I have a 13 yr old TB gelding that has lost weight and now I can't seem to get it back on him. I have asked at my local feed store and they aren't any help. Can someone please help me by suggesting what I can do to get his weight back up?Thanks in advance
you want something with a higher fat content than "normal" feeds...also, is he out on pasture, in a stall??
make sure he has access to hay 24/7 if he doesn't already
has he been wormed recently?
After you find a feed that is suitable, gradually increase it (not all at once)
beet pulp and chaff are great forages for horses that need some weight!
oh, and make sure he's drinking enough water ;-)
Strategy and grain or sweet feed mixed together worked wonders for my OTTB ... she got taller and really skinny, well not really skinny but i thought she was thin and that was the magic .. along with a flake of grass and alfalfa in the am and the same in the pm.
My coach feeds the 'hard keepers' at our barn 1/2 cup of oil with their grain at supper (beetpulp,bran and pellets), and makes sure they always have full haynets. Works like a charm! Even on the older OTTBs.
I would avoid the high energy foods like alfalfa and sweet feed, but I agree with the free choice hay, beet pulp, rice bran, oil. I also agree that you need to look at the possiblity that his teeth might be bothering him and have a fecal count done.
Are there any other horses with him? Are any of them losing weight?
Thanks, Peggysue -- I don't use alfalfa, but have heard lots of people not using it because it makes their horses hyper. Hence my assumption that it was a high energy food.
thanks for the info as of right now he is on strtegy but that is when I noticed the loss in weight. his teeth were floated about four months agoaccording to the records and paperwork that came along with him when he was purchased. I have other horses but they look great. one I have had for three years and i bought this gelding and a mare at the same time and she looks great!he is the only one. I do feed hay free choice but it is a fescue hay. Should I give him something different? It seems to be fine for the others.oh and he is being fed twice a day, Should I add another feeding at lunch?
My OTTB had weight issues. But remember some are built leaner than others so him looking super skinny might just be him being "slightly" underweight.
We use alfalfa and timothy hay. Constant 24/7 access. With my OTTB we fed him 3 times a day. I forget what the feed was called but its by Purina. We added it into his regular grain mixture (sweetfeed and oats). Try asking your vet if they know an efficient way to aid in weight gaining.
Good luck!
ok I cant' walk away I hate startgy feed and have found that most horses do BETTER when taken off of it ... if you want to stay with Purina go with the Enrich32 or Ultima ... with the Enrich add in some beet pulp for calories and make sure he is getting FREE CHOICE hay
And remember that it's not just the type and amount of hay that is important, but also the quality. Different cuttings and changes in environmental factors (rain, temperatures, etc) affect the nutritional content of hay.
You need to first look at getting appropriate amounts and nutrient balance. If those two things are wrong, you can continue to have weight and health issues.
Once you know that you are feeding appropriate amounts and that the nutrient balance is right, then add fat---vegetable oil, any number of "weight supplements", etc can be used--and give it a bit of time.
If the fescue hay has toxic endophytes it can affect any animal that eats it not just pregnant mares. Some animals are more sensitive to the toxin than others. It can make all kinds of animals ill that eat it and shorten their life spans. It can negatively affect fertility in stallions. It can cause fescue foot in cows and cause them not to have milk for their calves. Calves or foals that get nothing else will grow poorly. The levels of fungus can vary from year to year or month to month. The fungus is also in the fescue seed itself so when someone plants high endophyte fescue like Kentucky 31 they are planting fungus spores with the grass. There is a non toxic endophyte fescue that was developed to replace the toxic type but the seed is more expensive.
we are talking HORSES no cattle adn from reading the post I don' see a preg mare or breeding stallion
can you post the links so I can follow this research showing how bad fescue is?? I have seen it fed for many many years and have researched it and the ONLY danger I have found is with last trimister mares
I'd like to repeat myself....... Fecal count!!! You can throw all the good food you want at a horse, but if it has a load of parasites it's going to loose weight. Have you wormed for tapes? When were his teeth last done?
his teeth were done about four months ago,so I seriously doubt that is his issue. He is getting fed twice daily and is getting approx. 4lbs per feeding as I was instructed by a purina spokesperson.However i am looking to switch him to something else maybe better suited for him. The fescue that I am feeding (and it is free choice)is always the same as I have bought my hay from this same man who cuts it here for five years, so the hay is good and he is a biology teacher and ffa too So I am sure he does everything properly for good nutrition. I usually worm about every two months. I have heard that sometimes the ottb should be given the daily continuous wormer but I am afraid of that as I have no experience with the stuff Anyone else have any thoughts on this BTW this is a gelding not a stallion or pregnant mare as I am aware of not feeding fescue in the last trimester.
Despite that you usually worm every two months, a fecal count is inexpensive and may give you more information. A friend of mine who worms religiously ended up with her gelding being infested with strongyles. After a regimen of 3 vet-supervised mega doses, her horse is now happily gaining weight.
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