they do when it is coarse.
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WendiK
FEI
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Posts: 147
I love my Trakehner!
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Hey Jane, glad to hear your boy is coming home soon (I had a Reno that I had to give away after my divorce a few years ago, I love that name). It has been over a month since Abby's experience, and she is doing wonderful (knock on wood).
I am doing everything I can for her. Timothy hay, electrolytes, psyllium once a month, bran mash once a week, so the rest is up to her. She is back in light work and is enjoying being ridden again. Good luck to everyone!
Wendi
ps the coastal hay she was on was in bales, not rolls
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