# Stop eating sawdust!



## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Pulling out and use straw or shavings instead is the best idea. You probably can spray something on (like that no-chew stuff), but it'll be just costly.


----------



## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I would guess your mini would stop eating them shortly. Probably something new and sampling. 

My mare will sometimes take a big mouthful of sawdust when I rebed her stall. If you looked quick you would think she is eating them, but she takes the mouthful, chews a bit and then spits them out. Could your mini be doing the same thing?


----------



## speedy da fish (May 7, 2009)

haha, typical, you spend money on good feed and hay and they eat their bedding. maybe try straw bedding? or paper? maybe paper will not be as appetising


----------



## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

Ohno she EATS it. She coliced this morning and im sure when i had my back turned she took gobbles of sawdust which didnt help. She comes from a barn that had only staw bedding, i hate straw bedding but it looks like im going to have to switch.


----------



## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

I would start with straw for her and slowly transition to the bedding you prefer. By using the straw as a starting point you might better help her to understand that it is bedding and not a food source. This would be your best shot of fixing the problem, but is still no guarantee that you won't be using straw for her and bedding your other straws with sawdust.


----------



## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

I believe I heard that this can be a sign of ulcers.... you might want to look into that that though b/c i'm not quite positive!


----------



## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Simple solution: switch to straw beddine. Of course, he could decide it looks like hay and eat that too....
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

She went back into colic tonight, dumped a good amount of oil down her an walked her untill she passed all the oil back out. I pulled the sawdust out of her stall but i doubt shed be interested in it anyways she didnt want to eat anything after 2 hours of walking threw colic.


----------



## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

So, it could be that the colic was a result of the sawdust meals or it could be that the sawdust meals are a symptom of something else (as previously mentioned maybe ulcers) and the something else contributed to the colic also. So, seems to me you have to go through a process of elimination, starting with nixing the sawdust. 

Sawdust if often mixed wood -- I'd be sure that it is only pine - no cedar or oak. Often sawmills mix them (especially the softwoods) and you could have even more trouble.


----------



## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

I would have her checked for ulcers. No grain for a while, just free choice hay and a mineral salt block. Lots of turn out too. Why is she stalled anyway? She should be outside in a pasture or paddock.


----------



## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

luvs2ride1979 said:


> I would have her checked for ulcers. No grain for a while, just free choice hay and a mineral salt block. Lots of turn out too. Why is she stalled anyway? She should be outside in a pasture or paddock.


We just moved and are in the process of putting up our pasture, which since it was been storming here alot lately that has been going very slowly. Trust me its frustrating and im doing all that i can, i lunge/ walk all my horses daily (weather permitting) and let them eat grass daily. We have a 3rd of the pasture done (its a rather large pasture). Trust me once its up they will all be going out as much as possible.


----------



## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

We are having the vet out, she coliced again this morning. The vet seems to think its stress induced. She is 2yrs old never been weained from her mother and was born on the property and has never left it. So this is the first time she has ever been separated from her mother or been off the property or even away from her barn an pasture.


----------



## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

Poor thing... Ask the vet for a sedative you can give her long-term, until she settles in. Lots of grass hay too, no grain. Maybe a stall toy or two? 

A goat can be good company as well, and quite calming to some horses. Get a doe goat (girl) or a "wether" (neutered boy). They are quite friendly if you get them young, and you can always eat it if it gets out of hand, lol. I have 5 goats and really like them. They have bonded with us and act like dogs, lol. I have collars on all of them and you can even lead them around!


----------



## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

Goodness! Things just keep getting better an better. Our barn flooded an is under 4 inches of water. Hurray!


----------



## Starlet (Jun 3, 2010)

Sound serious...
Is this like cribbing???


----------



## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

Wait what?


----------



## Broski1984 (May 28, 2010)

Sounds like you're having fun over there, with this issue and now the flooding!

I second the idea of getting her a goaty companion; I personally recommend a goat around her size, or slightly smaller (so she can't hurt it accidentally), without horns. A wether would be best, as it won't go into heat. My one boy's in with an older nubian whether, because he can't play nicely with other horses!

As for her eating sawdust... does she have a balanced diet, and is she getting all the minerals she needs? She may be looking for something she needs. If after switching to straw, she moves on to something else (like cribbing, or finding another way to eat wood), offer her more minerals, and maybe have a blood test done. 

I've never heard of a horse doing this, but admittedly, I am not a horse expert. A family member, years ago, had a dog who would eat dry wall, no matter what they did; it turns out the dog had a rare blood disorder (it couldn't produce red blood cells, I think; I'll need to ask what exactly she had), that was the result from generations of poor breeding and inbreeding. She simply needed a mineral the drywall had. Her colicing may mean she has another disorder, unless it is stress related, or the sawdust did it.

The only other thing I can think of is, was she properly fed?

I got a mare a while bad, that was INCREDIBLY underweight, and had never been allowed to eat enough. When I first stalled her, she started eating the bedding, until she was given feed and hay. For a few days, she'd start doing this if she ran out of hay, but she's now stopped; she knows food will be there, and she won't starve.

Best of luck!


----------



## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

She is a tubby thing. And she pooped 3 times this morning on her own! I got her a mineral block, and i am still shooting oil down her just incase. Here is a photo of her.


----------



## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

And no i dont think she was fed properly she previously foundered in all 4 feet. Which tells me that she wasnt properly fed at all.


----------



## themacpack (Jul 16, 2009)

She may be tubby, but she is adorable! I can't wait to see some "after" pictures once she has had the benefit of your loving care for a few months.


----------



## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

Ohyes she is going to shape up really nice! After some TLC she is gunna be one stunning little mare


----------



## payette (Jun 3, 2010)

Poor little thing!


----------



## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

She is a doll! 

If she foundered before, I'd have her on a no-grain diet. Just hay, a mineral block, and maybe a vitamin supplement mixed with literally a handful of feed. Minis and ponies are quick to founder or develop IR on even small amounts of grain.

Good luck with her and your new barn!


----------



## MaggiStar (Mar 19, 2010)

My pony used to do this we mixed some of the old bedding through the clean for about a month until she actually figured out that she did not have to eat every single thing in front of her.


----------

