Equine Free Faecal Water Syndrome (FFWS) seems to be an increasing phenomenon in horses but very little is known about it and research into this condition is still limited. Unlike diarrhoea, free faecal water (FFW) syndrome is not life-threatening but involves free water being passed before, after, or with normal faecal balls. However, as horse’s bodies need to conserve water, losing excess fluid in their faeces, can indicate a gastrointestinal (GI) disturbance which could be making it difficult for the horse to manage or resorb water.

Lisa Elliott, MSc – Equine Nutrition Solutions explains what Free Faecal Water Syndrome is, what can potentially cause it, and how to help combat it through the right diet and nutrition.

What is FFW Syndrome?

Free Faecal Water Syndrome (FFWS) describes the occurrence of water being passed from the rectum, alongside faecal matter. This free water can be passed before, during or after defaecation. The water may also be passed independently of faeces altogether.

Is FFW Syndrome a problem?

FFWS can be seen in otherwise healthy horses in good body condition. The issue may reflect subtle changes in intestinal health without any outward signs of ill health, such as weight loss or lethargy.

Whilst the syndrome isn’t necessarily associated with weight loss, colic, or significant digestive issues, it may cause management problems such as soreness around the horse’s bottom and on their back legs. FFWS can also result in significantly increased use of bedding materials which increases costs and work for owners:

The passage of water from the rectum can also result in the following problems:

• Constant dirtiness around the hindlegs and tail requiring frequent grooming and cleaning
• Attraction of flies
• Irritation to the skin around the anus, perineum and down the hindlegs that can result in dermatitis, requiring veterinary intervention
• Contamination of vulva/vagina in mares, potentially leading to significant health issues and reduction in fertility if breeding stock

What causes FFW Syndrome?

There are lots of potential reasons that may contribute towards its occurrence. So far, research has failed to definitively categorise the relative significance of the various factors that have been implicated. Factors that have been previously suggested to have an impact include:

• Abrupt change in forage type
• Feeding of wrapped forages such as haylage or silage
• Poor Dentition
• Social stress e.g. horses lower in a group hierarchy structure
• Physical stress e.g. intensity of training, travelling
• Sex predisposition with geldings possibly more at risk
• Colour/breed predisposition with coloured horses possibly more at risk

It’s important to note that the contributing factors can be individual specific with research studies around FFWS producing conflicting data. For example, some have implicated wrapped forages such like haylage, with an improvement in symptoms when those horses were fed hay.  Studies have also shown that 20% of horses with FFWS studied were eating hay.  Additionally, some studies have shown that horses with FFWS improve when switched to a different batch of forage. Furthermore, research has indicated that horses with FFWS tend to have a much high proportion of concentrates in their diet, with horses without free faecal liquid reported to have a lower daily intake of starch and sugar and higher intake of protein and fibre than those with free faecal liquid.

Therefore, whilst we don’t currently have any definitive causes for FFWS, research is indicating that it’s the composition of the diet that may play a more important role in its occurrence. However, further research is required before this condition is fully understood.

Managing FFW Syndrome

There is no single strategy for managing FFWS in horses. However, management changes can improve the condition, alongside following basic principles of optimising gut health.

• Check Teeth

Horses with poor dentition are more likely to have this problem as they are unable to effectively chew their fibre, so its important to ensure that your horses check are checked regularly by a qualified Equine Dental Technician or Vet.

• Provide good-quality forage

Forage is the most important part of a horse’s diet and should ideally be fed on an ad-lib basis. Forage should always be the best quality you can find to ensure optimal digestion. Preserved forage like hay or haylage, and grass are best to provide optimal forage dry matter (DM) per day.  Forage with a higher water holding capacity, such as grass hay and haylages with a higher DM content are ideal, along with grass chops which have a higher water holding capacity than alfalfa or beet. Silage is best avoided due to its high water content.

Providing consistent forage is also important, as different batches can vary in composition, so if a horse is suffering from FFWS changing to a different batch of forage and sticking to that if it reduces the free faecal water can help. Forage changes should also be introduced gradually over a period of 2 to 3 weeks to allow hindgut microbes to adjust and minimise digestive upset which could lead to conditions like FFWS.

Adding Coligone Powder or Liquid to your horses feed, which contains yea-sacc to help support optimum forage digestion will also help with managing and preventing FFWS.

• Minimise cereals

Feeding a high volume of starch through cereals or high energy concentrated feed containing higher levels of cereals, can mean that excess starch will reach the hindgut and become fermented by lactate or ‘lactic acid’ producing microbes. This increases the levels of lactate in the hindgut and decreases the pH, which can lead to digestive issues and decreased permeability of the gut lining, alongside imbalances within the hindgut microbiome all of which may contribute to FFWS. Additionally, increased lactate can draw water into the hindgut which could also result in free faecal liquid.  Coligone Liquid or Powder contains natural buffers which help neutralise excess acid and support normal pH levels through the digestive tract and are a beneficial addition to help combat digestive upset and the potential for free faecal liquid.

A forage based diet fed alongside a high specification balancer like Coligone Balancer is preferable to feeding cereals when managing this condition. Additionally, If your horse is working harder or needs extra condition, then extra energy can be provided through fibre based feeds like Coligone Fibre cubes rather than relying on cereals to provide this, which can compromise hindgut health.

• Minimise stress

Horses with lower rankings in the herd structure and the associated stress has been suggested to contribute to FFWS. Stress can lead to increased acidity within the digestive tract which in turn could result in free faecal liquid. Ideally, the stress should be minimised with alternative grazing, and if the horse is being deprived of forage due to competition with higher ranked horses, then ideally, they should be brought into a stable or area where they can eat happily to ensure they are consuming enough forage dry matter per day for optimal digestive health.

Coligone Powder or liquid can be also extremely beneficial in helping to minimise stress and combat its effects. Both are rich in calcium which helps support a healthy nervous system and promotes calmness and contain a combination of active ingredients that help to neutralise increased acidity within the digestive tract, maintain healthy acid levels, and soothe and coat the digestive tract to provide protection against acidic damage.  This helps the horse feel more comfortable, relieving tension and further promoting calmness, to reduce the potential for FFWS.

• Support the microbiome

Probiotics like yeasts in the form of yeast cultures, such as Yea-sacc, and Prebiotics like MOS and ScFOS can all work together to support and nurture the hindgut microbiome for improved digestive health and mitigate changes that could lead to digestive upset and FFWS.

There is, therefore, good rationale for supplementing the diet with pre/probiotics, including Yea-Sacc Saccharomyces cerevisiae to enable proliferation of the friendly fibre-digesting bacteria that the horse’s hindgut requires for normal, healthy function. Coligone Powder or Liquid contains generous levels of these key pro and prebiotics and are a beneficial addition to help manage and prevent FFWS and optimise overall hindgut health.