Sigh
My horse, Sonny, it would seem, has suddenly become an old man.
He's 21 as of April and it looks like this winter was particularly harsh on him. He was very very thin coming out of winter. We thought maybe once he had more access to grass he'd bulk back up since he always seems to get smaller in the winter months but nope.
We brought him to the vet on May 18.
We had his shots updated, had his teeth floated (he was due and we thought maybe they were getting in the way of his ability to eat), and we had the vet assess his weight.
He's 1050 right now and he used to be up around 1200. If there's one thing you can say about my family, it's that we're more likely to overfeed than underfeed our horses :wink:
He was never obese though, no worries.
But now he's very thin.
The vet checked him out and told us he had sand in his colon! Sand! Like...how does that even happen? What business does he have eating sand anyway?
We had his teeth done, and then, yesterday he didn't eat his dinner and today he didn't eat his breakfast.
We stall at night and put them on grass during the day.
For breakfast he gets a scoop of grain and a coffee cup full of minerals. As well as about 1/3 of a bale of hay. He gets the same for dinner.
This diet has kept him at a healthy weight his entire life with us.
Tonight I went to feed him. As per the vet's instructions...
He is NOW getting:
1 scoop Purina Impact Senior
1 scoop Meti-mucil
1 scoop Farnamr Weight Builder
1 scoop Sand Clear
1 scoop minerals
1/3 bale of hay
It should be noted that "scoop varies in size depending on the item it's scooping :wink:
We're hoping this will turn him around and get him to bulk.
Do you think it will?
Also...
Is it safe to ride him at this reduced weight?
How long you figure it'll take to get him to gain?
Any general thoughts?
My horse, Sonny, it would seem, has suddenly become an old man.
He's 21 as of April and it looks like this winter was particularly harsh on him. He was very very thin coming out of winter. We thought maybe once he had more access to grass he'd bulk back up since he always seems to get smaller in the winter months but nope.
We brought him to the vet on May 18.
We had his shots updated, had his teeth floated (he was due and we thought maybe they were getting in the way of his ability to eat), and we had the vet assess his weight.
He's 1050 right now and he used to be up around 1200. If there's one thing you can say about my family, it's that we're more likely to overfeed than underfeed our horses :wink:
He was never obese though, no worries.
But now he's very thin.
The vet checked him out and told us he had sand in his colon! Sand! Like...how does that even happen? What business does he have eating sand anyway?
We had his teeth done, and then, yesterday he didn't eat his dinner and today he didn't eat his breakfast.
We stall at night and put them on grass during the day.
For breakfast he gets a scoop of grain and a coffee cup full of minerals. As well as about 1/3 of a bale of hay. He gets the same for dinner.
This diet has kept him at a healthy weight his entire life with us.
Tonight I went to feed him. As per the vet's instructions...
He is NOW getting:
1 scoop Purina Impact Senior
1 scoop Meti-mucil
1 scoop Farnamr Weight Builder
1 scoop Sand Clear
1 scoop minerals
1/3 bale of hay
It should be noted that "scoop varies in size depending on the item it's scooping :wink:
We're hoping this will turn him around and get him to bulk.
Do you think it will?
Also...
Is it safe to ride him at this reduced weight?
How long you figure it'll take to get him to gain?
Any general thoughts?