Evacuation of sand from the equine intestine with mineral oil, with and without psyllium.

This study tested the effectiveness of psyllium and mineral oil, compared to just mineral oil, in removing sand from the intestines of horses. The findings suggest that using a combination of psyllium and mineral oil results in a higher output of sand (measured as ash) compared to using just mineral oil.

Research Methodology

• The researchers conducted a cross-over study on twelve healthy horses. The horses were fed with sand,
  1kg daily for five days to ensure that their intestines contained sand.
• The horses were divided into two groups (A and B) and from day six, they were treated with 2 liters of mineral oil
  daily. However, group B was also given an additional 0.5kg of psyllium twice a day till the tenth day.
• The horses were maintained in a sand-free environment and were given sufficient hay to meet their maintenance
  energy requirements.
• Both before and during the experiment, feces samples were collected from the horses to measure the amount of ash they contained.
  These measurements were used to determine the amount of sand removed from the horses’ intestines.
• The trial was repeated after two weeks with the treatments reversed between groups A and B.

Results and Insights

• Measurements of the feces samples revealed that there was no difference between the ash content before and after
  the introduction of sand in the horses’ diet.
• All the horses showed an increase in ash excretion when treated with a combination of psyllium and mineral oil,
  in comparison with just using mineral oil.
• Especially on days two, three and four of the treatment, the difference between the ash excreted due to the two different
  treatments was significant.
• When measured against the baseline, the average ash weight in the psyllium plus oil treated group reached
  51.0 (SD 20.5) % of the administered sand mass, while it was only 26.1 (SD 17.7) % in the group treated with oil alone.
• The results also revealed an individual variation in horses; nonetheless, the combination of psyllium and mineral oil
  was observed to be more effective in increasing the total ash output.

Main Conclusion

The study concluded that the administration of psyllium and mineral oil together is more beneficial for the removal of sand from the horse intestines than just using mineral oil by itself. Even though there was a significant variation in the response of individual horses, overall the combination treatment was consistently more effective. The research results prompt the use of combination therapy (psyllium and oil) for treating sand colic in horses.