I have trying D.E. on my horse herd (8) for about 6 weeks Took one to the vet yesterday for Diarrhea. She had"t been wormed for 3months. The vet did a stool check aand found no trace of wormes or worm eggs. He was shocked that she was so clean. Her teeth needed floating. She maybe a carrier of salmonellosis.Does any one have a cure for diarrrhea in an old horse. (19) yrs. Also what experience do you have with D.E. for horses. Thanks Jay Vance

-- jay vance (jay.l.vance@worldnet.att.net), November 08, 2000

Answers

DE will work to some extent where it can reach in the digestive tract itself, therefore will have no effect on bots, lungworms, and skin dwelling worms (warbels). 3 months is not a long enough period of time to make an accurate assesment of effectiveness, I worm our horses only once a year (they have tons of pasture, so they don't pick up the worm eggs again grazing), and I use an ivermectin product that gets all the worms (use after a hard frost to get the rest of the bots). I suspect ivermectin once a year would be cheaper for you to use, than to treat sporadically with the DE. It is best used on the garden! Annie in SE OH.

-- Annie Miller (annie@1st.net), November 08, 2000.

Duh!!! I forgot the original question! Have her teeth floated, could be the problem right there, if not, try adding cider vinegar to her grain, 1 ounce per feeding, and get something called Diamond V yeast culture powder from the feed store, add that to her grain as indicated on the label. Be aware that carriers of salmonella can be permanently afficted with diarrehia, I had one like that too, no matter what I did, his stools were always loose, but better with the supplemental yeast than without. Annie in SE OH.

-- Annie Miller (annie@1st.net), November 08, 2000.

I would recommend an equine specific probiotic given on a daily basis -- I prefer Stride, which is pelleted and all my horses eat it eagerly (also multi-spectrum vit. & mineral supplement). It contains a lot of good bacteria, which proliferate in the system and don't give the bad types of bacteria a foot hold. Some people swear by yogurt for this purpose, but my horses think I'm trying to poison them. ACV is a good supportive too -- I dilute it by 50% with water before adding about a third of a cup to their grain (start w/ 1 Tablespoon and work up to it)

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), November 08, 2000.

Have you tried giving your horse garlic?It really ticked our gelding off.He threw his feed bucket at us.I guess he figured he didn't need protection from vampires.I thought it would be a good idea to help keep flies away.You know-fleas,flies,mosquitos,same family rationale.It was a garlic-yeast combo.The dogs didn't mind it, but forget the horse.

We do feed d.e. for fly control in the manure and some worming effect.We still worm at least once a year,conventionally,for whatever the d.e. doesn't get.Just a conservitave approach.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), November 08, 2000.

I feed FOOD grade diatomaceous earth to my chickens, Mammoth, hog and steer. Fecals are clean. I also sprinkle the DE in the chicken pens. No mites, no smell, egg production is up. Sprinkled on fire ant hills, the ants meet their maker in no time. DE doesn't poison; it slits the outer skin of the insects/parasites and dehydrates them. It will NOT kill earth worms. FILTER grade DE for swimming pools is not ground as fine, it's treated, will not kill insects, but could kill your critters. FOOD grade DE is available in nurseries and feed stores. My feed store carries it in containers up to 8 pounds. They order the 50 pound bags for me.

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), November 09, 2000.

I feed FOOD grade diatomaceous earth to my chickens, Mammoth, hog and steer. Fecals are clean. Flies don't hatch in the manure. I also sprinkle the DE in the chicken pens. No mites, no smell, egg production is up. Sprinkled on fire ant hills, the ants meet their maker in no time. No need to use Amdro any more. I feed it to the dogs ~ no more fleas. It can also just be rubbed into the fur. (Easier to feed it! -G- )

DE doesn't poison; it slits the outer skin of the insects/parasites and dehydrates them. It will NOT kill earth worms. It can also be mixed with water and sprayed. Like on barn walls for flies, lawns for fleas, your garden for bugs. It will be effective when it dries. FILTER grade DE for swimming pools is not ground as fine, it's treated, will not kill insects, but could kill your critters. FOOD grade DE is available in nurseries and feed stores. My feed store carries it in containers up to 8 pounds. They order the 50 pound bags for me.

DE has been in the earth and used for thousands of years. It's not something new. If you've eaten flour or flour products, you've eaten DE. It's in many products ~ toothpaste, cake mixes, cigars, etc. Farmers put in in their grain bins. Etc., etc., etc.!!!

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), November 09, 2000.

Be careful with the Diatomaceous Earth and don't get it in your eyes, in your horses eyes or in anything's eyes. It cuts just like tiny shards of glass and hurts. Wanda

-- Wanda King (wanda7@edge.net), November 13, 2000.