CHIA SERVES AS AN AID IN THE REMOVAL OF INTESTINAL SAND
Is your horse suffering from repeated colic, loose stool or diarrhea? It may be eating sand which is getting accumulated in the intestine. Sand eating seems to be a common hobby for most horses, in particular for Finnish horses that are found to have a lot of large sand deposits. Intake may result if the horse eats hay directly from a pasture or plucking grass roots. Sand accumulation is often a self-perpetuating disease. First, a small amount of sand accumulates in the bottom of the gut. The weight of sand prevents normal bowel movement, and causes further sand accumulation. The patients can have very unspecific symptoms which cannot always be attributed to sand, but which facilitate the accumulation of sand. For example; these include bad hair indefinitely, difficulty in passing urine or performance issues.
Chia seeds can be used as an aid in removing sand from the gut in cases of sand colic in order to reduce the health risk. Chia's high fiber content activates bowel function and chia gel is formed, which effectively binds the sand to itself, thus carrying it out of the intestines. For sand removal it is recommended to double of the dose for a week. If symptoms persist, veterinary examination and possible bowel radiography are recommended.
