When to call the vet?

My favorite pony in the whole wide world just isn't looking like herself. I can feel her ribs (which isn't normal - she's usually nice and fat) he withers are sharper than normal, he neck has gotten less meaty, and her tail head is more visible than normal. She's been eating normally - I'm guessing it's her 6-month-old foal that's taking everything out of her. I just don't know what to do! She's not acting like herself either. Wayy less hyper than she usually is. I wouldn't say lethargic, just chiller than normal! Like she's tired or worn out.

I'm worried that she could be foundering? She walks pretty normal and her hooves look halfway ok (not good, but not horrible).. I just have that gut feeling...

Should I call the vet or what should I do??

Thanks.

I'd put my money on a few different things, like worms, or malnutrition (or not adequate to her current needs from foaling).

I'd look into the basic things before getting too upset. Is she on a good worming schedule? What is her diet like? Hair problems are usually from something going on the inside, not enough nutrients getting stored away and things of the such. It could be from worms taking all her nutrients, or it could just be she is dump and tired from that foal!! If you had a needy little thing eating off of you and bugging you constantly, you'd be worn and tired and skinny too! LOL.

Edit: If you are truly worried, asking a vet to come out wouldn't hurt. But it might just be a waste of money if it's a simple fix like stated above. If nothing else, you can call and ask them their opinion and what you should do. Good luck. :)

We can suggest all sorts of things on here - however if you are truly at a loss as to what is wrong with her, call the vet. That way you can be sure, & stop worrying.

Id say wean the foal, worm her and raise her food intake.
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If you are truly concerned, calling the vet out is NEVER a waste of money. If nothing is seriously wrong, then you have piece of mind knowing that your horse is healthy. If you really feel the need to call the vet, then go ahead an call because there is nothing any of us on the internet can do for you.

Good luck and I hope she's alright.

Thank you so much.

After a few hours of searching the interwebz, I've come to suspect that she has worms? I worm her regularly (every 75ish days) with generic wormer - Ivermectin (and occasionally Pyrantel) - at the local feed store, but after some research is seems that some worms are immune to Ivermectin??!! I'm thinking of calling the vet on Monday. It does seem like she has the symptoms: roundish belly, skinnier than normal (like I can feel all her ribs), toilet-brush tail (which - I could just be me being paranoidshe usually has anyway because she gets into burrs alot), tired, uninterested, just overall feeling under the weather.

Just one question: do normal de-wormers cure an infested horse?

If she's had a foal on her for 6 months and is still letting him nurse, I'd almost guarantee that's why she's looking so peaked. Deworming can't hurt, for sure but I'd be pulling the foal off like yesterday.

I'm on a good schedule with my horses but had one fecal checked the other day even though she is in great condition. Vet called back and asked if I had been worming her!! What!? Said she had a ton of eggs in her stool and had me pick up some quest at his office. I had JUST WORMED HER WITH ZYMECTRIN GOLD three weeks before he came out!
But be sure you get her checked before you do anything, could cause problems if she is really infested. :(
Could just be the foal I hope, some mamas just can't go as long as others for all kinds of reasons. What are you feeding her now? Could need more/less/different or your feed could be out of a bad batch. Check with your vet, like stated above it's worth the piece of mind.
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Proper worming will get rid of an infestation, but you do need to ROTATE wormers and make sure you are giving the right dosage (if you give a little bit more it won't hurt as much as a little bit LESS - less will help the worms develop resistance to the medicine and can cause a lot of problems in the long haul). You should rotate between Ivermectin, Pyrantel and maybe Fenbendazole or Anthelcide. I usually only do Ivermectin every 1st rotation. I have Pyrantel and then either use Fenbendazole or Anthelcide on the 3rd round. I also make sure to give a tape worm wormer once a year (prazinquantel) which is sold usually in combination with a name brand Ivermectin (like Zymectrin Gold). Every two months is a good schedule as it is easy to remember and you can schedule the worming with your other pets' worming/pesticide applications (provided you have dogs/cats). That always helps me remember.

Though you should be able to feel your pony's ribs a little bit. Ponies are super prone to founder and it's best to have them more trim than you think. Our pony is in the process of losing weight and pony fat is like glue - once it's there, it's STUCK - she lost the first 100 lbs no problem but the last 50 is like fighting seal blubber.

Is it possible your horse has sand in her gut? That can also affect her belly and condition. It's easy to test for sand by putting a few poop nuggets in a bucket and checking back in an hour - if you have sand on the bottom, then you probably need to feed Chia or psyllium for a week to clear the sand out.

Just just just took lil' Misty off :(. She's sad, but it's gotta be done.
Star seems to be a little relieved though. :P
Ordered one of those yearly worming kits (like the one that gives you everything you need to a whole year's worth of worming) and opted for the more pricey one to make sure I'm getting quality stuff. It has Pyrantel, Ivermectin, Anthelcide, and another one I for get the name of... but it gets good reviews so hopefully I can get her on a better worming schedule. None of my horses have gotten worms (that I know of) and have done fine off my Ivermectin and Pyrantel... Hmm....