Diarrhea: Is It Serious?

Learn how to tell the difference between loose manure and potentially deadly diarrhea—and how to protect your horse when the condition strikes.

- BARB CRABBE, DVM

What four words from a client make my heart race and my palms sweat? “My horse has diarrhea.” Not what you were expecting? You might think I’d be more concerned by such statements as, “My horse is down, and he can’t get up,” or, “He can’t bear any weight on his leg.” But in reality, it’s diarrhea that gets my full attention almost every time.

The reason is simple. If diarrhea is bad enough to make a client call the veterinarian, chances are, it either means there’s a really sick horse in a barn full of others at risk of getting sick, or it’s a chronic problem that will be almost impossible to diagnose and even more difficult to treat. Either way, there’s a good chance I’ll spend sleepless nights trying to figure out how to help.

Diarrhea is hard to diagnose and frustrating to treat. In a worst-case scenario, it can even be a life-threatening emergency that requires aggressive, immediate treatment. Even if it’s just a soggy mess, solving your horse’s diarrhea problem will require persistence and a heavy dose of patience.

Here, I’ll explain what diarrhea is and how it happens. Next, I’ll outline the factors that can help you determine whether the diarrhea is a serious health threat or simply an annoyance. Finally, I’ll give you the steps to take to protect your horse (and the other horses in your herd) when diarrhea strikes.

What It Is