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 Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
 
| Curious how many actually treat their horses for sand. My sister in laws horse passed away suddenly overnight, they found her in the morning out in the pasture. They had the vet do a necropsy and vet told them the horse died from sand colic. I haven't ever treated for sand ... my horses are out on pasture 24/7 and I feed them on rubber mats and they have a roundbale. Does Sand Clear really work? Is it worth it? I read somewhere the best thing to help push sand out is hay.?? | |
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 I hate cooking and cleaning
Posts: 3314
Location: Jersey Girl | When my horses were kept on sand, I treated for sand religously. I used the Walmart brand metamucil.
I treated once a week 2 feedings in a row, 6 tablespoons per feed.
Edited by fulltiltfilly 2016-01-13 1:39 PM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1037
| i use unflavored metemucil from walmart too. The cheap brand. split the bottle up between feedings, and do that every so often. | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1074
| Our horses are turned out on sand all the time. I have recently started treating them all regularly with Sand Clear. I've heard of people using Metamucil. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | Whole Flax will remove sand. Fed everyday, I feel it is a better solution than Sand Clear every so often. A diet high in forage will help and feeding on mats and so forth reduces the risks. I kept horses on a sand lot for years and never had any issues. I have heard not trimming their whiskers is a good thing, if they are grazing close. I always left the whiskers because I felt that made sense.
If you feel your horses may be at risk, a few days of Sand Clear or other product might be a good idea.
Edited by Tdove 2016-01-13 2:48 PM
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | does the metamucil actually work??? If so I'm definitely going to try it | |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| I used to do sand clear once a month. I actually talked to my vet about it and she listened to my horses guts and she didnt hear any sand. Then we did the fecal test where you put a fresh manure ball in a plastic sandwich bag with water.. Moosh it all up and let it settle at an angle. If there is sand it will settle to the bottom. Mine did not have one tiny bit so I don't waste my money on sand clear, just do fecal test every few months. | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1037
| hoofs_in_motion - 2016-01-13 2:23 PM
does the metamucil actually work??? If so I'm definitely going to try it
Metimucil and Sand Clear are both just psylium husk, just marketed differently. Sand Clear just has flavor additive for horses.
My horses will not eat the orange flavor metimucil but will eat the plain.
Edited by kboltwkreations 2016-01-13 2:40 PM
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 Saint Stacey
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How can I prevent SAND colic in my horse?
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          The answer is probably not what you think. . . . .
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One of the most common questions I am asked as an equine vet is “how can I prevent sand build-up in my horse’s intestine?” In the aptly-named sandhills of North Carolina (Southern Pines, Aberdeen, Pinehurst and surrounding areas), we are plagued with sandy soil that can easily make its way into our horses’ GI tracts. Horses pick up the sand when eating hay or spilled grain from the ground. The sand can then accumulate in the intestines, causing colic, weight loss, diarrhea or other metabolic problems and electrolyte derangements.
sand filling the large intestine of a horse
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Horse owners are rightfully concerned about diagnosing and preventing sand-related problems in their horses. I meet people who use wide varieties of “sand preventing” products for their horses, including psyllium powder (Metamucil), psyllium pellets (Sand Clear, Equi-Aid), beet pulp, wheat bran, rice bran, flax seed, mineral oil, chia seeds, and probably some I haven’t even heard of yet! While some people are absolutely convinced of a particular product’s effectiveness, their conviction is often based on the fact that they haven’t had a problem with sand while using a particular product. As a veterinarian (and a scientist), I am always interested in what science can prove. In my opinion, the conclusions of well-designed scientific studies with large numbers of horses far outweigh the experience of one person who simply hasn’t had a problem. . . . yet.
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This is probably NOT how you want to diagnose sand accumulation in your horse!
The first question to ask about sand build-up in horses is: “how can we diagnose it?” There are six ways to diagnose sand in a living horse:
1.      exploratory surgery- this is obviously not a good option!
2.      abdominal radiography (X-ray): This is the most accurate way to determine whether a horse has sand present in the intestine, but requires specialized, high-powered x-ray machines that are usually only available at university teaching hospitals.
3.      abdominal ultrasound- using ultrasound to diagnose sand can be accurate, but relies on the veterinarian to be VERY skilled in abdominal ultrasound. The sand is not visible on the ultrasound, so the veterinarian must determine the location of the large colon and its motility rate as compared to normal horses.
4.      Rectal palpation (yep, the old arm-up-the-butt trick!)- usually only VERY severe sand impactions/ accumulations can be felt on rectal exams. Also, rectal palpation is not part of a standard exam, and will usually only be performed after a horse shows signs of colic.
5.      fecal sedimentation (float)- this procedure involves mixing fresh manure with water in a bucket or a long glove to determine how much sand settles out. There’s a BIG PROBLEM with this though- if a horse has sand in its manure, does this mean the horse has sand accumulated in its intestine, or does this mean that the horse is consuming sand, but is efficiently eliminating it in the manure? To my knowledge, no one has ever shown that fecal sand correlates in any way to sand accumulation in the intestine.
6.      listening for sand in the abdomen with a stethoscope- this method has been proven to be 75-100% accurate, and requires only a stethoscope and few minutes to listen to the horse’s belly. The “whooshing” sounds of sand can be easily appreciated, even by the horse’s owner! I routinely listen for sand in every horse twice yearly during vaccine appointments. In my opinion, this is the only practical and accurate method to determine sand accumulation.
diagnosing sand accumulation: listening to the abdomen                          "floating" the feces                   x-ray of sand in the intestines
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So if your horse is diagnosed with sand, or even suspected to have a GI problem associated with sand, what do we do about it? Many different methods of sand treatment/ prevention have been studied since the mid-nineties. In most studies, horses or ponies were administered sand via stomach tube, sandy feed mash or during a surgical procedure, and then different treatments were given to try to eliminate that sand. Here are the treatments, and the outcomes of the studies:
1.      psyllium (pelleted or powder)- There have been several studies over the years designed to evaluate the ability of psyllium products to clear sand. Most studies used ½ to ONE WHOLE POUND of psyllium per horse per day (that’s a lot)! Interestingly, even using that large amount, noneof these studies proved any real effect when compared to the control horses (horses who had the same amount sand inside them, but received no psyllium). In one study, the UNTREATED horses actually eliminated more sand than the treated horses!
(note: one study of a very expensive, brand-name psyllium product did show a positive result in a very small trial of eight horses. To my knowledge, that result has never been duplicated in a larger study. My personal experience with the product has been dissapointing)
there are hundreds of psyllium products available. . . . too bad they don't work!
I think its also worth mentioning the many dosing schedules for psyllium products (Metamucil, Sand-Clear, etc). Horse owners are often told to administer these products for one week per month, every-other-week, twice weekly, every day, etc. The amounts also vary, but usually range from one ounce to one cup. These amounts are a far cry from the one pound used in scientific studies (and the one pound failed!), and these schedules are completely made-up!
2.      Mineral oil- a few studies looked at the ability of mineral oil (a laxative) to eliminate sand. It was not effective.
3.      Epsom salt- Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) is another commonly-used laxative for horses. One study evaluated the effect of this product (given by nasogastric tube) on sand accumulation- it didn’t work very well by itself.
4.      Combination of psyllium and Epsom salt: one study showed good success in eliminating sand by using 1lb of Epsom salt PLUS 1lb of psyllium, given by a stomach tube, daily for seven days. That’s nice, but is definitely impractical and expensive unless your horse is currently sick. I use this method on horses that are already showing signs of colic due to sand.Â
5.      Wheat bran- only one study evaluated wheat bran’s ability to eliminate sand. It was not beneficial, and this was another study where the *untreated* horses actually eliminated more sand!
6.      All other products- flax, chia, and other products have never been studied to determine their ability to eliminate sand from the horse’s intestines. Based on all the research of other products, I think it’s highly unlikely that there would be much benefit from these products. Remember, supplements are not regulated by any agency, so they can make any claim they want, from preventing sand to preventing death- but just because they say it, does not make it true!
Chia in particular has been touted on certain internet sites as reliably “sand clearing.” It is important to note that the so-called scientific studies mentioned on these sites are NOT published in any scientific journal, and are only available on the websites of the companies that want to sell you chia!
OK, so now that I’ve bashed all the commonly-recommended sand-clearing products for horses, its time to tell you what really DOES work! Are you ready?
It’s hay.
That’s it.
Studies (and my personal experience too) have overwhelmingly demonstrated that providing 1.5% to 2.5% percent of body weight per day (15 – 25 lbs for a 1000lb horse) in hay (or forage) will produce the best results when trying to eliminate sand from a horse’s intestine. It is important to note that while no one has studied the effect of an equal amount of grass (instead of hay), it would presumably have the same results. Research environments usually don’t have sufficient space to study horses on large, grassy fields, so we are left to observation in this case. Horses on large, grassy fields usually don’t accumulate as much sand, and moving a “sandy” horse to such a pasture may help them eliminate sand.
THIS is how you treat sand accumulation in horses!
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There is one important exception in my opinion though- the older horse. Many old horses (20-plus years old) are provided plenty of hay or grass, but are unable to utilize it properly due to bad teeth, or other unknown digestive difficulty. These horses are the ones in which I most commonly hear sand during their twice-yearly exams. When I do hear sand in a horse this age that is being provided an adequate amount of hay, I usually recommend that the horse be changed to a commercial Senior grain (Purina, Triple Crown or Nutrena work well), and fed about 6lbs twice daily. These grains are high in fiber and very digestible. Most horses will be free of sand within a few weeks!
The only other important factor in preventing sand accumulation in horses is preventing them from consuming it in the first place! The biggest culprit for sand ingestion is grain dropped onto sandy soil (common in horses fed in the paddock or pasture). The horses then “scrounge” for the remaining grain, and take in the sand. Stopping this process only requires a little creativity. Some excellent solutions include the use of stall mats under feeders (they will need to be swept free of sand a few times per week), hanging feeders on the “wrong” side of the fence, or constantly moving ground feeders to a new spot in the pasture where the grass is thicker (this will probably get old after a while).
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So it's simple: use creativity to stop your horse from consuming sand in the first place, and save your money on the commercial sand prevention products. . . . you can put that money toward hay or high-fiber grain when necessary!
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Cleaning up dropped grain is the most common way that horses ingest sand.
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Using mats or plywood under a feeder can prevent a horse from dropping grain into sandy soil.
Placing a feeder on the "wrong" side of the fence can keep fallen feed out of the horse's reach
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If you have questions about this post, or would like a list of references, please email Dr. Kivett at [email protected]
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Lisa Kivett
6 months ago
Hello Dr Sadri! It’s nice to hear from a vet in Iran!
I’m glad you enjoyed the article.
If I understand your question correctly, you’d like to know if it is OK to stop daily psyllium on horses with no side effects.
Yes, you can simply stop the psyllium. There should be no problems with that.
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 434
Location: Northwest Florida | I was wondering this as well. Mine are out on my Florida property, and under the grass it is ALL sand (we even have sea shells!). I've only been here a few months and I've not seen any issues, but I realize I'll need to find some sort of preventative.
I have read that soaked beet pulp shreds work to push sand out of the gut, and I was considering adding some to my horse's diet for that purpose. I like the suggestions on this thread though. I'm glad you asked this!
Edited: I just read the article above. How interesting! My horses have access to hay 24/7 (round bales) so that makes me feel better! However, I have read that the hay itself can contain large amounts of sand. I get mine from a guy right down the road and I'm sure his fields are just as sandy as mine. Hmm..
Edited by BigStarBound 2016-01-13 3:51 PM
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Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| That's the article I read a while back.. SKM thanks for posting! | |
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Warrior Mom
Posts: 4400
| My sister in law bought the mare only a few months ago and she has pretty nice lush pasture no sand or a lot of dirt... I believe the horse was on a dry lot before she got her. Horrible experience for her, as this was the first horse she bought in several years. :-( | |
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Common Sense and then some
Location: So. California | Hay is not enough where I live. All the vets here absolutely recommend psyillium and we also use ACV regularly. Of course, I live in a VERY sandy area.
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | When I lived in WA I never did. We fed our horses on the bare ground....minimal dirt. If they were in pens we had tubs for the hay. Here in AZ it's not quite sandy, but it seems like it could pose a risk more so than when I was in WA. I treat with Sand Clear 1x a month for a week. Vet didn't hear any sand at the last visit but I'm paranoid.
I just saw a video of a necropsy of a horse with SO much sand in its belly. It was UNREAL. | |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | I have always fed soaked beet pulp and never had sand issues.. im in florida though so pastures were grassy..and none stood in dry lots etc.. | |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | Mine are all on sand right now. The soil is so sandy everywhere, it is unavailable.
I had my horse sand colic twice. The second time, he was in the hospital for a week being pumped with tubed psyllium to move the sand out of his distal colon. After bringing him home, he was on a double dose of Sand Clear for two months to remove any remaining sand. It was a very scary time.
The surgery is risky and can have many complications, plus it is very expensive. I was so grateful that he was treated medically.
I now give him a dose of psyllium daily (sand clear or equivalent). I feel this has helped him greatly and kept him from relapsing.
I treat my weanling with some psyllium once every few days.
I now would treat any dry lotted horses with sandy soil. Now our ground is frozen, but I still treat to remove any buildup. The product is cheap, so why not.
Mine would not eat the wal mart metamucil, niether plain nor orange flavor. So I gave up and buy the pellets. | |
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Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | I have done a lot of work with psyllium products in the past. The short answer from my experience is that it can work to clear existing sand, but it needs to be loose, not pelleted. The pelleting process denatures psyllium to the point that it does not transform well into the sticky form that sand adheres to and is then passed out of the system. I have confirmed effectiveness with X-ray. There are a number of ways horses ingest sand. Eating concentrates off of sandy ground is one. More common can be pulling up roughage in sandy pastures the pulls up the root ball of the plant that is packed with sand. This is common with horses who's teeth do not clip the plant cleanly. The common sense practice of keeping mats under feeders, and keeping them clean really helps where soil is sandy. Just a note, I do not sell a sand clearing product | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
Location: London Ontario | How much Metamucil do you feed and how often? | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 762
Location: NC | I have fed sand rid in the past (its a bit cheaper then sand clear) Have also used metamucil from walmart but was told by a vet up here that to be enough for a horse you have to feed 1/2 a cup (if i remember correctly, i know it was a big amount) Sand clear definately works. Have also used ground flax and it helped. | |
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Regular
Posts: 51
Location: CA | I give my horses 1/4 cup chia seeds every day. | |
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