Abstract: Background Fecal water syndrome (FWS) is the passing of nearly normal feces preceded or followed by a volume of liquid. While FWS is not life-threatening, it poses a significant burden to horses and people managing them. While many potential causes have been hypothesized few studies have been conducted to identify its cause, and results have been inconsistent or non-reproducible.
Hypothesis/Objectives The objective is to identify risk factors that may predispose horses to FWS and determine the shedding prevalence of Salmonella enterica, Clostridium difficile, equine coronavirus, Neorickettsia risticii, Lawsonia intracellularis, Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia.
Animals Fecal samples were collected from 25 Horses with FWS and 26 unaffected horses. 117 owners completed a questionnaire including 72 owners of horses with FWS and 45 owners of control horses.
Methods A case-control study was conducted to look for shared factors between affected horses. Fecal samples were analyzed by PCR and immunofluorescent antibody testing (IFA) to determine shedding frequencies and questionnaire data was compared between groups by chi-square testing
Results Data suggests horses with FWS were more likely diagnosed with comorbidities compared to controls. Administration of 3 or more supplements, recent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, and prior use of antibiotics was observed more frequently in horses with FWS. No differences were observed in prevalence of infectious agent shedding.
Conclusions and Clinical Importance Results suggest FWS may be more frequently encountered in horses with certain management practices. While no infectious agent shedding differences were observed, serial testing may be needed to detect intermittent shedding.
