Horse's eating dirt!? Worried..?

Question

Today all three of my horse's were pawing at the ground and eating dirt. It really worries me because our soil is VERY sandy. I worry that they could easily get sand colic. Any ideas why they are doing this? They always have a TM block and a white salt block. And they are out on lots of pasture. We have been in a severe drought though so the grass looks dead. However, the vet said it is fine and just basically like sun bleached hay. I was giving them nice hay every day though just in case they weren't getting enough from the grass, but they quit eating the hay so I stopped.

Answer 1

When horses ingest sand or dirt, etc. it's called geophagia which is a form of pica (abnormal consumption of non-foods) In a fairly recent study, horses exhibiting geophagia were found to have lower than normal blood levels of both iron and copper than horses who only chose food items to consume. Your vet can pull blood to test for iron and copper levels. Most of the storage of iron and copper takes place within the liver, where they remain stored until needed by the body. Either depletion of these mineral stores, or abnormal retention in the liver so they are not being released into blood can both result in deficient levels present in blood.



If blood deficiency of iron and copper is identified, your vet should also consider the possibility that a high molybdenum or sulphate intake might be the cause, probably from the pasture they graze on, even though there is adequate dietary iron and copper being provided. Supplementing iron and copper will do no good if that is the cause.



If the liver is malfunctioning and over-storing these minerals, the blood levels may be lower than normal, but supplementing more iron and copper will not only be of no benefit, but it could even worsen the condition if the mechanisms that regulate absorption of copper and iron from the GI tract allow continued absorption. This is why you really should discuss this with your vet. The vet may want to evaluate liver function as well as checking for mineral deficiencies, and you could possibly need to have analysis of your pasture grasses and soil performed.

Answer 2

Is it sand or dirt? If it's sand, then it is something to worry about. I'd remove her until you figure out what the problem is. If it's dirt, then it's not an emergency or anything, but it usually points to a mineral deficiency. Does she use her salt lick much? Some horses just don't like them, you can buy ground salt to mix in with her food. That's what I do. EDIT: If you're not feeding grain, you should probably start. Although some horses will do fine on just grass and hay if it's nutritious, she's showing signs that she's not getting enough of something.

Answer 3

If a horse starts eating soil, then it is either because he is starving - ie there is no grass, or not of a quality that he can get anything out of - your dry sun bleached grass for example, or he is lacking in some vital mineral or vitamin in his diet.



I suggest that you urgently collect a fresh poo sample and send it off to the lab to get it analysed since it can tell a lot about what is present and what is missing in a horse;s diet.



The reason why they might have stopped eating hay is the quality of the hay itself. It could be dusty, have mould spores, etc and not taste nice. And hay has no nutritional value at all, so they could well be starving and lacking something else in their diet.



When you get the results back from the samples then you can start adjusting their hard feed accordingly - you will need to talk to the feed merchant about this - and remember, do not make sudden changes. You might have to feed supplements to replace vitamins and minerals.



Also make sure that they have access to clean, fresh water 24/7, 365 days a year .....

Answer 4

Your horses have lack of grain. I would buy some hay or something to feed them. Also, horses eat dirt when their area is a drought but I don't reeally know why.

Answer 5

ok this depends. were they eating or licking? eating im not sure, but if they were licking. it means they are missing something like a vitamin,mineral, nutrients. i cant tell you what. you have to figure that on your own since your there but that is the case

Answer 6

Make sure they get grain too.