thin horse

[newbe]

Hello there,

I am hoping for some advice. I found the sweetest, 10 year,
gelding that is kid friendly. The only problem is he has bad
teeth and is very under weight. I am going to have his teeth
floated before I bring him home. What is the quikest, safest
way to put the weight back on him?

I have heard that feeding too much grains and alfalfa
can cause big problems. How much is TOO much?

Dee

 

[holly heifer]

Do not overload the grain, horses were meant to eat constantly
on grass or grass hay. Give free choice grass hay. Use any
good feed- I like Purina feed for putting on weight. Once had a
horse with severe COPD that was a scarecrow, he weighed
1200 when he died( from colic at age 24) The vet students were amazed that he looked so good. There is also a supplement called Weight gain that helps with out adding
all the carbs that can cause founder( laminitis) It is in all the
horse catalogs out there. Also, worm the horse with an ivermectin paste. Corn oil can also be added to the feed to
boost fat and calories. You will be amazed ar how much better the horse will look in about 2 months :lol: Good luck! ;-)

 

[clampitt]

Better to go slow he didn't get this way over night and you can't get him in shape over night.Be careful worming one that is really thin you can kill all the worms and kill him too,I have seen that happen.Give him half the wormer.And maby watch him a week or two give the other half.You kinda have to get em on their feet to a certain degree.I had a vet call me once and he had already called the owner of the horse,I knew the owner he had let a kid break a horse for him and was furnishing all feed just go to feed store get all you want well he was but was feeding theres not his horse.I have never seen but one other in my life this bad still on his feet.The vet called me said go get Johnny's horse and I'll get him to your place today.I go over kid says he lays down when I try to get on I said no !!!! hes almost starved.He almost can't get in trailer his dad kept saying he was a bronc and was bad.I started him out on a flake of grass hay,and 1/3 can of grain,in a.m and p.m.and gave him 1/3 of the wormer.Had to be really carefull.Two weeks later next third wormer,and had him up to half can of grain and kept hay out all time just grass hay.At end of mo. last of wormer.and almost full can of grain and this was mixed about half with bran.beet pulp.It took me two mo.finally got a couple hundred lbs.on him he still looked ruff but could do a little riding.He was not a bronc.He layed down with the kid cause he couldn't hold him and the saddle up together.Long story don't mean nothing just be careful and go slow.We feed bran and beet pulp mixed even and or grain,in a three lb.can half bran,beetpulp mix other half grain.more we ride add both in even amounts,I have a friend that has an old calf horse hes 34 now no teeth,feeds strait beet pulp soaked in water for an hour pours off loose water and feeds like that.keeps alfalfa hay out and Black will chew on it till its all gone.Chews on the hay till gets all the juice out spits it out like chewing tobacco goes get another mouth full.Is fat as a tick and shines like new money.I have fed every thing made.I ride for the public and have too keep em looking good and this has been the best Most cost effective mix i have used.We ride barrel and calf horses In Ok.and Tx if you are going to win better have a good one.This is a long winded deal but might give some ideas from examples.Its like riding one go one step at a time let the horse tell you when to step it up,watch and listen, they don't go by a calender or a watch.Good luck,Ronny

 

[rk]

Nutrena SafeChoice works good.....lower carb, higher fat pellet. Very safe nutrition.

 

[Alan]

I'm going to have to disagree and little here. Do have his teeth done by a good vet that knows what they are doing. You may want to ask him/her do a fecal exam also to see had bad the worm infestation is. A good dental should take 45 minutes to an hour of work. Have his sheath cleaned while he is sedated.

If he is heavily infested with worms, which he probably is, as thin as he is, then I would suggest getting him on a wet diet. Soaked beet pulp or rice bran mixed with grain. When ever you change a horses diet, do it slowly over 7 to 10 days. Meaning start with a small amount of wet food building it up to about 10 to 15lbs of well soaked beet pulp and grain twice and day. start with about 2lbs twice a day. Give him all the good quaility hay he wants and a mineral lick.

Now the reason you want wet food is to up the water intake and to keep his stool a little soft. If he has lots of worms, when you worm him they can cause a blockage and cause colic. So worm for weight if you think he weighs 1000lb give him an 800 dose, this is if the fecal comes back with heavy worms. If not worm regularly. You can ask the Vet doing the teeth their advice on worming. But the loose stool will help him pass the worms. Repeat the worming in a month.

Also when your horse starts putting on weight and feeling good again he may have a different attitude than he does now. Kind of like some one being sick and weak then getting back to normal.

Good luck,
Alan

 

[newbe]

Well, I got Dude on Febuary 12. We took him to the vet and he said that the main issue is his teeth. He is a cribber so his front teeth are real bad.
His back teeth need to be floated they had alot of points and
hooks. The vet recommended a senior feed that he could
digest without chewing. I put him on equine senior with
corn oil on top and lots of hay. After just a few days he has
perked up and is noticable feeling better. After a week I
think he has already gained a few pounds. It's going to take
a good while to get him back up to weight but I think we are
on the way.

Thanks for everyone's help

DeeDee

 

[BTRANCH]

How is your horse doing? I had a "rescue" last year where we had to put weight on a horse. My vet told me to get a container and weigh that. don't go by volume, ie a scoop, use weight. he recommended "Red Cell" over his feed. that worked well. Also, said to use pellet form of feed, it digests easier. we started out with 2 lbs of feed per day, 1/2 in the am and half pm. increased each week by 1/2 lb. i am happy to report this has worked like a charm. i brought home a mustang mom and colt over the weekend, started her on the same routine, and am happy to report, she is already showing signs of improvement.

 

[msscamp]

You might also want to consider giving him a 1/4 to 1/2" flake of alfalfa hay once a day along with his grass hay.

 

[born2run]

Equine Senior also works wonders. I'm using this to slowly but surely put the weight back on the 21 year old gelding I'm leasing and plan to buy. He was maybe 100 lbs. underweight when I brought him home a month ago, and now has gained roughly half of that. He's a big boned boy...appendix QH, 16.2 hh...and probably will always be a tougher keeper.

 

[Linda]

Equine Senior also works wonders. I'm using this to slowly but surely put the weight back on the 21 year old gelding I'm leasing and plan to buy. He was maybe 100 lbs. underweight when I brought him home a month ago, and now has gained roughly half of that. He's a big boned boy...appendix QH, 16.2 hh...and probably will always be a tougher keeper.

I've had great luck with Nutrena Equine Senior feed pellets for young horses as well as my senior guy. He just passed on at the age of 28 from a broken leg, but the senior feed kept his weight on all winter.

Friends who had an Arab well over the age of 30. This horse had raised all five of their kids. He had trouble chewing as he became a senior citizen, so they would put a bucket of alfalfa cubes & water where he could eat it. He also had unrestriced pasture and access to cubes. He lived a long, happy life.

 

[3MR]

I know this is an old thread, but just wanted to add something. Giving half a wormer then giving the other half later is one of the reason worms are becoming resistent. Most people dont give enough wormer because they are worried about killing the horse or making it sick. If you are worried about this, weigh the horse before you worm him/her and make sure the animal gets the appropriate amount, actually down its throat.