Above a Distributor's handout of the Horse's Disgestive System which is very Complicated  
Watering down your horse's feed will help him digest his feed better.     

Horses in some management conditions are susceptible to sand ingestion; how to avoid sand buildup and resulting complications such as colic.

Rarely do we see our horses eating sand like there's no tomorrow.  But inevitably horses end up with burdens of sand in their intestinal tracts from grazing sandy pastures or eating off the ground. In areas with sandy soil, horses might pull up grass and ingest sand clinging to roots. Horses fed on the ground might eat sand as they clean up the last wisps of hay or kernels of grain. Even if fed in buckets or feed racks, horses might eat spilled feed from the ground. Intestines can be obstructed with sand, causing colic.  I had a vet I worked for once tell me it is best to have all sand or all grass - but no in between.  Easier said than done, especially if you live in a state that is very sandy soil, ie. Florida, Virginia,etc..

Sand moves through the digestive tract with food and is passed in manure, but it can irritate the intestinal lining along the way. This irritation can lead to diarrhea, weight loss, and colic. If sand accumulates, it weighs down the intestine and can impair motility, hindering proper digestion and function. Reduction in motility hinders passage of sand and leads to more accumulation, and in some cases the slowdown and accumulation cause a blockage.

Sand impaction is a well-recognized cause of colic. "Why it becomes a clinical problem in some horses-- while others seem to carry fairly heavy sand burdens without a problem--is still not understood."
When sand becomes a problem, it is usually in the colon. "Sand moves through the rest of the tract fairly quickly. But when it gets to the large colon it tends to settle out, probably due to motility patterns of the large colon."  See above diagram, it is amazing food makes it through at best, described as unbelievable!

Diagnosis

"One method to see if a horse is passing sand is to collect some of the horse's manure and do a swirl test.  "Pick up a fecal sample with a plastic rectal sleeve, turn it inside out so it contains the sample, pour water into the sleeve, and mix the water with the feces. After you shake it and let everything settle, the sand (being heavier than manure) will gravitate down into the fingers of the glove.  You may also, use a glass jar and do the same thing, when it settles look on the bottom and see how much sand has collected.  If it is more than a teaspoon it is too much.

"That's two ways to check for sand, but all it tells you is that the horse has eaten sand and that it has made its way through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract," he says. "It doesn't tell you how much sand the horse still has in the tract or whether he will colic. But if there is consistently sand in the feces, there is probably sand in the colon."

There are other ways to make a diagnosis. You or a veterinarian might listen to the abdomen with a stethoscope. "You can hear the sand moving; it sounds like the sea moving off a sandy beach.  "Whether or not you hear this rustling, however, might depend on where the sand is in the tract, and the amount of sand."

Sand will show up on radiographs because it is very dense, but most veterinarian's rarely radiograph horses for sand accumulation because their practice is a field service, and special equipment is needed to image the abdomen.  The consensus is sand damages the intestinal lining, since it is rough and irritating. Radiographs are useful if you suspect sand because you might be able to see the outline of an accumulation in the large colon, and it can give an impression of how much sand is there."
But, if you have "Equine Colic Relief", on your horse remedy shelf, use this as your 1st line of defense against colic.  It will STOP a normal bout of colic, (Impaction, Gas, Sand, & Mild Spasmodic).

Treatment

While Equine Colilc Relief is not a miracle, nor can it move mountians!  Horses with twisted, torsion, knotted or ruptured bowels, with blockages by objects, excessive sand, gravel, stones, or tumors in their bowels or with infections or massive spasams, within their bowels are physically beyond, the 4 part formula in ECR to help.  Thses horses need Immediate Medical and /or Surgical Intervention to Save Their Life!  Some horses require surgery if these efforts to move sand aren't successful. They have to put the horse under anesthesia and physically remove the sand from the colon."

Note:In situations where you can't prevent sand ingestion, feeding the horse fibrous products such as psyllium might help. Psyllium tends to swell, pick up sand, and carry it along, moving it out of the tract with manure.  I read about a veterinarian in Colorado named Dr. Landes, DVM who had always had client horses with sand colic, but he started looking at the problem more seriously when Colorado was in a severe drought back in 2002, with horses grazing pastures more closely. "He stated, he had a lot of client horses on psyllium, yet was sending some to CSU (Colorado State) for colic surgery, and they all had sand," says Altman. "He had to find a better protocol for getting sand out of these horses.  He did a  study adding probiotic and prebiotic use in conjunction with psyllium.  The idea behind this was that sand in the tract produces irritation and might lead to decreased gastrointestinal (GI) motility, which can lead to impaction. As the motility slows, digestion suffers and the microbe population in the hindgut (large intestine and cecum) is altered. This has a negative effect on digestion and motility and circles in a vicious cycle.  The researchers added probiotics, which are some of the normal, helpful microbes that must be present at proper levels in the hindgut for optimum digestion and breakdown of fibrous material.  These microbes help normalize gut motility, which could help move sand on through the GI tract. Due to this research, manufacturers created a new product combining psyllium and probiotics in a pelleted form to be given in feed. When researchers fed this combination, fecal sand output (measured by typical flotation tests) increased significantly by Day 4 of supplementation and remained significantly increased through Day 31, so the assumption was that these horses were eliminating more sand.  A new product was born called, "Assure Plus", but not until after another year (2005) a large number of sand colics again, possibly due to the dry year, and that fall started using his combination again. 

Also, one can also use, "Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth", which is very economical and effective in taking the toxins out of the body as well as parasites.  Given daily is best, as it is completely safe and nontoxic.  Some of the benefits are: Stimulating basic metabolism, converts feed better, reduces odor and moisture in barns and stalls, results in a better coat and hoof condition, keeps fly larvae from developing in manure, noticeably reducing fly population, reduces annual vet bills, controls worms and internal parasites without chemicals, plus it has 14 trace minerals that make up D/Earth.  More natural horse owner's have used this product successfully for many years depending on who you talk to.  They have all conducted their own tests, but what is remarkable is that they all say that once they started adding it into the horse's feed - They have never had another bout of colic.  We have personally spoken to people who have used it over 20 years and counting.  Farmers used it on their livestock and then got away form it with all the new products out on the market.  But,  more horse owner's are finding their way back to: Food Grade D/Earth.  Info found under store locations for ECRAmerica or Pure Earth Products (888) 327-0327.   50lb bags available / $30.00 + shipping

 Note: Psyllium is a laxative, something that was borrowed from human medicine.  "It is a high-fiber product that may collect sand and make it easier for the horse to pass it on through the tract, and it may stimulate motility. But horses eat a lot of fiber to begin with addition of psyllium may not increase the total (GI) fiber content a lot. The other problem with using psyllium in the horse is that it might be broken down by bacteria in the hindgut (large intestine and cecum)," leaving less to carry sand on through.

Psyllium might work in some horses and not in others, and horse owners should not rely on it alone. 
Other management adjustments to reduce sand ingestion should be made, as the horse can still become overloaded with sand.  If you feed it continuously, it won't be clearing out sand anymore. It's best to feed on an intermittent basis such as one week per month."

Studies

Areas with plenty of sand, such as FL and Virginia, etc.,  "Veterinarian's see a lot of sand colic in horses treated with psyllium.  "After sand is removed by surgery, horse owner's are advised that the horses should not go back into sandy pastures or pens, but this was not always possible, so they recommended they continue with psyllium. Then these horses would come back later with another impaction, even though they were on psyllium. Concern's arose that it wasn't completely cleaning out the sand or it could be creating more of a problem. 

Psyllium treatment is controversial: The argument is that if you feed psyllium to a horse that is continuously eating sand, it might carry enough of the sand through that it won't accumulate to problematic levels.  This is not always the case.

 Preventing Sand Accumulation

 There are ways you can attempt to cut back on the amount of sand your horses ingests.  There is a

hanging feed bucket that I saw attached to the bottom was a black tray bolted to it to catch the falling

feed.  Then under that might be a mat, to catch what the tray doesn't.  Using feed grade D/Earth in

addition,  as it keeps them clean and parasite free as well. 

Take-Home Message

Horses that are kept in dry lots or graze in sandy areas are susceptible to eating sand. There are management measures you can use, including hay racks, mats, and feeders, to help prevent sand ingestion with food. You also can help your horse pass sand through his digestive tract and stop accumulation, possibly avoiding surgery with some simple and economical methods discribed above.
ECR is used as a emergency product when colic arises.  I have customer's that use it yearly to routinely clean out their horses, other's who use it the day before a race or show.  There is nothing in ECR that will hurt your horse as it is a all natural product and safe to use! It works when you call on it to!
   Don't wait until it's too late - Call today and have it when an emergency arises to save your horse.

888-327-0327 

“We don’t claim it’s a miracle, but our clients do!”